# Territory planning and balanced territories

*Agentforce Sales Foundations Study Guide · Planning · Last updated October 16, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/agentforce-sales-foundations/planning/territory-planning*

How sales leaders plan territories the Salesforce way: start early with buy-in, carve territories from company goals, balance them on several factors, finish the balancing with quotas, and change them midyear only when one is clearly not working.

- Certification: Salesforce Agentforce Sales Foundations
- Exam section: Planning
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/agentforce-sales-foundations

**Official exam objective:**

> Describe the elements of territory planning.

## What the exam expects

- Describe the steps of territory planning: start early, get buy-in, plan for growth and future hires, lead with data, and be fair.
- Derive territories from the company's go-to-market strategy and goals (new regions, industries with a large total addressable market, target company sizes).
- Balance territories on several factors instead of one, and use quotas to finish the balancing between larger and smaller territories.
- Decide when and how to change a territory midyear without breaking momentum or late-stage deals.
- Explain why balanced territories matter to the business: attainment, attrition and manager workload.
- Key terms: **territory** (the area, accounts and revenue a rep is responsible for targeting); **segmentation** (dividing the market by factors such as geography, company size, industry and customer lifecycle); **total addressable market (TAM)** (the full market opportunity in a region or industry); **propensity to buy** (how likely an account is to purchase); **quota** (the sales target a rep is measured against).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| When to plan | Start early, and get buy-in from salespeople and leadership before rollout | [Plan Your Territories the Salesforce Way](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/design-territories-and-crush-your-sales-goals) |
| Future hires | Cut territories for the full year now; current reps cover the extra accounts until hires start | [Plan Your Territories the Salesforce Way](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/design-territories-and-crush-your-sales-goals) |
| What drives territory design | The go-to-market strategy and business goals (new region, industry TAM, company size) | [Learn Territory Management Best Practices](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/learn-territory-management-best-practices) |
| Balancing factors | Number of companies, geography, company size, propensity to buy, industry | [Learn Territory Management Best Practices](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/learn-territory-management-best-practices) |
| Remaining imbalance | Larger territory, higher quota, seasoned rep; smaller territory, lower quota, newer rep | [Learn Territory Management Best Practices](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/learn-territory-management-best-practices) |
| Benefits of balance | Lower AE attrition; balanced productivity, fewer hot spots, load spread across managers | [Learn Territory Management Best Practices](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/learn-territory-management-best-practices) |
| Midyear change | Only the territory not working; communicate early; switch fast; be cautious with late-stage deals | [Manage Territories and Crush Your Sales Goals](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/manage-territories-and-crush-your-sales-goals) |

## Check yourself

- Why should a sales leader cut territories for reps who have not been hired yet?
- When territories still are not equal after balancing, what should a leader do?
- Why do balanced territories lower costs for the business?
- When a territory must change midyear, how should accounts with late-stage opportunities be handled?

## Sources

- [Plan Your Territories the Salesforce Way](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/design-territories-and-crush-your-sales-goals)
- [Learn Territory Management Best Practices](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/learn-territory-management-best-practices)
- [Manage Territories and Crush Your Sales Goals](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/sales-territories-and-forecasting/manage-territories-and-crush-your-sales-goals)
- [What is Sales Territory Mapping?](https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/sales-territory-tips-from-salesforce/)
- [Cert Prep: Learn About Planning](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/cert-prep-salesforce-certified-sales-representative/learn-about-planning)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Agentforce Sales Foundations pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams