Sales leaders and sales professionals: are your territories setting you up for sales success or holding your team back?

In this episode, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey tackle the critical role of defining territories, commission plans, and account strategies. From building fair but effective territories to creating actionable plans that drive revenue generation, this conversation blends sales management insight with practical sales strategies to help you win more consistently and grow with intention.

• Defining Territories with Purpose (00:23) – Why intentional design matters more than “spray and pray” selling.
  
  

• Fairness vs. Evenness in Territories (01:27) – Sean explains why territories don’t need to be identical, but they must be logical and fair to prevent turnover.
  
  

• How Salespeople Should Approach New Territories (04:53) – Kevin outlines the mindset and business acumen required to succeed under a new commission plan.
  
  

• Planning Ahead for Sales Success (08:21) – Sean breaks down how early planning impacts Q1 results, revenue management, and long-term sales processes.
  
  

• The Power of Written Territory and Account Plans (12:23) – Kevin explains how documenting your strategies in a CRM enhances value selling and accountability.
  
  

• Sean O’Shaughnessey (01:10): “When you’re driving down the road, you’re not driving with the mirrors—you’re driving with the windshield. Defining your territory is incredibly important to know where you’re going.”
  
  

• Kevin Lawson (06:00): “A new commission plan is not an indictment of past performance; it’s your executives telling you how and where they want the company to grow.”
  
  

• Kevin Lawson (12:42): “When a plan is written, it’s real. You win more often when your goals and account strategies are captured, documented, and revisited.”
  
  

Write down your territory and account growth plan before the new year begins. Identify 20 accounts to expand, document the cast of characters (champions, blockers, decision-makers), and map a path to increase revenue generation. Then, enter this plan into your CRM to hold yourself accountable and align with your company’s sales strategies.

Defining sales territories creates opportunities for consistent sales success, fair expectations, and scalable revenue management. In this episode, Sean and Kevin deliver practical guidance on territory design, commission planning, and how salespeople can leverage written strategies to win bigger deals. Whether you’re a sales leader refining your sales management approach or a salesperson building momentum, this episode is packed with actionable business acumen and proven sales processes to elevate your results.

B2B Sales Lab is a private, member-led community for sales professionals who want actionable insights, not theory. It’s a space to ask real questions, share proven practices, and connect with others who are serious about improving revenue performance. Designed and led by veteran sales leaders, the Lab is where strategy meets execution. Join us at b2b-sales-lab.com

You can reach out to Sean at New Sales Expert, LLC - Sean@NewSales.Expert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/

You can reach out to Kevin at Lighthouse Sales Advisors & Sales Xceleration - kevin@lighthousesalesadvisors.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/

You can book time on Kevin's calendar at https://lighthousesalesadvisors.pipedrive.com/scheduler/JP7rZXH3/virtual-meeting-booking-time-with-kevin

You can book time on Sean's calendar at http://newsales.expert/sean-oshaughnessey-calendar/

In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey build on last week’s discussion of qualification methodologies and take the conversation further—into how these frameworks should live inside your CRM. From aligning sales processes with the buyer’s journey to enforcing accountability at each stage, this conversation offers practical strategies that every sales leader and salesperson can implement. Expect a deep dive into sales management, revenue generation, sales processes, and how value selling thrives when marketing and sales teams work in sync.

• Why your CRM is the right home for qualification methodologies (00:48)
  
  

• Best practices for embedding qualification questions into sales processes (02:01)
  
  

• How sales leaders enforce discipline and consistency across teams (03:18)
  
  

• Eliminating Excel spreadsheets and consolidating data for effective revenue management (05:12)
  
  

• Aligning marketing collateral with sales strategies to support qualification and value selling (06:00)
  
  

• Real-world stories of late-stage deal failures caused by missing buyer-side approvals (10:21)
  
  

• Kevin Lawson (05:12): “Oh, please, oh, please evacuate Excel spreadsheets from your solution guide… For the purposes of this discussion, we want to strenuously avoid having third-party apps disconnected from your system.”
  
  

• Sean O’Shaughnessey (10:40): “There is nothing worse than missing your quarterly number because you didn’t know how they were going to buy… Knowing the paperwork process is the difference between celebrating the win and missing your commission check.”
  
  

• Kevin Lawson (14:10): “Having a qualification methodology mapped into your CRM, aligned with a buyer’s journey and supported by marketing resources, gives you a fully wrapped system that prevents that dreaded CEO call asking, ‘What’s the status of that deal?’”
  
  

• HubSpot Blog: A Guide to Sales Qualification Frameworkshttps://blog.hubspot.com/sales/6-popular-sales-methodologies-summarized
  
  

• Join the B2B Sales Lab for 90 days free and access practical community discussions on sales strategies, revenue management, and messaging. https://b2b-sales-lab.com
  
  

• CRM platforms mentioned: HubSpot (https://www.hubspot.com/), Pipedrive (https://www.pipedrive.com/), Salesforce (https://www.salesforce.com/), Membrain (https://www.membrain.com/)
  
  

Embed your qualification methodology directly into your CRM, tied to each stage of your sales process.

Don’t let critical deal information reside inside spreadsheets or Word docs; configure your CRM so progression requires those qualification questions to be answered. This not only improves sales accuracy but also enhances revenue management, ensures consistency across your team, and creates alignment with marketing resources to drive value selling.

This episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales is a must-listen for anyone serious about building sustainable sales success. Sean and Kevin reveal how sales strategies such as qualification methodologies come to life when fully integrated into CRM-driven sales processes. You’ll learn why sales management must prioritize data consistency, how business acumen prevents late-stage deal disasters, and how aligning messaging between sales and marketing fuels stronger revenue generation. If you want practical insights on improving your sales processes and elevating your organization’s performance, download this episode today and start putting these best practices to work.