Your Best Prospects Are Hiding in Plain Sight: Territory Mapping for Tire Sales

The rising costs of fleet operations hit your bottom line hard. When your sales reps spend too much time behind the wheel instead of in front of customers, you're leaving money on the table.

The hidden costs of inefficient routes

A typical outside sales rep spends 40% of their day driving between accounts (most reps in this Reddit thread report spending "a few hours of windshield time a day") — time they could spend building relationships and closing deals.

Factor in today's fuel prices and vehicle maintenance, and you'll see how poor route planning drains your profits fast.

Signs your sales routes need a refresh

Watch for the telltale signs that your routes need a reset. Sales reps naturally gravitate toward comfortable, familiar accounts — the ones they know will place an order. While this builds strong relationships, it creates blind spots. Parts of the territory go untouched for months, and potential business slips away.

Your team might also spend hours behind the wheel between visits, burning valuable selling time. These long stretches between calls aren't just expensive — they limit how many customers your reps can see each day. When a meeting is canceled, they're stuck with dead time and few backup options.

Most concerning is when your team struggles to find new business. Without a clear view of their territory, reps miss opportunities that could be right around the corner from their regular stops. A canceled meeting shouldn't mean a wasted trip, but without the proper tools and planning, that's often the result.

These patterns don't just impact today's sales — they limit your future growth. If any of these signs sound familiar, it's time to rethink how your team approaches managing territories.

Building smarter routes

Smart territory management starts with having the complete picture. And with Voze's map-based planning, your reps can see their entire territory at a glance.

They can quickly spot:

• Accounts not visited in the last 30 days
• New prospects near existing customers
• Smarter routes that avoid traffic and tolls
• Alternative stops when meetings are canceled
  
  

Voze customer stories

Take K&M Tire's experience. Tom Schadl, the company's sales manager, said: "I don't know how I can do the job without something to remind me of what we talked about last time I was there [with the customer]."

Their reps transformed their daily routines, adding three extra visits per day while turning canceled meetings into opportunities. By staying flexible and finding new prospects in the field, the K&M Tire reps significantly increased their deal closure rate with both new and existing accounts.

Or look at Jim Hawk Truck Trailers's story. One rep found a farm account off the beaten path that led to $520,000 in new business — simply by checking their territory map during lunch.

Getting started

Start by reviewing how your reps currently cover their territories. Map your key accounts and prospects, then reorganize routes around geography rather than habit. Put the right tools in your reps' hands to spot nearby opportunities.

Most importantly, track your results and fine-tune your approach based on what works. Smart territory management isn't just about saving miles — it's about making the most of every minute your reps spend in the field.

When you help them work smarter, not harder, everyone wins.

Want to learn how other distributors are growing in this market? Let's talk about your goals for new business growth.