If you’re wrangling B2B sales teams and need to get your territories sorted in Xactlycorp, you’re in the right place. This is for sales ops folks, admins, or anyone stuck with the job of making sure reps know exactly where to hunt—and that nobody’s fighting over the same patch.
Territory management in Xactlycorp can be powerful, but it’s also very easy to overcomplicate. The goal here: set up a system that’s fair, flexible, and doesn’t need a PhD to maintain.
Let’s get right to it.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need
Before you touch a single setting, map out what you’re trying to do. Most territory messes start with unclear goals. Ask yourself:
- Are you splitting by geography, industry, account size, or something else?
- How often will territories need to change?
- Do you need territory overlays (multiple reps on the same accounts)?
- How much do you want to automate vs. assign manually?
Pro tip: Don’t try to mirror your org chart. Design territories for clarity and fairness, not to make everyone equally happy (that’s impossible).
What to ignore: Fancy “AI-driven” auto-assignment features unless you have clean, up-to-date data. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 2: Prep Your Data (Seriously, Don’t Skip This)
Xactlycorp is only as smart as your data. If your account list is a mess, territory management will be a mess too.
Do this before you log in: - Clean up your account records (company names, addresses, industries). - Map every account to the criteria you’ll use for territories (like state, industry, revenue, etc.). - Get rid of duplicates. - Have a clear owner or hierarchy for each account.
Shortcut: Export your accounts to Excel/Sheets, clean them there, and re-upload if needed. Don’t rely on “fixing it later”—you won’t.
Step 3: Set Up Your Territory Model in Xactlycorp
Now you’re ready to start configuring. Xactlycorp calls this part “Territory Model” or sometimes “Territory Hierarchy,” depending on your version.
Here’s how to do it:
- Navigate to the Territory Management module.
- Usually under Admin > Territories.
- Create your top-level territories.
- These are your main splits: e.g., “North America,” “Europe,” or “Enterprise Accounts,” “SMB.”
- Add child territories as needed.
- Drill down: “North America > East Coast > New York.”
- Don’t go overboard—3 levels deep is usually plenty.
- Assign rules for each territory.
- Xactlycorp uses “criteria” (like state = NY, industry = Manufacturing) to bucket accounts.
- Be specific, but not so granular you end up with one-rep territories everywhere.
What works: Simple, logical models. Start broad, add detail only where needed.
What doesn’t: Over-engineering. If you have “Northeast > Greater Boston > Route 128 Tech Corridor,” you’re probably making life harder than it needs to be.
Step 4: Assign Accounts to Territories
This is where the rubber meets the road. There are two main ways:
Automatic Assignment (Rules-Based)
- Xactlycorp can auto-assign accounts based on the rules you set up.
- Good if your data is clean and your rules are clear-cut.
- Test with a small batch first—don’t just hit “Assign All” and hope.
Manual Assignment
- For edge cases or VIP accounts, you can assign manually.
- Useful for exceptions (C-suite relationships, strategic accounts).
- Just be careful: manual assignments get forgotten and can cause confusion later.
Pro tip: Document any manual exceptions somewhere outside Xactlycorp. That way, if the system ever resets or you need to audit, you’re not relying on memory.
Step 5: Assign Reps to Territories
Time to decide who works what.
- Primary Owners: Each territory needs a clear “primary” rep.
- Overlays: If you’re using overlays (e.g., an AE and a specialist), Xactlycorp can support it—but this gets messy fast. Only use overlays where absolutely necessary.
- Capacity Planning: Don’t just spread accounts evenly. Take rep experience, ramp time, and workload into account.
What works: Clear ownership, with as few overlaps as possible.
What doesn’t: “Everyone covers everything” or “We’ll figure it out as we go.” That’s a recipe for finger-pointing.
Step 6: Set Up Territory Rules for Routing and Credit
Territory management isn’t just about who gets which accounts. It also affects:
- Lead Routing: Where new leads go.
- Credit Rules: Who gets comped for deals.
How to do it: 1. Use Xactlycorp’s routing features to send new leads/opps to the right territory owner. 2. Set up crediting logic so comp plans align with territory assignments.
Don’t skip this: If you don’t connect territories to comp, reps will find ways to game the system. Make sure rules are clear, and audit them quarterly.
Step 7: Test Your Setup
Don’t trust your first pass. Before you roll out to the team:
- Run sample accounts through the system. Do they land in the right territories?
- Check what happens with “weird” accounts (e.g., multi-location, international).
- Make sure lead routing and crediting behave as expected.
- Ask a few trusted reps or managers to poke holes in the setup.
Pro tip: Keep a checklist of scenarios you want to test. You’ll thank yourself later.
Step 8: Roll Out (and Communicate Like Crazy)
Time to go live.
- Announce the new territories to the team.
- Share clear documentation: who owns what, how exceptions work, and where to go with questions.
- Expect some pushback—territory changes always ruffle feathers. Be transparent about the “why” and the process.
- Set a review date (30–60 days out) to check for issues.
What works: Over-communicating, giving people one clear place to check their territory, and being honest about tradeoffs.
What doesn’t: Surprising people or hiding the logic behind assignments.
Step 9: Maintain and Adjust
Territory management isn’t set-and-forget. You’ll need to:
- Review territories quarterly (or at least twice a year).
- Update for org changes, new markets, or big customer moves.
- Clean up any manual assignments or exceptions that have piled up.
- Check for “territory drift” (reps quietly working outside their area).
Pro tip: Build a simple report in Xactlycorp to spot unassigned or overlapping accounts. Regular audits keep things sane.
What to Ignore (Unless You Love Headaches)
- Ultra-granular rules: If nobody can explain your territory logic in one sentence, it’s too complex.
- Exotic assignment logic: The fancier you get (weighted scoring, AI “suggestions”), the more likely things break or confuse people.
- One-time fixes: Don’t “just patch” problems. Fix the root cause in your data or logic.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
If you remember one thing: territory management in Xactlycorp is only as good as the data and logic you put in. Start simple. Get feedback. Make tweaks. Don’t chase perfection—chase clarity.
Most of all, don’t let the tool drive your process. Use Xactlycorp as a way to make your sales team’s life easier, not as a monument to complexity.
Good luck, and keep things moving.