While this service can be done using an hourly billing, I recommend a fixed price project so that the client has a full understanding of the full cost of the project from the beginning. This allows for better budget planning.

Alignment Design is often done through the use of an automated tool to group ZIP codes into territories based on the balancing of an input metric such as workload or potential.  Those “balanced” territories are then grouped together to create districts, regions, and/or areas.

Unfortunately this common approach often results in the unnecessary splitting up of referral networks, difficult routing requirements, and in the case of a realignment unnecessary disruption.

The approach we use is very unique from the standard automated optimization and results in territories, districts, regions and/or areas that are not only well balanced but also have strong continuity of referral networks with no unnecessary splitting of cities, counties, MSAs or states. When reviewed by representatives and managers we see minimal requested adjustments to this type of alignment.  This is due to a strong focus on ease of routing by fully taking into account geographical barriers to routing such as mountains and bridges and for managers direct vs overlay fights between territories.

Over time, alignments need to be updated. These updates may range from small changes needed due to changing access or localized product impacts to large updates needed for reasons such as the addition of a new product to the portfolio, a new indication requiring more representatives, or a loss of patent for a given product resulting in the need to reduce the number of representatives.

For Alignment updates, our approach allows for the full overlay of prior alignments with future alignments to enable the understanding and measurement of disruption impacts such as impacts on targets, product volume, calls, samples, etc… Through this understanding, alignment adjustments can be made while minimizing disruption and still realizing the benefits of the alignment changes. Understanding and minimizing disruption with alignment adjustments is critical for profit maximization.

All alignments include full post alignment support. This includes the following:

1. Alignment Review Sessions with home office and/or field employees and adjustments as needed.
2. The creation of ZIP to Territory, and Territory Hierarchy and Name mapping spreadsheets.
3. PowerPoint maps of all levels of the alignment (e.g., Nation by Area, Area by Region, Region by District, District by Territory, and Individual Territory maps).  Customizations to these maps will be done as needed such as inclusion/exclusion of interstates, highways, and city names.
4. In the case of alignment adjustments, slides can be created to show the geographical and disruption impacts for each territory change.