How to manage a field sales team: routes, visits and orders

The typical problems in field sales

Working with distributors and wholesalers, we see the same problems again and again. Most of them stem not from a lack of effort by reps but from missing process and missing data.

• There is no visit plan, or it lives on paper, so some outlets get several visits a week and others none.
• Orders arrive by phone, messenger or paper, are retyped in the office and errors creep in.
• Reps do not know what is left in the warehouse and promise goods that are out of stock.
• Customers with overdue debt get new deliveries because the rep cannot see the credit limit.
• Managers cannot verify that a visit really happened, and there is no data on merchandising quality.

Segment your customers and set visit frequency

Not all outlets are equally valuable. First group customers by turnover and potential, then set a visit frequency for each group. This focuses the rep's time on the outlets that bring the most revenue.

Every customer record needs an accurate address and map coordinates. Without them you can neither build a sensible route nor confirm a visit by location. Doing this cleanup once, systematically, saves a lot of time later.

• Group A (core turnover): weekly visits or more often.
• Group B (mid-sized): a visit every two weeks.
• Group C (small or new outlets): a monthly visit, with calls in between.
• Review segments quarterly based on actual sales.

Route planning

A route is both the rep's working day and the manager's control tool. Plan at least a week ahead, so the rep knows where to go in the morning and the manager can compare plan against actual at the end of the day.

A plan is not set in stone: an outlet may be closed or an urgent order may come up. What matters is that changes and their reasons are recorded. A visit that did not happen should be closed with a reason, otherwise plan execution figures will not reflect reality.

• Split outlets into geographic zones and assign one zone per day.
• Give visits an approximate time and order the route by time.
• Measure the real time per visit, including travel, and plan the daily number of visits accordingly.
• Schedule the next visit at the end of the current one.

A visit standard: what happens at the outlet

When every visit follows the same sequence, quality no longer depends on individual talent. Keep the standard short and achievable, otherwise it will only exist on paper.

• Check in on arrival so that the time and place of the visit are confirmed.
• Check shelf stock and product placement, and take photos.
• Remind the customer of their balance and payment date.
• Take the order on the spot, confirming stock availability and prices with the customer.
• Record the outcome, what was discussed and the next step.

Field orders, credit limits and stock

Entering the order into the system on the spot removes retyping, wrong product codes and delays. For this to work, the rep must see three things in the field: free stock in the warehouse, the customer's current debt and credit limit, and the price type that applies.

Credit control deserves special attention. Rather than blocking an order outright when the limit is exceeded, sending it for finance approval is more flexible: sales do not stop, and the risk does not go unchecked. Because mobile coverage is weak in some areas, the ability to take orders offline and send them later is also an essential requirement.

Control and KPIs

Judging a field team on sales volume alone is often misleading: volume depends on season, pricing and warehouse availability. Also track the activity metrics a rep actually controls.

GPS tracking should not be presented to the team as a punishment tool. Explain its purpose openly: confirming that visits happened, resolving disputes and making the rep's work visible. Transparent rules usually increase the team's trust rather than reduce it.

• Planned visits completed, and how many of them were confirmed by location.
• Share of visits that end with an order (strike rate).
• Average order value and the breadth of the product range in orders.
• Number of new outlets opened.
• Overdue debt levels and payments collected.
• Compliance of shelf and placement photos with the standard.

Field sales in SBT CRM

The “Visits” section of SBT CRM is designed for phones and is available on the Business and Enterprise plans. The CRM can be installed on a phone as an app; when there is no internet in the field, visits, check-ins, outcomes, photos and orders are saved on the phone and sent automatically once the connection returns.

Building a field sales system starts with process before technology: segments, routes, a visit standard and credit rules. The SBT Consulting & Solutions team works with you to define these processes and set them up in SBT CRM. You can find more at crm.sbt.az.

• A daily visit plan as cards: address, debt and limit, distance, a route ordered by time and a map view.
• GPS check-in is accepted within a set radius of the customer's location; completing a visit without check-in requires a reason.
• Photos by type, such as shelf photo, product placement and defect report, plus the visit outcome and next visit.
• Orders from the visit card show free stock and a credit warning; over the limit, the order waits for finance approval.
• Managers see their team's visits and can schedule visits for other employees.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a sales rep and a merchandiser?

A sales rep's main job is taking orders, opening new outlets and following up on debt. A merchandiser is responsible for shelf layout, price tags and promotional materials. In small teams the same person often does both.

How many outlets should a field sales rep visit per day?

There is no universal number: distance between outlets, transport, the amount of work per visit and whether the territory is urban or rural all change it. Measure real visit times for a few weeks and set the norm from that.

How can reps take orders where there is no internet?

You need a mobile solution with offline mode: the order is stored on the phone and sent when the connection returns. In SBT CRM it is enough to open the “Visits” page with internet before going into the field, so customers, items and the plan are downloaded to the phone.

How do I verify that a visit actually took place?

The most reliable method is a GPS check-in close to the customer's map location, plus photos taken at the outlet. For this, every customer's coordinates must be recorded correctly in advance.