---
name: territory-plan
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/territory-plan@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 0f77a3c6c996
---

# Territory Plan

## What this does

This skill turns a **book of accounts** into a **coverage plan** — an artifact that answers "given
limited time, which accounts get how much effort, and who do I work first and why." It is not a
sorted list of accounts.

The bare-model default, asked to "help me plan my territory," is a **ranked roster**: it sorts the
accounts by current revenue, says "focus on your biggest accounts," and hands back a list. That
plans nothing — it spends the most effort on the accounts that are already maxed out and ignores the
signal that says *where the next revenue actually is*. This skill forces three moves:

1. **Segment the book into named tiers by potential** — group every account into a small set of
   tiers based on *opportunity* (whitespace, growth, fit, buying signals), not just what it spends
   today. A small fast-growing account can outrank a large saturated one.
2. **Allocate effort by tier** — give each tier an explicit, *differentiated* coverage cadence and
   rough share of time (deep/high-touch vs. light vs. automated nurture). Don't spread effort evenly.
3. **Prioritized named-target list, each with its trigger** — pick the specific accounts to act on
   now, and for **each one** state the **trigger** — the signal that makes it a priority *this
   period* (a renewal window, an expansion event, a new exec, funding, open whitespace, a slipping
   at-risk account). Priority is justified by a trigger, never by size alone.

A roster ranks; a coverage plan commits time. The lift is the difference.

## When to use / when NOT to

**Use when:**
- You have a **book, territory, or list of accounts** and need to decide **how to cover it** — how to
  split limited hours across many accounts and which to work first.
- You just **inherited a territory** and need a plan for the quarter.

**Do NOT use when:**
- You're planning a **single existing account**'s growth/defense — that is `account-plan`.
- You're **scoring one inbound lead** against an ICP — that is `lead-qualification`.
- You're doing **RFM segmentation** of individual customers from purchase history — that is
  `customer-segmentation-rfm`.
- You're **flagging deal hygiene** or rolling up a **forecast number** — that is
  `pipeline-hygiene-review` / a forecast rollup, not a coverage plan.

## The three moves (produce all three, in this order)

### 1. Segment the book into named tiers by potential
Put **every** account into a small set of named tiers (typically three: e.g. **Tier 1 / Grow**,
**Tier 2 / Develop**, **Tier 3 / Maintain**). The tiering dimension is **potential** — the size of
the opportunity — which combines **fit**, **whitespace/room to grow**, and **buying signals**, *not*
just current spend. The consequence that catches bare models: a **small account with a strong
signal** (fast growth, funding, a mandate, open whitespace) belongs in a **top tier**, and a **large
account that is fully penetrated with no room** belongs in a **lower/maintain tier** — you are not
going to grow revenue you've already captured. Every account lands somewhere; don't cherry-pick the
top five and drop the tail.

### 2. Allocate effort by tier
Give each tier an **explicit, differentiated** coverage plan: a cadence (how often you touch it) and
a rough **share of your time**. The tiers must not get the same treatment — the point of tiering is
to spend *unequally on purpose*. A typical shape: Tier 1 gets deep, high-touch, proactive coverage
and the largest time share; Tier 2 gets lighter, periodic coverage; Tier 3 gets **low-touch or
automated nurture** (a sequence, a quarterly check, marketing) rather than being abandoned. State
the tail plan explicitly — "Tier 3: quarterly automated nurture, escalate only on inbound" is a
plan; silence on the tail is not.

### 3. Prioritized named-target list — each with its trigger
From the tiers, pull the **specific accounts to act on now** into a short ordered list, and for
**each** name the **trigger**: the reason it earns attention *this period*. A trigger is a signal —
renewal window opening, an expansion/new-region event, a new executive or champion, a funding round,
open whitespace on a product line, usage spiking, or an at-risk account slipping. "Work Account X
because it's big" is not a trigger; "Work Account X because its renewal opens in 60 days and usage is
sliding" is. Order the list by urgency/value of the trigger, not by account size.

## Core rules

1. **Tier by potential, not current revenue.** Current spend is one input to fit, not the ranking.
   A small high-signal account can be Tier 1; a saturated large account can be Tier 3.
2. **Cover the whole book.** Every account lands in a tier. The tail gets a stated low-touch plan,
   not silence.
3. **Effort must be differentiated per tier.** Assign a cadence and a rough time share that *differ*
   across tiers. Even coverage defeats the purpose.
4. **Every named priority carries a trigger.** State the specific "why now" signal for each target;
   never justify a priority by size alone.
5. **Order by trigger, not size.** The action list is ranked by the urgency/value of the signal.
6. **Never fabricate.** Use only the accounts, numbers, and signals you were given. If an account has
   no signal, tier it on what you know and flag the **missing signal** as an open question — do not
   invent a renewal date, a funding round, or a growth rate. A flagged unknown beats a made-up trigger.

## Worked example

Context you were given: *"My book, 6 accounts. A: $400k/yr, our biggest, uses every product, renewed
last month and has nothing open right now. B: $30k/yr, but they just raised a Series C and are hiring aggressively;
on just one of our four modules so far. C: $150k/yr, up for renewal in 8 weeks, usage off ~20% since
the last review, and the champion has stopped replying. D: $90k/yr, steady, no changes. E: $15k/yr, dormant, no logins in 3 months.
F: $60k/yr, just brought on a new VP who owns budget, we've never met her. I have ~20 hours/week for
this book — how do I work it?"*

BAD (ranked roster — the bare default):
> Your biggest accounts are A ($400k), C ($150k), and D ($90k), so focus your time there. B, E, and F
> are smaller, so work them when you have time. Prioritize: A, C, D, B, F, E.

Why it's bad: sorted purely by current revenue; puts the **maxed-out** A at the top (nowhere to grow),
buries **B** (a Series-C, single-module account = huge whitespace) at the bottom, misses that **C** is
at-risk with a renewal clock, ignores **F**'s new economic buyer, gives every account the same vague
"focus/when you have time," and attaches no trigger to anything. It spends the most effort where the
least revenue is left.

GOOD:
> **Tiers (by potential, not current spend)**
> - **Tier 1 / Grow** — B (Series C + 3 of 4 modules open = large whitespace), C (at-risk, renewal
>   clock — defend before it churns), F (new economic buyer we've never met — access risk + upside).
> - **Tier 2 / Develop** — D (steady, modest room; keep warm).
> - **Tier 3 / Maintain** — A (fully penetrated, just renewed — protect, don't chase growth),
>   E (dormant — low-touch reactivation only).
>
> **Effort allocation (~20 hrs/wk)**
> - Tier 1: ~65% — proactive, weekly touch on B, C, F.
> - Tier 2: ~20% — D, roughly monthly check-in.
> - Tier 3: ~15% — A: quarterly exec review to defend the renewal; E: automated reactivation
>   sequence, escalate only on a reply.
>
> **Work first (ordered by trigger)**
> 1. **C** — *trigger: renewal in 8 weeks + usage down 20% and champion gone quiet.* Save-the-renewal
>    play now.
> 2. **F** — *trigger: new VP owns budget and we have no relationship.* Get introduced before the
>    next budget cycle.
> 3. **B** — *trigger: just raised a Series C and hiring; using 1 of 4 modules.* Expansion pitch
>    while they're scaling.
> 4. **A** — *trigger: none active; protect the $400k.* Light-touch, no growth ask.

## Common mistakes (this is the lift — what a bare model does by default)

1. **Sort by current revenue** — ranks the book by spend and tops it with maxed-out accounts.
2. **Potential ignored** — buries a small high-signal (funding/growth/whitespace) account at the bottom.
3. **Even effort** — "focus on all of them" / same treatment for every tier; no cadence, no share.
4. **Tail dropped** — plans the top few and goes silent on the rest of the book.
5. **No trigger** — justifies priorities by size ("it's the biggest") instead of a "why now" signal.
6. **At-risk missed** — treats a slipping account with a renewal clock as low priority because it's small.
7. **Fabricated signals** — invents a renewal date or funding round for an account with no given signal.

## Quick checklist (before responding)

- [ ] Is **every** account placed in a **named tier**?
- [ ] Are the tiers ranked by **potential** (fit + whitespace + signals), not just current revenue?
- [ ] Does a **small high-signal** account beat a **saturated large** one where the facts warrant it?
- [ ] Does **each tier** get a **differentiated** cadence and rough time share (incl. a tail plan)?
- [ ] Is there a **prioritized named-target list**, ordered by trigger?
- [ ] Does **every** priority carry a specific **trigger / why-now signal**, not a size argument?
- [ ] Did you avoid **inventing** any account, number, or signal, and flag unknowns instead?