For businesses, sales territories outgrow boundaries all the time. And it’s a good thing. If it does not grow, then it is something to worry about.
There are a lot of decisions that depend on territories, and hence territory management should be your utmost priority. That is when the Dynamics 365 map plugin can help you. The plugin helps you visualize the Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM data on a map and analyze it. The tool gives you insights to maximize your efforts by making subtle changes in the territory structures and making strategies accordingly.
To know how and why you should make changes in your territory, stay with us.
What is Territory Optimization?
Territory optimization helps you align the workload and resources to gain the best outcome. Territory optimization must be conducted at regular intervals for the best outcomes. Here are some reasons:
- Changing marketing strategy
- When adding a new product
- Poor coverage of territories
- Inefficient routes
- Duplication of efforts
- High resource turnover
These reasons impact customer service, sales revenue, and employee work satisfaction. To avoid falling into this trap, you must optimize territories regularly.
You can either optimize territories manually or with the help of the tool. When you have a large audience base, it is advisable to use tools.
Because optimizing territories manually is time-consuming, and you might end up missing out on some areas/contacts. But with the help of a tool, you can optimize them smartly and more efficiently.
The tools will display Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM data on a map. You can make drawings to make a custom territory, use geometrical shapes, or divide it by city/state.
With this Dynamics 365 map plugin, you have more control over the entire process. The territories created will be even, and the client distribution in territories to the sales team will become easier for you.
Benefits of Territory Optimization
- Increase in Revenue
By adjusting territories, you can increase sales revenue by up to 7%. However, what are the factors that contribute to this growth in sales?
To begin with, using mapping tools to create territories allows for the even distribution of clients and eliminates coverage gaps. When assigning territories to the sales team, work is divided equally, giving sales representatives sufficient time to research and get to know their prospects.
When sales reps invest enough time with their prospects, they feel valued and appreciated. This, in turn, helps your organization to close more deals, receive positive reviews, generate more referrals, increase upsells, and ultimately boost revenue.
There are other benefits that can be gained from optimizing territories, but the increase in revenue alone is enough to convince organizations to consistently and intelligently create territories while utilizing effective tools to achieve their goals.
- Cost Reduction
Now that you are aware of how to increase revenue, another way to further boost it is by reducing costs. Resources are valuable assets for a company, and it is up to you to maximize their potential. Territory management or optimization is one approach.
The market is constantly evolving, and competitors can emerge at any time. This requires continuous changes in strategies, as there is no definitive way to follow them over a long period.
For example, if a new competitor enters the market, customer demand may change, and customers may prefer their products over yours. This means that the number of customers you have will fluctuate constantly, and you cannot assign a fixed number of sales reps to one territory for an extended period. You must make adjustments to the number of resources allocated to a territory.
With a mapping tool, you can continually fine-tune territories so that sales reps are not overworked or unable to meet monthly targets due to a lack of clients to approach. In addition to territory management, mapping tools assist sales reps in optimizing routes, which reduces the number of miles traveled. Reduced mileage translates to lower fuel consumption, resulting in lower costs. Therefore, when you have the appropriate quantity of resources allocated throughout the territories, costs will decrease significantly.
- Save Time
Sales teams often find territory management challenging, as the process of dividing geographic areas and creating territories can be time-consuming. If the territories are vast, sales reps will need to dedicate more time to covering clients and travel more frequently.
Alternatively, if the territories are too small, sales reps may not have enough customers to justify their time and travel expenses. Therefore, the key is to strike the right balance between time and expenses.
This is where a mapping tool comes in handy, as it can assist you in creating territories while considering the travel time and ways to minimize it. This tool is a boon for your sales team and, undoubtedly, your company.
- Improve Sales Reps Productivity
Sales reps often experience exhaustion due to the nature of their work, which entails spending long hours driving from one client to another. As a result, employee turnover can be a significant challenge for an organization, as finding and training new employees to maintain workflow continuity can be difficult.
However, territory optimization can help reduce burnout rates by ensuring that the workload is distributed evenly among sales reps. This approach allows everyone to have an equal opportunity, eliminating the need for any sales reps to overwork to keep up with their workload. Consequently, they can give proper attention to all clients or prospects and achieve the maximum sales possible within their assigned territory.
When territories are not distributed equally among sales reps, it can significantly affect their performance, resulting in a reduction of up to 14% in sales numbers. Therefore, optimized territories play a vital role in balancing the workload of sales reps and giving them equal opportunities to excel in their work.
- Improve Customer Experience
Organizations aim to cultivate long-term relationships with their customers, as this fosters a sense of comfort and trust, which can convert strangers into loyal customers. However, when sales reps are overburdened with tasks, they may not be able to devote the extra effort required to build these relationships. This can lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction levels.
To counter this, merging territory planning with customer service goals can be a viable strategy. By doing so, sales reps can focus on providing high levels of customer satisfaction without being overwhelmed by their workload. This approach helps to build and maintain positive customer relationships, which can lead to increased loyalty and sales in the long run.
How to Find the Right Tool for Your Business
There is no shortage of tools available in the market to help businesses manage their territories and improve their sales performance. However, not all tools are created equal, and businesses must carefully evaluate their options before committing to a solution.
One critical consideration is whether to opt for a separate tool or a plugin that integrates seamlessly with Dynamics 365. While a separate tool may offer additional features and functionality, it can also add complexity to an already crowded tech stack. On the other hand, a plugin can simplify workflows by integrating with existing CRM systems and avoiding the need to manage yet another tool.
The benefits of using a plugin are numerous. They typically offer a range of features that sales teams need to manage their territories, such as route optimization, resource management, appointment tracking, and more. By streamlining these tasks and reducing repetitive work, sales teams can improve their productivity, increase sales, and reduce costs for the organization.
Before committing to a specific plugin, businesses should take advantage of free trial versions to test whether the solution meets their requirements. They should also inquire about the possibility of customizing the plugin to suit their unique needs. Dynamics 365 users can search for the “Dynamics 365 map plugin” to find a list of providers and explore their options.
This Article is originally published on:
https://www.scoopearth.com/simplify-territory-management-with-crm-mapping-tool/