Coverage Questions? We've Got You Covered!

"Do we know which accounts we need to focus on?"

"Are we deploying our resources in the most efficient way?"

"Are our non-sales resources aligned effectively to support the sales effort?"

These are some of the common questions we receive from members on the topic of sales coverage.  And while there isn't a "best-in-class" organizational structure (your organization's size and structure depends on your sales strategy), there are best practices to ensure that whatever organizational structure you currently have is set up optimally.

(SEC Members, check out our brand new sales organizational structures benchmarking.)

These best practices fall into three major categories:

Have we segmented our customers into the right coverage tiers?
Are non-sales partners effectively supporting our most valuable customer relationships?
Are the "right" specialists deployed at the "right" points of the sales process?

#1: Have we segmented our customers into the right coverage tiers?

Any sales coverage conversation starts with this question.  Long-time fans of the Sales Executive Council know that a bedrock best practice of customer management is to prioritize accounts based on their alignment with our goals, strategy, and capabilities rather than just size. In other words, is our key/strategic/global account program full of accounts that represent our best growth opportunities, OR is it a bunch of our biggest spenders?

If you're like most companies, you answered the latter.  This is a big problem because you're deploying some very skilled and expensive talent against some very transactional and cost- (rather than value or growth) focused customers.

We see best practice companies analyzing and segmenting their customers not just by revenue potential, but also by strategic alignment (or, in other words, our ability to capture that revenue potential).  By elevating those accounts that have the best opportunity for growth (regardless of current size) into your key/strategic/global account program, you will have improved the efficiency of your coverage model.

SEC Members, for more on segmenting customers based on strategic alignment and fit, review our opportunity/fit segmentation scorecard best practice as well as our step-by-step implementation guide.

Note:  Leading organizations also internally segment their sales force to align strategically-minded reps with strategically-minded accounts and, conversely, transactionally-focused reps with transactionally-focused customers.

#2: Are non-sales partners effectively supporting our most valuable customer relationships?

It's the classic dichotomy in account management:  Once an account becomes strategic enough to merit a single point of contact (or SPOC), the relationship is too complex for that SPOC to manage alone.  So you also need to think about your coverage model beyond sales.  In other words, how well are non-sales resources supporting the relationship manager when developing and executing the account plan?

There are three keys to aligning the rest of your organization around your most valuable customers:

Team Dynamic – Ensuring that critical non-sales partners are held jointly accountable to the performance of the accounts they are supporting.
Executive Participation – Deploying key senior executives to help with oversight as well as to break down any internal barriers
Internal Communications – Structuring the timing and channels of communication between relationship managers and their non-sales support.

By aligning non-sales resources as part of your coverage plan, you can better leverage your existing resources in support of your most valuable customers.

#3: Are the "right" specialists deployed at the "right" points of the sales process?

Beyond your larger accounts, using specialists can help your sales force to move opportunities down the pipeline more quickly than if they were going it alone.  However, many companies struggle with specialists – they're typically an expensive resource, and are often used as a "catch-all" resource if things get stuck with the customer.

So, to deploy specialists in the most effective way in your coverage model, focus different types of specialists at different points of the sales process:

Early Stage – Specialists here should be customer- or segment-focused specialists; those who can help a sales rep to more effectively engage a customer or prospect on how we can help solve unmet needs (Note – these specialists can be supplemented by Commercial Teaching messages)
Mid Stage – Specialists who can help answer the technical details of the products or services that are offered as part of the solution.
Late Stage – Specialists to help navigate the choppy seas of our internal processes, in particular help with pricing and contract development.
Post Sales – Specialists to help gather feedback and complaints to help with ongoing relationship management.

SEC Members, review this best practice from Lexmark on deploying sales specialists.

These three areas (segmentation, internal alignment, and the proper use of sales specialists) can help to improve the effectiveness and impact of your coverage model. What other strategies/areas have you used to improve your coverage model? Let us know in the comments section.