8 examples of territory management in sales: practical examples that actually work

The cleanest territory maps I see share one thing: they’re designed around how buyers actually buy, not how managers wish the org chart looked. Let’s walk through eight examples of territory management in sales: practical examples you can steal, tweak, and roll out.

1. Classic geographic territories with a 2025 twist

Geographic territories are still the default, but the best examples don’t just draw lines on a map. They balance opportunity, travel time, and digital selling.

Scenario: A B2B manufacturing supplier covering the U.S.

Instead of just carving the country into four big regions, leadership:

• Uses U.S. Census Bureau data on business density and growth by metro area (see census.gov)
• Layers in their own CRM data: revenue per zip code, win rates, and average deal size
• Tags each county as Tier 1, 2, or 3 based on potential revenue

Then they build territories so each field rep gets a similar total potential, not just similar square mileage. Tier 1 counties (dense, high‑value) are packed into smaller territories, while Tier 3 rural areas are grouped into larger ones and supported by inside sales.

Why it works in 2024–2025:

• Hybrid selling means reps don’t need to be face‑to‑face for every touch. Tier 3 accounts get quarterly visits plus structured virtual check‑ins.
• Travel costs and time are factored into the design, not an afterthought.

This is a foundational example of territory management in sales: practical examples like this show that geography is still relevant, but only when it’s weighted by data, not gut feel.

2. Micro‑territories inside major metros

Some of the best examples of territory management in sales come from companies that realized “Northeast” is not a territory; it’s a fantasy. Big metros like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago can each justify multiple micro‑territories.

Scenario: A fast‑growth SaaS company selling to mid‑market firms in New York City.

Instead of one rep owning “NYC,” the VP of Sales:

• Splits the city by borough and vertical: Manhattan Finance, Manhattan Media, Brooklyn Tech, Queens Mixed
• Caps each rep’s account load at 120 named accounts to prevent neglect
• Assigns a shared SDR pod to handle inbound leads citywide and route them based on territory rules

Day‑to‑day reality:

• The Manhattan Finance rep walks a tight, dense patch—hundreds of potential accounts within a few subway stops.
• The Brooklyn Tech rep spends more time in coworking spaces and startup hubs, with a mix of in‑person and virtual meetings.

This micro‑splitting is a concrete example of territory management in sales: practical examples where the team aligns coverage with actual commute patterns, local industry clusters, and rep capacity.

3. Industry‑based territories for complex B2B sales

When your product is sold into very different industries with different buying cycles and jargon, industry‑based territories can outperform geographic ones.

Scenario: A cybersecurity vendor targeting healthcare, financial services, and higher education.

Instead of assigning reps by state, leadership:

• Creates three primary industry territories: Healthcare, Financial Services, and Education
• Assigns each rep a national book within their industry, with clear account lists
• Pairs reps with marketing managers who run industry‑specific campaigns (e.g., webinars on HIPAA for healthcare, PCI DSS for financial services)

Why this is one of the best examples of territory management in sales:

• The Healthcare rep becomes fluent in HIPAA requirements and hospital buying committees, referencing resources like HHS.gov.
• The Education rep focuses on budget cycles tied to academic years and grant funding, using data from sources such as ed.gov.

Examples include reps building deep relationships by speaking the customer’s language, instead of shallow relationships across random verticals. This is a strong example of territory management in sales: practical examples like this show how territory design can drive real specialization, not just coverage.

4. Account‑tiered territories for enterprise and mid‑market

Another common example of territory management in sales is splitting territories by account size, not just location. Enterprise and mid‑market deals behave very differently.

Scenario: A cloud infrastructure provider selling to companies from \(20M to \)5B in revenue.

Leadership segments the market into:

• Enterprise (>$1B revenue): handled by a small team of senior reps with tiny books of business (30–50 accounts)
• Upper mid‑market (\(250M–\)1B): mid‑sized territories with 80–100 accounts
• Core mid‑market (\(20M–\)250M): larger books, higher volume motion

Each band has its own quota model, support resources, and marketing programs.

How this plays out:

• An Enterprise rep might have a “territory” of just 40 global accounts, many with locations across several countries.
• A Core mid‑market rep might own 150 accounts in three states, relying heavily on inside sales and automation.

The real example of territory management in sales here is that territory is defined by economic potential and sales motion, not by geography alone. It also reduces the constant infighting over who “gets” the giant logo in the middle of someone else’s state.

5. Hybrid geographic + vertical territories (the “matrix” model)

For many companies, the right answer is a matrix: a mix of geography and vertical. These hybrid setups are often the best examples of territory management in sales because they reflect how modern buyers cluster.

Scenario: A HR tech platform selling primarily to healthcare, retail, and logistics companies across the U.S.

The sales leader:

• Splits the country into East, Central, West regions
• Within each region, assigns reps by vertical: East‑Healthcare, East‑Retail, East‑Logistics, etc.
• Ensures every major metro has at least one rep who deeply understands the dominant local industries

Benefits in practice:

• The East‑Healthcare rep focuses on hospital systems along the East Coast, coordinating with marketing around healthcare‑specific events and content.
• The West‑Logistics rep spends more time near ports, distribution hubs, and major highway corridors.

This matrix is a pragmatic example of territory management in sales: practical examples like this usually emerge after companies realize their first, purely geographic map isn’t aligned with where demand actually sits.

6. Digital territories based on intent and behavior

In 2024–2025, some of the most interesting examples of territory management in sales are not physical at all. Inside sales and SDR teams are carving up digital territories based on behavior and intent data.

Scenario: A software company with a high‑velocity inside sales model and global inbound traffic.

Instead of routing leads only by country or state, revenue operations:

• Uses an intent data platform to score accounts based on online research behavior
• Groups accounts into intent tiers (hot, warm, cold)
• Builds territories like: “North America – Hot Intent,” “North America – Warm Intent,” “EMEA – Hot Intent,” etc.

Reps specialize:

• One rep handles only North American accounts showing strong buying signals (multiple site visits, pricing page views, webinar attendance)
• Another rep handles early‑stage, education‑focused conversations

This digital routing is a modern example of territory management in sales: practical examples include SDR teams who never think in zip codes, only in signals and segments. It fits remote‑first teams and global buyers who do most of their research online before ever talking to a human.

7. Healthcare and life sciences territories built around care ecosystems

Healthcare is a gold mine of real examples because territory management is literally how many reps spend their week.

Scenario: A medical device company selling into hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Instead of just assigning reps by state, sales operations:

• Maps hospital systems and referral networks: which clinics feed into which hospitals
• Uses public data from sources like CMS.gov and NIH.gov to understand facility size and specialties
• Builds territories around care ecosystems, not arbitrary lines

Example of how this looks:

• One rep owns the entire ecosystem around a flagship academic medical center: the hospital, affiliated outpatient clinics, and nearby specialist practices.
• Another rep owns a cluster of community hospitals and urgent care centers in a neighboring region.

This is a textbook example of territory management in sales: practical examples in healthcare show that if you split a hospital system across multiple reps, you create chaos. Aligning territories with how patients flow through the system leads to cleaner coverage and fewer dropped opportunities.

8. Post‑merger territory rationalization

Some of the best (and most painful) examples of territory management in sales come after mergers and acquisitions.

Scenario: Two regional software companies—one strong in the West, one in the East—merge to form a national player.

On day one, territories are a mess:

• Two reps claim the same accounts
• Some states have three reps; others have none
• Quotas were set under totally different assumptions

Leadership runs a territory rationalization project:

• Consolidates all accounts into a single CRM instance
• Scores accounts by revenue, potential, and strategic value
• Rebuilds territories using a mix of geography and account size, with clear named account lists for each rep

They also implement a transition plan:

• For 90 days, legacy reps co‑own accounts but with clear primary/secondary roles
• Comp plans include protection periods so reps don’t lose income overnight

This is a very real example of territory management in sales. Practical examples like this remind us that territory design isn’t a one‑time event; it’s something you revisit after major strategy shifts.

How to evaluate whether your territory examples are working

Seeing all these examples of territory management in sales is helpful, but the real question is: how do you know if your own model is any good?

Teams that get this right watch a few core metrics:

• Territory potential vs. quota: Is each rep’s territory capable of supporting their number based on historical data and market research?
• Coverage and activity: Are high‑value accounts getting enough touches, or sitting untouched because the territory is overloaded?
• Win rates and cycle times by territory: Are some territories consistently outperforming others, even after adjusting for account mix?
• Rep satisfaction and turnover: Constant complaints about fairness are usually a signal your territory model is off.

If you’re testing new designs, think of the examples of territory management in sales: practical examples above as hypotheses. Start with a clear design, document the logic, and give it at least one full cycle before you judge it.

FAQ: examples of territory management in sales

Q1. What are some simple examples of territory management in sales for a small team?
For a small team (say, three to five reps), a straightforward example of territory management in sales is splitting by geography first, then layering in account size. For instance, you might have an East and West rep for mid‑market accounts, and a single national rep for all enterprise accounts. Another simple example is assigning one rep to all inbound leads nationwide while two field reps handle named accounts in defined regions.

Q2. Can you give an example of territory management in sales for inside sales only?
Yes. A common example is to build territories around time zones and industry. One inside rep covers Eastern and Central time zones for SaaS companies, another covers Mountain and Pacific time zones for professional services firms. Leads are routed based on both the prospect’s location and their industry, so each rep can build relevant talk tracks and cadences.

Q3. What are the best examples of territory management in sales for hybrid (field + remote) teams?
Some of the best examples include hybrid models where field reps own high‑value, high‑touch accounts in dense metros, while inside reps own lower‑value or rural accounts in the same broad region. Another strong example is a matrix where field reps specialize by vertical within a region, and an inside team supports them by handling early‑stage discovery calls and smaller opportunities.

Q4. How often should we change our territory design?
Most organizations revisit territory design annually, with light adjustments mid‑year if something is clearly broken. Constant changes destroy trust and pipeline stability, but ignoring market shifts is just as risky. Use the examples of territory management in sales: practical examples from your own data—like where deals are coming from and where they’re stalling—to guide those revisions.

Q5. What’s one example of a territory rule that prevents conflict between reps?
A simple, effective example of a territory rule is: “Named accounts always trump geography.” If an account is on a rep’s named list, they own it regardless of where a new office opens. Another practical example is a clear tie‑breaker for inbound leads: if multiple reps claim an account, ownership goes to the rep whose territory includes the company’s headquarters, not the branch office.

These real examples of territory management in sales show that there’s no single right answer. The right design is the one that matches how your buyers cluster, how your reps sell, and how your company plans to grow over the next few years.