The decision has been made. Instead of relying on multiple spreadsheets and string pinned to a map on the wall, you will be investing in sales territory mapping software.
During the evaluation of the many options out there, it is important to ask yourself these eight questions before making a choice. Once you have answered these questions, you will have a better understanding of what your organization needs from the software.
1. WHAT ARE MY CHALLENGES?
The first thing you need to really know is why you are investing in territory mapping software. What problem will it solve for you?Knowing your challenges allows you to identify the software solution that fits your needs. It also helps to focus your conversation when dealing with the software salespeople. It is impossible to evaluate a product without having a clear picture of what you want to achieve with it!
2. DO I REQUIRE HIERARCHIES?
Do you require various levels of visibility to match your sales organization structure? Assuming you do, you should choose a territory mapping software solution that has hierarchal features. These features will allow you to set up multiple hierarchal tiers for a territory map. If you are able to clearly describe your businesses organizational structure to the sales person you are dealing with, you will find it will speed up your conversation.
3. CAN IT SCALE AS MY BUSINESS GROWS?
When working with sales data, which can be changeable, it needs be able to grow, and update along with your business. Cloud based territory mapping software solutions provide the elasticity for businesses to scale up or down, without the need to buy expensive software licenses or install programs.
4. CAN I COLLABORATE AND DELEGATE TO MY SALES TEAM?
Teams share and collaborate so when selecting a territory mapping software for your sales team, having the ability collaborate and even delegate some of the work is crucial.
5. CAN I LAYER THIRD PARTY DATA?
Are you looking to compare your sales data with additional information such as demographics to reveal the age, gender, or population of customers in your territories? If so then you need to be looking for territory mapping software that can supply you with that data.
6. WHAT ARE MY REPORTING NEEDS?
Performance reporting will be essential to key stakeholders in your organization, so it is likely to be a key decider when you are reviewing territory mapping software provider. Understand how you want to report performance, whether it is a map of your territories on a PowerPoint slide or an interactive map that allows stakeholders to carry out their own analysis.
7. IS IT EASY TO USE?
Any software that you are going to adopt for your organization or sales department needs to be easy to use.Look for a solution that has been designed and built by Sales Territory Management experts.
8. IS SUPPORT AVAILABLE WHEN I NEED IT?
What kind of support will you need? Do you want a dedicated account manager? Do you need to be able to get instant responses? If so then in-app chat support is a must have requirement.
Evaluating software that you will be rolling out across your sales team can be a difficult job. You need to ensure that all requirements are being met and by asking these questions not only of yourself but of others that may be using it, you will define those requirements easier. To help with this we have created a printable checklist which you can use for your evaluation of various territory mapping software options. Download the checklist here.
