Proposing a Territory Realignment

1. Display the TerritoryIn a territory category, you can define as many named territories as you need to identify sales responsibilities. Territories are often divided geographically, and can include whole countries, states or provinces, or even ZIP/postal code ranges. Other criteria can be included for each territory, such as firm association or channel/subchannel definitions. If needed, you can filter offices, reps, partnerships, and teams to which a territory will apply by their firm association alone. Each territory can have one or more operators assigned to it; after territory assignments are set, permissions can be set to control the level of access each operator has to data (such as viewing or editing), based on his or her territory assignments. Version detail page for the version for which you want to propose a realignment.

   1. Using the Administration personaA persona is an interface set of menus and dashboard or home view that was designed for a single set of operators who share goals, skills, attitude and behavior patterns. Each persona's interface displays only the content and tools that are relevant for that group., select Territories from the Business Rules menu. Or, select in the universal menu, and then select Territory Categories under Territories.
   2. On the displayed Territory CategoriesA territory category represents one set of distinct territories that you need to maintain at the same time. A single territory category may not reflect how your sales force is distributed, so you can define up to fifteen (15) different territory categories in SalesConnect; however, only one version in each territory category can be current at any given time. Categories can represent particular lines of business (such as wirehouses or banks) or product lines (such as mutual funds or annuities), or any other meaningful division for which you need to support distinct sets of territories. Categories include as many named territories as you need to identify sales responsibilities. Named territories are often geographical in nature, but can also include channel/subchannel definitions and firm associations. Applicability also affects office and rep/partnership/team territory assignments: if a territory category is applicable to a firm, then entities associated with that firm can be assigned to territories in that category; but if the category is not applicable to a firm, then associated entities are not assigned to a defined territory in it, but are instead flagged "Not Applicable" for the category. page, select the link for the category you want.
   3. On the displayed Territory Category detail page, select the link for the version you want. The Territory Version detail page is shown.
2. Select Propose Realignment. A message warns that this may take quite some time; if you're ready to proceed, select OK. You'll be alerted when the proposal is complete.
3. When the proposal is complete, select the alert for the territory realignment proposal. The appropriate Territory Version detail page is shown.

4. Handle any validation and/or optimization issues with your proposal.

   1. Review the Invalid OfficesAn office is a connection in the intermediary business hierarchy, an organization subordinate to a broker/dealer firm. Offices are also sometimes referred to as "branches'; institutional firms have branches in SalesConnect. An office is affiliated with a single broker/dealer firm, and may have one or more reps directly affiliated with it. An office may have associated office contacts, as well. Possibly the most critical information you can track for offices are aliases, also known as trading IDs. Aliases are the IDs that associate transactions with each office. If you need to write queries or reports: The primary data for offices is stored in the Office table. Information about office trading IDs is stored in the Office Alias table., Invalid RepsA rep is perhaps the most important contact connection in the intermediary business hierarchy. Each rep is an individual who sells funds and is affiliated with an office (and through the office, with a broker/dealer firm). Reps may also be referred to as "financial advisors." Possibly the most critical information you can track for reps are aliases, also known as trading IDs. Aliases are the IDs that associate transactions and assets with each rep. If you need to write queries or reports: The primary data for reps is stored in the Contact and Rep Profile tables. The Rep Alias table stores trading IDs associated with reps., Invalid Office ContactsAn office contact is a contact connection in the intermediary business hierarchy, an individual affiliated with an office who is not a rep; that is, an office contact does not sell mutual funds, but does need to be tracked because he or she provides key support services., and Invalid Firm ContactsA firm contact is a contact connection associated with intermediary business, an individual affiliated with a broker/dealer firm who is not a rep. That is, a firm contact does not sell mutual funds, but does need to be tracked because he or she provides key support services. tabs of the Territory Version detail page to learn which of these connectionsConnections are entities; they're the different types of companies and individuals you may need to track. SalesConnect is set up to display information about the types of connections you care about, based on the roles to which you are assigned. will have invalid territory assignmentsOnce a set of territories within a particular territory category version has been made current in SalesConnect, those territories will be assigned to appropriate connections (offices, reps, rep partnerships, teams, and even plan sponsors, if appropriate). Territory assignments are based on the criteria in the territory category definitions, on firm applicability, and on whether an entity is locked or not. In SalesConnect, territory locks always override systematic territory assignments. Firm associations can be set at the territory definition level; separately, territory categories can be set to be applicable to particular firms. These settings are very different from each other, but both firm associations and territory category applicability affect territory assignments for entities. if you realign territories using this version. Generally, invalid assignments occur because connections are locked into territories that will no longer exist under the new version; you'll need to review each invalid territory assignment to determine how best to handle it.

   2. If there's an Optimization Issues tab on the Territory Version detail page, review it to learn which of your definitions could be optimized. Right now, if this tab appears, it will list any adjacent territory ranges that belong to the same named territory; these should be combined to make territory evaluations as simple as possible. You should optimize definitions. Either use the checkboxes to select a group of issues, and then select Correct Issues to automatically optimize that group, or to optimize all listed issues automatically, don't select any checkboxes, and then select Correct Issues.

   3. When you've addressed validation and optimization issues, select Propose Realignment again, and select OK on the message prompt. When you're alerted that the proposal is complete, select the alert to see the appropriate Territory Version detail page.

5. Review details for the proposal and adjust as needed. If Status is PENDING on the Proposal Information tab of the Territory Version detail page, the proposal is valid and could be implemented, but you should first review details for it, to ensure that they match your intentions. Another way to know that a proposal is valid is when a Propose Realignment button appears on the Territory Version detail page.

   Tips

   • The Affected tabs can be used to review details for different types of connections whose territory assignments will change if this realignment is processed. Use the tabs to review those changes to ensure that they're appropriate. If appropriate, change details for the territory category versionA territory category version is one version—current, historical, or in development—of the definitions, rules, responsiblity assignments (of national sales manages and sales contacts to regions or territories) that have been developed for a particular territory category used in SalesConnect. Authorized operators can develop territory category versions to test new territory definitions; when appropriate, a version can be implemented, at which time it becomes the current version for a territory category. Historical versions can be used to review ways in which you balanced territories in the past; versions in development can be used to experiment with new ways of balancing territories. SalesConnect prevents you from making some changes to the current or previous territory category version, since this would in effect change territory rules that have already been or are currently being enforced., or lock territory assignments for particular connections to balance territory changes as you want. You can use the Definitions tab of the Territory Version detail page to modify territory definitionA territory definition specifies characteristics that define a named territory in a territory category version. Definitions can include countries, states/provinces, ZIP/postal codes, distribution channel and subchannel, firm association and other criteria, when appropriate. details, and you can use the Locked tabs to add or remove territory locksA territory lock can be used to override automatic territory assignment for an office, rep, rep partnership, team, or plan sponsor. When you lock a territory for one of these connections, you must specify the territory to be assigned to that connection. When a territory assignment has been locked for a connection, any territory realignment process does not change the territory you have set manually. for the indicated types of connections in the active category.
   • The Invalid tabs show details for connections of each type whose territory assignments will be invalid if the realignment is processed. Use the tabs to review details for those connections. If appropriate, change details for the territory category version, or lock territory assignments for particular connections to address these issues. You may need to add territories, if any of the 'invalid' connections are assigned/locked to territories that don't exist in this version. Or, you may want to change the territories to which these connections are locked to ones that are valid for the proposed version. Or, you may want to unlock these connections' territory assignments, so that the realignment process systematically assigns them to appropriate territories.
   • If you make any changes to the version to handle invalid connections or to re-balance affected connections, you will need to propose the realignment again, and then review changes for that proposal, to make certain that the realignment will have the intended effects.

When you've got a proposal in place that you want to use, you're ready to perform a realignment. See Performing a Proposed Territory Realignment for steps.