The Challenge
After 15 years of organic growth, acquisitions, and field force changes, this multinational pharmaceutical company found itself with a territory structure that no longer reflected commercial reality.
Key issues identified:
- Urban territories overlapped significantly, with multiple reps calling on the same prescribers
- High-potential rural regions had no dedicated coverage
- Sales variance between best and worst territories exceeded 4:1
- Top performers were overworked; others had insufficient customer bases
- Travel time consumed up to 40% of some reps’ working week
The company had attempted territory redesign twice before, but both efforts failed due to rep resistance and insufficient data to justify the changes.
Our Approach
Phase 1: Customer-Level Intelligence (Weeks 1-3)
Using SNIPER analytics, we mapped every customer at prescriber level, scoring:
- Current revenue contribution
- Prescriber potential (based on speciality, patient volume, prescribing behaviour)
- Competitive position
- Geographic accessibility
This analysis revealed that 34% of current call activity was directed at customers with limited growth potential, while 22% of high-potential prescribers received zero coverage.
Phase 2: Geographic Optimisation (Weeks 4-6)
Her-Zone geographic intelligence overlaid customer data onto actual road networks and travel times. This exposed:
- Territories where reps drove past high-potential customers daily
- Clusters of prescribers that could be reassigned without adding travel time
- Natural geographic boundaries that aligned with prescriber density
Phase 3: Workload Balancing (Weeks 7-8)
New territories were designed with three core principles:
- Equal opportunity: Each territory had comparable revenue potential
- Achievable coverage: Call plans could be executed within realistic travel constraints
- Growth headroom: Every territory included high-potential development customers
Phase 4: Change Management (Weeks 9-10)
We presented the redesign to each rep individually, showing:
- Why their current territory was underperforming or unsustainable
- The commercial opportunity in their new assignment
- Specific customers they would gain (with prescriber profiles)
- Transition support and handover protocols
The Results
Within 90 days of implementation:
- 28% improvement in coverage efficiency (high-potential customers reached per rep day)
- Territory variance reduced to 2:1 (down from 4:1)
- 67 days from project start to field deployment
- Zero rep attrition during transition
Six months post-implementation, the client reported a 14% increase in sales from the same-size field force.
Key Insight
Territory redesign fails when it’s treated as a mapping exercise. Success requires customer-level intelligence that makes the commercial case undeniable -to leadership and to the reps whose lives will change.