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March 25, 2017
Sales Force Sizing – How Many Farmer Reps Do I Need?
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A customer survey can be used to ask key questions that will quickly troubleshoot the problem and tell you whether you have a valid reason to dig deeper. Your customers can provide valuable insight into whether the account executive (farmer) portion of the sales force size is too thin. If you need more help with your territory alignment, request a brief 30-minute workshop with an expert. Simply send us a note and we will schedule an introductory call to share territory alignment best practices and resources.
Customers Know – Just Ask
If your customers complain that they are not sure who their salesperson is or they do not see them enough then you have good reason to analyze what’s happening, and the answer may be a thin sales force. A customer survey can be used to measure the current customer point of view to get insights into sales force sizing issues faced in Territory Design. An effective survey should have the following characteristics:
In addition, depending on how your farmer reps are organized (company size, vertical, geography, etc.) make sure you ask question in the survey so you can cross-tab the survey results and dial into potential sizing issues by segment. This also provides your sales managers with insight into potential performance issues.
Suggested Questions for Your Customer Survey
The following questions are a good basis upon which to build your customer survey.
Summary
While this approach of using a customer survey to identify potential sizing issues does not replace the more exhaustive sales force sizing analysis, it does give you an efficient first step to stick your toe in the water to evaluate the urgency and existence of a sizing issue. Analyzing the responses from your customers will tip you off if your farmer sales force is too thin, and has the benefit of letting your customers know you are interested in their feedback.
If you need more help with your territory alignment, request a brief 30-minute workshop with an expert. Simply send us a note and we will schedule an introductory call to share territory alignment best practices and resources.
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