Describe the biggest change you've had to deal with in a sales territory or process. How did you adapt?

Situation

At my previous job as a merchandiser, my company suddenly shifted our route coverage from fixed weekly visits to a dynamic routing system based on daily order volume. My assigned area also changed from a familiar district to a new one with different customer profiles.

Task

I had to quickly learn the new route system and build relationships with 25 new accounts, all while maintaining my daily call rate of 12 stores per day.

Action

First, I studied the new territory map during the weekend and grouped stores by proximity to minimize travel time. I created a cheat sheet of each store owner's preferences and order history from our system. On my first week, I accompanied a senior colleague to observe how he handled the new routes. I also set a personal goal to introduce myself and learn at least one personal fact about each new store owner during the first two visits.

Result

Within three weeks, I fully adapted to the new routing system and my call rate hit 14 stores per day. I also retained 90% of the new accounts with stable orders after the first month. My supervisor used my cheat sheet approach as an onboarding tool for other new hires.