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sluggish economy toll, en Google recently reduced size sales force. Or companies sh GlaxoSmithKline, Apple Sun Microsytems ao reduced tr sales forces. Re-sizing sales force creates cascading impact sales force customers. experience type change occurs field, line revenue sales force morale risk broken relationships sales professionals customers. 

Three critical questions addressed re-sizing sales force:

1.      sales professionals?

2.      sales professionals covering rt accounts?

3.      sales professionals located locations? 

The following proven, real-world process answer questions:

1. Create database

The process starts wh data template wh elements including account characteristics, sales representative assignment, revenue, margin, volume, potential, account profile sales visits. 

The nt step populate template wh customer prospect data. Next, database segmented. wide range methods determining segments based account characteristics, e.g., industry definition, products, services buying behavior. foundation segments wl he impact following steps sales deployment process. 

Once database bn cleansed segmented, estimating potential nt step. companies collect actual revenue margin account level, potential usually readily available. engage sales force estimate potential account level, cd “mechanical” process. route estimate specific spending national level, industry segment company size level (either nr employees annual sales). estimate potential account level. means achieving account potential specific using spending geographic level, i.e. spending Atlanta dt San Francisco. industries pharmaceuticals, data exists tt pinpoint exact spending account level. option involves leveraging customer database. Customer characteristics nd included database sh industry segment, nr employees annual sales account level. Based customer characteristics, estimators created based hh share accounts segment. estimator tn proxy potential customers prospects se characteristics. 

Once potential account level, deeper level marketplace insight gleaned. example, analyze market share product industry segment develop implications current sales deployment. 

The nt step create account profiles. Account profiles based size potential customer segment. Profiles ao based factors tn “size,” e.g. purchasing process, product mix, contracting, etc. example, accounts tt $10 million annual potential Jumbo account profile Retail segment. 

Next, workload defined based account profiles. Workload activity-based approach foundation sizing sales assignments. Workload defined nr sales calls period required support customers prospects. Workload segregated customers prospects. Te sl sources information designing workload structure: sales force survey, customer survey, sales interviews, previous workload analyses and/or sales process design. 

Now complete database bn integrated cleansed, current sales deployment model analyzed gaps, overlaps misalignments. 

2. Sales Assignment Design  

At time process, database complete validated. account-level database contains customers, prospects, segments, revenue, potential, account profiles workload. ready design assumptions sales assignments. Sales assignments accounts tt aligned sales rep. determine account profiles wl covered wt sales roles. example, Jumbo accounts covered Key Account Managers, Le Medium accounts covered Account Executives, accounts covered Inside Sales Representatives. sales role, design workload specifications based sales visits day needed. example, time allocation Sales Executives 60% customers, 20% prospects 20% non-selling activities. Then, agree nr actual days field sales activities. Continuing example, te 150 days available customer sales visits, 50 days prospects. design assumption wd 3 sales visits customer day times 150 days equals 600 sales visits, 50 days prospects 4 visits day equals 200 sales visits. total, te 800 sales visits year. assumption creating assignments, estimate Account Executives based database. addition, first-level sales management roles estimated based span control. Ts model estimated headcount costs (sales reps first-level sales managers) tn compared current headcount costs. Usually, models revealing; current sales deployment rt or, likely, gaps nd addressed. 

3. Create Assignments 

Creating assignments step sales deployment implementation field. ts pt process, decisions he centrally. Now, local insight field buy-in takes hold. Ts critical step process we implementation plan handed-off central resources field. implementation team selected, educated trained plan. Corporate sponsorship leadership aligned field senior management. Education training business change developed delivered senior management field sales management levels. data handed-off first-level sales management. 

When field sales management educated trained, interactive, hands-on sales assignment design session ready execution. input design session data classified segment geography. software mapping tool utilized assist wh facilitation session. Participants design session appropriate implementation resources field sales management. sales managers selected start process. addition sales manager insight marketplace, resources cd involved sh distribution center manager previous sales manager located geography. Projected wall map appropriate accounts (based customers, prospects, segments account profiles). sales manager selects accounts ft sales assignment. Based previous example, constraint sales assignment 800 sales visits year. sales manager completes sales assignment continues wh process ul his/her geography completed. process continues ul accounts io sales assignments. Oe sales assignments set, first-level sales management assignments designed. time, straw model (headcount estimated costs) pd senior management preliminary approval. Final approval model occur ul geographies he bn designed. output design session account list sales assignment, account maps sales assignment, organizational chart, summaries revenue, potential estimated costs, issues steps. 

4. Role/Fit 

The step sales deployment process assess select incumbents sales rep first-level sales management assignments. Data ns collected me decisions concerning fitting incumbents io assignments. data sources performance appraisals, self assessments, employee preferences, manager recommendations, relocation desires, etc. sales managers he bn selected approved, field sales management convened (by geography) fit incumbents io sales assignments. Based available data, decisions me select incumbents sales assignments. Se assignments left on filled fm geography fm outside. incumbents fit io assignments. te cases, or roles option severance. pe sales reps accept positions. prepare tt event, contingent plans ready. preliminary organization set, projected actual costs updated io model.  

5. Account Risk Transition Plan 

When incumbents and/or assignments complete, determine account risk changing sales rep another. changing key link, sales rep accounts company, nd identify mitigate risks. focus protect line revenue phase transition. accounts, significant change, e.g., “I rep years. Now, sales rep company.” account Jumbo account? accounts rep; way, account risks. data sw variances account level sales rep changes occur. lt key risk factors bn identified: account profile, share revenue percentage potential, sales rep change, distribution center change, customer service change qualitative assessment. accounts rated key factors, score calculated. leveraging data, plan developed alleviate risks, e.g., accounts wh ht risk score face-to-face meeting customer Regional VP. 

6. One-On-One Meetings 

We at ready implement street-level. Executive management approved organization headcount costs. Assignments complete account lists account maps. Incumbents he bn selected. Account risk transition plan place. Education communication materials developed approved. key step one-on-one meeting bn sales manager sales rep. Ts critical interaction implementation. bn completed delivered sales rep level. communication delivered flawlessly. not, invested wk risk. So, key implementation role first-level sales manager. first-level sales managers prepared one-on-one meetings education, training, role play activities tools. addition, first-level sales manager experienced first-hand design sales assignments process fit incumbents sales assignments. sales managers questionable at delivering communication, his/her manager cd team one-on-one meeting. addition, se identified sales reps tt risk accepting role, ty bn scheduled one-on-one meetings, contingent plan deployed needed. 

Finally proven, real-world process, able answer question sales reps locations covering rt accounts.