Territories

Within each territory categoryA 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., when you create a new version, you can define as many named territoriesIn 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. as you need in that version, entirely independent of the territories defined in versions for other categories. Territories usually reflect geographical divisions for sales responsibilities. The definitions for those geographical divisions can include entire countries, entire states or provinces within the United States or other countries, or even ZIP code ranges. It may even be possible to add data that allows you to use postal code ranges to define territories for countries other than the United States, if that is appropriate for your company. More than one type of definition may be included for each territory, so that you have very fine control over the geography included in each territory.

Territory definitionsA 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. can filter the 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. and 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. to which they will apply by criteriaIn a query, a criterion is a single point of comparison. For instance, one criterion in a query might be reps in the state of Michigan. Query and search criteria are based on properties in the primary SalesConnect objects associated with the type of connection or other record which the query or search finds. other than geography, too. You can also filter the offices and reps to which a territory will apply by the distribution channel and, if appropriate, subchannel. You can also filter the offices and reps to which a territory will apply by their firmA broker/dealer firm (or broker dealer or broker-dealer) is a connection associated with intermediary business, typically a top-level organization in this hierarchy. Broker/dealer firms are also sometimes referred to as just "firms" or "brokers" or "dealers" or "financial institutions." Each broker/dealer firm may have one or more offices affiliated with it, and through these offices, reps may also be affiliated with it. A broker/dealer firm may have associated firm contacts, as well. Possibly the most critical information you can track for broker/dealer firms are aliases, also known as trading IDs. Aliases are the IDs that associate transactions with each broker/dealer firm. If you need to write queries or reports: The primary data for broker/dealer firms is stored in the Firm table. The Firm Alias table stores trading IDs associated with broker/dealer firms. association alone or by the values in client-defined fieldsEach SalesConnect client may define up to 5 custom fields, known as client-defined fields. Only authorized client operators can set client-defined field descriptions and valid values for each client-defined field. One value for each of the defined fields may be assigned to each firm and rep. If a firm has a value for a particular client-defined field, that value will cascade to any new reps added in association to that firm. (Existing reps are not updated.) Operators can change assigned values for either firms or reps..

Including firm in a territory definition is very different than setting territory category applicabilityYou can indicate whether each active territory category is applicable to an individual firm. If a territory category is applicable to a broker/dealer firm, then connections (offices, reps, partnerships, teams) associated with that broker/dealer firm are assigned to territories in that category. If a category is not applicable to a broker/dealer firm, then entities associated with that firm will not be assigned to a territory in that category, but instead will be flagged as “Not Applicable” for the category. for firms. Remember, territory category applicability indicates that a firm is considered part of the group represented by the territory category. Including a firm in a territory definition means that only offices and reps who are associated with that firm and meet all other criteria for the territory will be assigned to that particular territory. So, when you choose to include firm association as one of the criteria to use in assigning a particular territory to offices and reps, you will certainly also set that firm as one to which the category applies, because if you didn’t, that territory would never be assigned to any offices and reps.

See Defining Territories for instructions.

Territories, Roles, and Sales Contacts

SalesConnect's territory tools allow you to assign one or more sales contactsA sales contact is a person affiliated with your company who is responsible for working with reps to encourage sales of your products. Sales contacts may be National Sales Managers, Regional Sales Managers, Internal Wholesalers or External Wholesalers. Some of the key functionality in SalesConnect revolves around tracking sales data for the territories and/or regions to which sales contacts are assigned. to each named territory within each 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.. For each territory category version, you must first set the rolesRoles are linked to security and personas in SalesConnect. Each role represents a group of operators who perform similar tasks and who need access to similar features. Each operator is assigned to at least one specific role. Roles may be included in security rules and in territory category definitions, too. for territories (and regionsTerritory regions are optional, but they can be used to group together a number of territories overseen by the same regional sales manager. An unlimited number of regions can be defined for each territory category version, and each region may have an unlimited number of territories. However, a territory may only belong to a single region., if you use them); these roles must be ones that are also defined as types of sales contactsAny individual person tracked in SalesConnect is a contact, which is one type of connection. So, reps, firm contacts, and office contacts—are all contacts. Partnerships and teams are also treated as contacts in SalesConnect, because you usually need to work with them in the same ways. in SalesConnect.As part of the definition of each territory, you can assign one or more sales contacts to it, but only those sales contacts whose type matches a territory role for that category.

See Assigning Sales Contacts to Territories and Regions for instructions.

Data Security Flags

If you want, you can set data viewing and editing security flags for the roles associated with territories and regions in SalesConnect. These settings really only affect those sales contacts who are also defined as operators in SalesConnect.There are three (3) options:

• Console View Security limits the data included in sales summaries to that for a sales contactA sales contact is a person affiliated with your company who is responsible for working with reps to encourage sales of your products. Sales contacts may be National Sales Managers, Regional Sales Managers, Internal Wholesalers or External Wholesalers. Some of the key functionality in SalesConnect revolves around tracking sales data for the territories and/or regions to which sales contacts are assigned.'s assigned territories
• View Security limits the data which a sales contact can view to that in his or her assigned territories
• Edit Security limits the data which a sales contact can edit to that in his or her assigned territories..

If you opt to use these data security flags, keep these settings in mind as you assign sales contacts to territories and regions in your SalesConnect application. See Assigning Sales Contacts to Territories and Regions for details.

Creating Territory Definitions for the First Time

If you are creating your first territory definitions for SalesConnect, work with your SalesConnect teamA team is a contact connection, though it is really a group of individuals working together to achieve a common sales goal; a team may include reps and rep partnerships from the office with which the team is associated, but it can also office contacts and non-producing reps who support team sales efforts.. The first set is always the most difficult to create; once you have an initial set, new versions can be based on it, so changes are much easier to make.