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Blog · Coverage and territory

How to read a coverage table in ninety seconds: the three columns that matter

A reading guide for a sales manager opening a coverage table on Monday: the three columns to look at first, coverage at cadence, untouched revenue, and the data quality score, in that order, why the order matters, what a movement in each means, the two columns to ignore until the first three are read, the row to open, and the question to ask the rep before the one-to-one.

The short answerRead the data quality score first, because it says how much to believe the rest. Then untouched revenue, because it is the dollar figure that ranks the reps by what is at stake. Then coverage at cadence, because it explains the untouched figure as a share. Ignore touches and accounts assigned until those three are read; they are context. Open the row with the largest untouched revenue, see the top three untouched accounts, and the question for the rep is about those accounts, not about the percentage.

A coverage table has eight or nine columns and a manager has ninety seconds before the next meeting. Three columns carry the reading, in a fixed order, and the rest are context. This guide is the reading order, what each column's movement means, and the question it produces.

The three columns, in order

Order Column Why here A movement means
1 Data quality score Decides how much to believe columns 2 and 3 Down: coach the logging before the coverage
2 Untouched revenue Ranks reps by dollars at stake Up: accounts fell out of cadence, or big accounts joined the list
3 Coverage at cadence Explains column 2 as a share of the book Down: the same finding as a percentage

The columns to leave until later

Column Why later
Touches Effort, not placement; a rep can have many touches and low coverage
Accounts assigned Context for the percentage; not a finding
Tier split Second read: which tier the untouched revenue sits in

A worked ninety seconds

Rep Data quality Untouched revenue Coverage Touches Assigned
R-04 41% $1.4m 53% 210 62
R-11 86% $180,000 86% 140 44
R-17 91% $12,000 94% 95 18
R-22 78% $310,000 49% 60 41

Ten seconds: R-04's score is 41. Their coverage figure describes a third of the book; the first conversation is about logging.

Thirty seconds: R-22 has the largest untouched revenue among reps whose data can be believed. Open that row.

Sixty seconds: R-22's top three untouched accounts: 2207 at $95,000, 71 days; 9034 at $60,000, 52 days; 1187 at $40,000, 48 days. Tier two, all three.

Ninety seconds: The question for R-22 is about 2207. The question for R-04 is about the activity field.

The row to open

The one with the largest untouched revenue and a data quality score above the floor. Its top three untouched accounts are the one-to-one.

Where it goes wrong

Reading the percentage first. The debate about the definition.

Ignoring the score. Coaching coverage on a third of the book.

Touches as the measure. R-04 has the most touches and the worst coverage.

Opening every row. Ninety seconds becomes an hour.

Every Monday, three columns

The coverage table's column order follows this reading: score, untouched revenue, coverage, then the rest. Covirage lays it out that way. The coverage model guide covers how the table is built, and the one-to-one guide covers the meeting the row leads to.

Questions people ask

Why the data quality score first?

Because a coverage figure on a rep whose activity dates are a third complete describes a third of their book. Reading it as if it were the whole book leads to a conversation about coverage when the conversation should be about logging. The score is the first column because it decides whether the others mean anything.

Why untouched revenue before the percentage?

A rep at 60 percent coverage on a small book has less at stake than one at 75 on a large one. Untouched revenue ranks the reps by dollars, which is how the manager's time should be allocated. The percentage explains; the dollars prioritise.

What is the question for the rep?

Named accounts: why has 4471 not been touched in 71 days? Not 'why is your coverage 53 percent'. The first is answerable and actionable; the second is a debate about the definition.