The MarketTime system has multiple options in how Salesperson assignments and Customer/Manufacturer visibility for a Salesperson can be configured. The most common option for Agencies transitioning from Brandwise to MarketTime is to use Territories (sets of zip codes) and Divisions (sets of Vendors) to drive Rep assignments and Customer/Manufacturer visibility for a Salesperson. Select “hard codes” / “territory exceptions” –i.e., direct assignment of a rep to a specific customer (for all vendors or a set of vendors) can be accomplished on top of the Division/Territory structure.
The majority of Agencies will be migrated from Brandwise to MarketTime in a way that supports the use of this logic in MarketTime. If you are unsure how your company is currently set up or was configured during your transition from Brandwise to MarketTime, please contact support@markettime.com for confirmation.
For an overview of the different Salesperson assignment logic options available in MarketTime, please see this article.
The following information will detail how to assign a Salesperson by Division and Territory. This assignment logic is most similar to the Salesperson Assignment logic an Agency may be familiar with in Brandwise.
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Definition of MarketTime Terms
Division - In MarketTime, a Division represents which Manufacturers (or "lines") can be sold by which Salespeople, and determines which Salesperson gets assigned to each order and Customer. When used with Salesperson Territories, the Division can dictate which Manufacturers a Salesperson can view and write orders for, depending on which Customer has been selected.
Notes about Divisions:
- A Division must be associated with one or more Manufacturers and one or more Salespeople.
- A Division may be associated with Salesperson Territories to define which Manufacturers/lines a Salesperson can sell in a designated area.
- A Division is needed to create a “hard code”/ "territory exception." This designation allows the Agency to assign a Salesperson a defined line package to an out-of-territory Customer, or to adjust the line package that a Salesperson can sell to an in-territory Customer. See the end of this article for information on how to set "hard code" assignments.
Salesperson Territory – A Salesperson Territory is a geographic area that designates which Customers a Salesperson can view and sell to.
Notes about Territories:
- A Territory can represent a single zip code or multiple zip codes.
- A Territory controls both Customer/order assignments and visibility into the Customers' information when using the system in Road mode.
Understanding MarketTime Terms in Relationship to Brandwise Terms
Screenshots from the Brandwise platform are below the table for reference
Brandwise Term | MarketTime Term | How the Term Differs in MarketTime |
Customer Region |
Salesperson Territory | Both represent a geographic area (set of zip codes, city, state, etc.) that designates which customers a Salesperson can sell to |
Division |
Division | Both designate a set of Manufacturers (or "lines") that can be sold by a Salesperson(s). In MarketTime, Divisions also act as the "wrapper" that associates a Salesperson to a line package and a Salesperson Territory or enables a hard code assignment to a customer |
Territory |
Divisions | In Brandwise, a Territory is the combination of a Vendor Region, Customer Region, Division, and Salesperson. In MarketTime, a Division acts as the "wrapper" that associates a Salesperson to a line package and a Salesperson Territory or enables a hard code assignment to a customer |
Vendor Region | N/A | Not utilized in MarketTime |
Customer Type | N/A | Not utilized in MarketTime |
N/A | Manufacturer Territory | Applicable in MarketTime only for controlling a customer's shopping experience on a MarketTime B2B eCommerce site. A Manufacturer Territory limits which Manufacturers a Customer sees. See the article HERE for more details. Note: Agencies transitioning from Brandwise are unlikely to use this function. |
N/A | Retailer Division | A limited number of Agencies use this term to help drive Salesperson assignment logic and define a Retailer to a specific Division. EX: A toy store falling under a unique Toy Division (Retailer). Edits to the Retailer Division are made on the Customer screen, not the Divisions/Territories screen. Agencies transitioning from Brandwise are unlikely to use this function. |
Salesperson Assignment Overview Video Using Divisions & Territories
In this video, you will learn how to create assignments for two different Salespeople selling 2 different line packages to the same Customers in a single territory. Then, showing what it would look like if a third Salesperson was 'hard coded' to sell a specific Manufacturer to a specific Retailer in that same territory.
NOTE: EVERYTHING BELOW IS FOR REFERENCE TO REVIEW YOUR DATA IN THE STAGING ENVIRONMENT, AND NOT A TASK TO PERFORM DURING YOUR TRANSITION TO MARKETTIME.
Creating Salesperson Assignments in MarketTime
Screens Used
When creating Salesperson Assignments in MarketTime, the following screens will be used:
Divisions & Territories (found under Maintenance in the left-hand navigation):
Salespeople (in the left-hand navigation):
Manufacturers (in the left-hand navigation):
Customers (in the left-hand navigation):
Note that the images above show you what each screen looks like. At the bottom of each section below, you will see what that same screen should look like if set up correctly.
We will start by setting up a Division to split out the Manufacturers/line packages. Then we will set up one Salesperson's assigned Territory in MarketTime. The Divisions & Territories screen is found under Maintenance in the left-hand Navigation Menu.
Creating a Division & Adding Manufacturers / "Lines"
STEPS:
- If you need to create a new Division, start by selecting the Divisions tab at the top. Then, click the dark blue New Division button to add a new Division name and description.
- Next, add the Manufacturers who will be a part of this Division (or who need a Division added to their account):
- Select Manufacturers in the left-hand navigation
- Find the Manufacturer you want to add
- Click on the eyeball or pencil icon in the Action column
- When the Manufacturer screen opens up, click on the Order Settings tab and then the Divisions section, scroll to find the appropriate Division, and then click on the plus symbol to add. This will link the Manufacturer to this Division.
Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for any other Manufacturers you want to add to the Division (or who need a Division added to their merged account).
NOTE: When adding Manufacturers, it doesn't matter if the Manufacturer is shown with an eyeball or pencil - Agencies can create a Salesperson Assignment regardless of whether the Manufacturer manages their data or the Agency manages the data. See this article for more details on Manufacturer data management options in MarketTime.
What Right Looks Like
When you have finished adding Manufacturers to your newly created Division, the Division screen should look like this:
If you look at the Manufacturer screen, it should look like this:
and the specific Manufacturer, like this:
Setting up Territories & Assigning a Salesperson
STEPS:
- Now we're going to define the Territory. Navigate back to the Divisions & Territories screen under Maintenance in the left-hand navigation.
- Click on the Territories tab at the top left. Then, click the dark blue New Territory button on the top right to add a new Territory name (city, state, etc.) and a description. Make sure in the Group Type, you leave it as Salesperson Territory
- Add the zip codes that correspond with this new Territory by navigating to the Territory you created in the list on the Territory screen, Then, on the right-hand side of the screen, select the zip code icon.
- In the section under Master Zip Codes, select the country, the geographic area type (state, city, etc.), and specific location to populate a list of zip codes. In the image below, the geographic area chosen was 'city' and then the specific city was 'Needham' (#1 in the image)
- Click the box next to each zip code in the Master List that you want applied to this Territory (#2 in the image above) and then click Add (#3 in the image above). All zip codes should now show in the left-hand Territory List. If you make a mistake, select the item in the left-hand list and click Delete to return it to the Master List. Note: if you have a special list of zip codes, you can also upload an Excel file of zip codes on this screen.
- Navigate back to the Divisions & Territories screen. You can now assign a Salesperson and their respective Division(s) to the Territory.
- Find your new Territory again, in the list of names on the Territories screen.
- Now select the Salesperson icon in the right-hand column (next to the zip code icon). This will pull up a list of all of the Salespeople available in your organization.
- Select the Salesperson you want to assign to this Territory and then find the Division(s) you want them assigned to. To ensure you've selected the correct Salesperson, you can validate against the Salesperson's S-ID in the Salesperson screen.
What Right Looks Like
When you have finished adding the Salesperson and their Division to the Territory you created, the Division screen should look like this:
and the Territory screen should look like this:
If you look at the Salesperson screen, it should look like this:
and the specific Salesperson you added to the Territory, like this:
Finally, the Customer screen should look like this:
and if you open up that specific Retailer in the Territory you created, it should look like this:
A few notes about the Customer Assignment screen. As shown on the screenshot below, there is a box that says "Assign Salespeople Based on Ship to Address". By default, Salespeople are assigned by the Bill to Address.
If you want to change this logic, you can edit an individual Retailer's settings by clicking on the box and changing the toggle switch from "Bill to" to "Ship to". In the screenshot below, you can see the box is now checked, the toggle switch is now on "Ship to" and the blue "Edit Assignment" button is Active for "Ship to" Assignments instead.
Division Column on the Customer Screen
The Division column seen in the Customer Assignment screen above does NOT correlate with the Divisions & Territories you just created. In the Customer screen, that section (the screenshot says "Pharmacy") refers to the Retailer's Division. It is a completely separate designation to categorize the Retailer only.
Verification Steps
- Time to double-check yourself - Go to the Orders section in the left-hand navigation and click New Order
- In the search bar, type in the name of a Retailer in the Territory you have configured, and then click on the row with the Retailer's name
- With the Retailer row highlighted, click on the green Summary Order button
- Navigate to the Manufacturer drop-down and choose one of the Manufacturers you added to the Division in Step 2. The name in Salesperson Assigned and Salesperson to Pay should reflect the Salesperson you assigned to the Division in this Territory. Note: if you choose a Manufacturer and no Salesperson appears, this is an indication that the Manufacturer is not included in a Division associated to the Territory of the customer. Double-check that the proper Division was added to the Manufacturer in the Manufacturer screen and that the Salesperson is connected to the same Division in the applicable Territory.
A new Division/line list for a different Salesperson can be created by repeating the steps above. Once you're done, you can do the verification again, by selecting a Manufacturer from the other Division, and making sure the other Salesperson you assigned is reflected.
Creating Hard Code/Territory Exception Assignments
A "hard code" is a Salesperson designation that allows the Salesperson to sell a Manufacturer/line package out of territory "OOT". "Hard code" designations will override any Territory assignment present. For example: Salesperson A sells Bella Vita as part of their Territory line package. Salesperson B is hard-coded to sell Bella Vita to a certain set of customers. If one of those customers happens to fall into Salesperson A's territory, Salesperson A would not be able to sell Bella Vita to that customer - only Salesperson B.
To assign a Salesperson with a hard code, there are a few similarities and differences to the Salesperson Assignment process shown above.
- A Division needs to be in place. This can be a unique Division for the hard-coded Salesperson or a Division used in a Territory Assignment.
- Note: to create a hardcode where an out-of-territory (OOT) Salesperson is the only person that can write an order for a specific Retailer, you would 1) create a Division with all lines, 2) assign the Salesperson to that Division, 3) place that Salesperson with that Division onto the specific customer.
- When creating a hard code assignment, there will be NO Territory assignment, ONLY a Division assignment for the hard-coded Salesperson.
- To associate the Salesperson to the applicable Division, navigate to the Salesperson record, select the Division and Territories tab, and then add the proper Division to the Division table on the left-hand side of the screen. No action is needed in the other two tables (Salespeople Territories, Manufacturer Territories), to support creating a hard code assignment.
- To complete the hard code assignment, the Salesperson and associated Division must be directly added to the Customer account. This is the biggest difference in the assignment set up for hard code vs. a Territory-based assignment
- On the Customer screen note that their Bill to/Ship to address is what puts a Retailer into a defined territory. You can use either Bill to or Ship to by changing the toggle switch.
- Select the Retailer you want hard-coded to the Salesperson by clicking the pencil icon under Action on the right-hand side of the screen.
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- On the Assignments tab in the Retailer's screen, you can see which Salesperson or Salespeople are allowed to sell to that Customer. If the Salesperson's name is grayed out, it means that that Salesperson is the 'Territory assigned' Salesperson. The grayed-out Division name is the Division being used in a Salesperson Territory.
- To allow a hard-code to this Retailer, add the name of the hard-coded Salesperson and their respective Division to the Assignment section of the Retailer screen by choosing the appropriate names and then clicking the plus sign to add.
For a hardcode to be in effect, the Salesperson must be assigned to the Retailer, with the appropriate Division. Both the Salesperson AND the Division must show on the Retailer's Assignment screen. Without the Division, the hard code is not in place and the Salesperson will not get the visibility or intended assignment.
You can tell if an assignment is a hard code-based assignment, because the text will be black, not grey, and will be editable (with the ability to delete the hardcode assignment altogether). Same thing with the Division – if it is an in-territory Division assignment, it will be grey and uneditable. If it is a hardcode, then it will be black and editable. Notice that territory-based assignments cannot be deleted, as they are controlled by the Territory/Division setup.
What Right Looks Like
When you're finished with assigning a hard-coded Salesperson, the Division screen should look like this (note there is no information in the Salesperson Territories field because Territories are NOT a part of hard-code assignments):
The hard-coded Salesperson's screen should look like this (note the hard-code division is ONLY in the leftmost field. NOTHING hard-code-related should appear in the other two fields.
The Customer screen should look like this (after you search for the hard-coded Retailer) Note that under Salesperson, the number showing includes a list of all Salespeople who can sell to that Retailer including Brandon, the hard-coded Salesperson:
and finally, the Retailer screen should look like this when the Assignments tab is selected:
MarketTime recommends that any Agency with Hard Code assignments in Brandwise, pull their Salesperson Assignments (Territory & Division Report) & Hard Code Report before transition. This will help to verify Salesperson Assignments in the Staging environment during the transition window.
To pull a Hard Code Assignment report in Brandwise:
- Open Reward
- Open Analysis and Reports
- Select "Reports"
- Select "Customer"
- Select "Customers Assigned to Sales Rep"
Hard Code Migration from Brandwise to MarketTime
When a company transitions from Brandwise to MarketTime, all hard code assignments will be migrated from one system to the other.
Brandwise enables setting up a hard code in three ways:
Hard Code Setup | Outcome | Notes |
Rep-Customer |
The Salesperson is assigned to the customer for all lines |
No Brandwise Division is required to achieve the hard code assignment |
Rep-Division(s)-Customer |
The Salesperson is assigned to the customer for all manufacturers in the selected Division(s) |
A Brandwise Division is required to achieve the hard code assignment |
Rep-Manufacturer(s)-Customer | The Salesperson is assigned to the customer for all selected manufacturers |
No Brandwise Division is required to achieve the hard code assignment |
Hard Code Setup in Brandwise | Division Setup in MarketTime | Notes |
Rep-Customer |
A Division called “All Lines for Rep-Customer Hardcodes” will be created |
All salespeople who have a Rep-Customer hardcode assignment in Brandwise will be linked to this Division. All active Manufacturers will be linked to this Division |
Rep-Division(s)-Customer |
A Division with the syntax “<Division Name> <Salesperson Name>” will be created |
The Division description will note that this is a “hard code based on division association”. The relevant salesperson will be linked to this Division. All Manufacturers linked to the Division in Brandwise will be linked to the created Division in MarketTime |
Rep-Manufacturer(s)-Customer |
A Division with the name of the salesperson will be created. If the salesperson has multiple different hard codes with different manufacturers, multiple Divisions will be created, with a numbered list |
The Division description will note that this is a “hard code based on direct manufacturer association”. The relevant salesperson will be linked to this Division. The relevant Manufacturers will be linked to this Division |
See below for screenshots of the Divisions that will be created in MarketTime to enable each of the hard code types:
"Limit Box"
The Limit Box is a Brandwise concept whereas a hard-coded customer can appear invisible to the in-territory salesperson. This option does not exist within the MarketTime ecosystem and thus limit box designations will not transfer over with your Brandwise data.
In MarketTime, the in-territory salesperson can see all hard-coded customers within their territory. They also have the ability to write an order for a line that is hard-coded to a customer within their territory. Note: when this happens, the in-territory salesperson is listed as the order writer but the order assignment would go to the hard-coded salesperson (hard code assignments always override in-territory assignments).