How Territory Visibility Can Speed Up Sales Even for Your New Reps and Lowest Performers

Introduction

There are many reasons why employees don’t always perform at their best. Some are distracted, while others may be unmotivated or lack the necessary skills. But often, even with the best intentions, it comes down to simply not having access to the right tools, resources, and information. Today, we’re focusing on that last group.

One of the most effective tools for commercial HVAC sales is having a clear view of your sales territory. We’ve noticed that the newest sales reps, equipped with tools that offer complete territory visibility, consistently become top performers. They ramp up faster, build stronger customer relationships, and close more deals. So, let’s talk about how territory visibility can help even your lowest performers succeed.

Understanding the Challenges of Commercial HVAC Sales

Commercial HVAC sales can feel intimidating, especially for new reps. The industry is packed with acronyms, technical jargon, and ever-changing trends. From variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems to traditional split systems, the amount of information to absorb can be overwhelming. Understanding the role of air conditioners and air conditioning in HVAC systems for commercial buildings is essential, as these components are critical for cooling spaces and maintaining comfortable temperatures.

Beyond mastering the systems, finding prospects has traditionally relied on platforms like LinkedIn. But, as LinkedIn becomes more crowded, decision-makers are bombarded with irrelevant messages, making it harder for sales reps to stand out. Reps need more innovative, data-driven, and efficient ways to connect with prospects.

For example, air quality is a crucial factor in commercial buildings, directly impacting the health and comfort of occupants. If your sales reps have the data to see that a system is out of date, they have a far better chance of getting facet time with a decision-maker.

And then, of course, there’s the challenge of understanding customer needs. Whether it’s a small office or a large commercial space like a hospital, customers depend on reps to recommend the right HVAC solutions for their commercial building. Knowing what each customer needs—and when they need it—is crucial. Reps must be knowledgeable about the various commercial HVAC systems available and how different HVAC units can meet the specific requirements of different building sizes and configurations.

Maintaining HVAC equipment is vital for ensuring optimal performance and preventing costly repairs.

This is where territory visibility comes into play. Comparing residential HVAC systems to commercial systems highlights the complexities and advanced technologies required for larger spaces. Selecting the right HVAC system tailored to a building’s specific needs is essential for operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

What is Territory Visibility?

Territory visibility is all about understanding your geographical market. For many tools, this means a virtual understanding of who your customers and competitors are, but with Convex, it’s literally outlined on a map of your territory.

Convex’s Atlas platform presents all of the properties in your territory on a map so that you have the visibility you need to make sales.

Need to see who’s in market and looking for a specific product or service? Convex uses intent data and buying signals to track that. Want to look at building permit history to identify who’s HVAC system is nearing the end of it’s useful life- Convex tracks building permit histories for just that reason. Need contact data for a decision-maker? Convex uses a combination of sales and property intelligence to track more data for commercial services sales teams than any other platform on the market.

The Importance of Territory Visibility in HVAC Sales

As you can imagine, this information is invaluable. When your sales team can use territory visibility tools like Convex to prospect, identify leads, and gather insights that accelerate sales for commercial HVAC systems, they can:

• Identify Upsell and Cross-Sell Opportunities: Spot when a customer might need an energy-efficient upgrade or additional equipment.
• Develop Targeted Sales Strategies: Tailor approaches to specific building owners or managers.
• Customize Sales Approaches: Adapt strategies to meet the needs of both small and large buildings.
• Build Stronger Customer Relationships: Show customers that you understand their needs and are actively working to meet them.
• Build Referral Networks: Form partnerships with other commercial service providers that can generate referrals.

Territory visibility can also enhance the sales strategy for HVAC sales teams by providing detailed insights that help refine their approach and improve sales outcomes.

Why does this matter? It helps your reps hit their targets, not just by having the right information but by knowing how to use it to close deals.

How Territory Visibility Helps Your Lowest Performers by Shortening the Sales Cycle

Let’s look at a Case Study to showcase how much territory visibility tools can actually accelerate sales- even your newest and lowest-performing reps can excel with the right tools.

In 2017, Comfort Systems sales reps were using LinkedIn for prospecting. This isn’t unusual, but their team was spending an average of two days (per week) to find enough leads to fill the pipeline.

When they saw Convex, they were immediately blown away by the ability to search by the age of the building, whether it was owner-occupied, the building size, permit history, and other factors that allowed them to define and find their best customers.

Over the next four years, Convex was their primary prospecting tool, and it delivered. Comfort Systems doubled revenue in that same period of time, with reps spending only 2-3 hours per week (on average prospecting).

Before Convex, new reps would take 6-9 months to get fully up and running, with Convex, they only took 2- 3 cutting “ramp times” by 50- 60%.

For more details, check the full case study here.

Imagine taking a new rep who’s green and turning them into a top producer in 2-3 months- that’s exactly what happened with Comfort Systems.

Choosing the Right Sales Tools for Your HVAC Team

But this does require selecting the right tools. Selecting the right sales tools for your HVAC sales team and sales professionals is key to their success. These tools are also crucial for commercial building owners, as they ensure optimal performance and maintenance of HVAC systems, ultimately affecting the comfort and efficiency of commercial properties. Here are the 7 key factors to consider:

1. Geographic Data Quality: Choose a platform that provides accurate, up-to-date mapping and geographic data. This ensures your team knows exactly where potential customers are located and how to best approach them.

2. Ease of Use: Territory visibility tools should be intuitive, allowing your sales team to quickly access and interpret territory data. A user-friendly interface means reps can start planning and executing their strategies without extensive training.

3. Scalability: As your business grows into new regions, your platform should scale seamlessly to support expanding markets and additional reps. Look for a tool that grows with your business, adapting to your changing territory needs.

4. Integration Capabilities: Ensure that the territory visibility software integrates with your CRM, GIS (Geographic Information System), or existing sales tools. Seamless integration means less manual work and more efficient territory management.

5. Customer Support & Training: Select a provider with strong customer support to help your team leverage the platform fully. Quick access to help ensures minimal downtime and maximum productivity.

6. Industry-Specific Insights: Choose a platform that offers insights tailored to your industry. For commercial HVAC, this could mean building types, energy efficiency opportunities, and maintenance needs.

7. Predictive and AI Features: Many modern platforms offer predictive insights or AI-driven features to optimize territory management. These tools can help anticipate where new business opportunities are most likely to arise, enhancing your team’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Convex’s platform excels in all of these areas, and it’s the only solution built specifically for commercial services sales teams – making it an ideal choice for boosting your team’s success.

Implementing Territory Visibility in Your Sales Team Training Program

Effective sales training is a far longer conversation than we have time for today; that said, there are a few specific things you should teach your team to make them more effective with territory visibility tools:

1. Teach Territory Analysis: Train your team to understand and analyze their territory using data rather than how they feel about something. Teach them to look for triggers, ideal customer profiles (ICPs), and other details that can indicate potential customers as a “fit.”

2. Utilize Data-Driven Insights: Help reps use customer data to tailor their sales strategies and outreach. This is another area where Convex shines. Convex uses data to teach our Generative AI models what to say so your outreach cuts through the noise to get the decision-makers attention. This is just one example of how these tools can help you win in a market.

3. Provide the Right Tools: Ensure your team has the resources they need to target prospects efficiently. This should go without say, but if you can’t provide the right tools to your team, you’ll be at a disadvantage to those who do.

4. Encourage Proactive Selling: Motivate your team to upsell and cross-sell new, energy-efficient, or added systems that add value to customers. Since upsells and cross-sells are effectively free revenue, add compensation as it fits your financial model and compensation packaging.

Implementing these practices will not only allow your team to see opportunities and motivate them, but it will streamline sales and speed up revenue growth.

Measuring the Success of Your Sales Training Program

Finally, measure your results. This could be another long conversation, but let’s focus on the best key performance indicators (KPIs) to benchmark your business and track your success:

• Sales Revenue/ Profit: Are sales increasing? Is profit also increasing?
• Customer Satisfaction: Are your customers happy with their HVAC solutions? Are they willing to refer your business to others?
• Sales Team Performance: Is your team meeting or exceeding their quotas? Are they improving over time?
• Territory Coverage and Accuracy: How much of your territory is being covered by sales reps? Is the data in your CRM accurate and up-to-date?
• Lead Generation and Conversion Rates: How many leads are generated each month? What is the conversion rate from lead to customer?

Regularly tracking these KPIs, you can gauge the effectiveness of your training program, identify areas for improvement, and continue to strengthen your sales team’s performance.

Conclusion

Territory visibility is a total game-changer for HVAC sales teams! When you provide the right tools and insights, you can help even your lowest performers create targeted strategies and close more deals. With Convex’s Atlas platform, you’ll notice better performance, stronger relationships with customers, and steady business growth. It really makes a difference!

Schedule a demo today to see what it could do for your business!