The 12% Rule: The Time Investment That Delivers Results

As we turn the corner on the 1st half of 2025 and evaluate our progress - and how far we still need to go, there is a temptation to double down on activity.  Time is short, there’s a long way to go, and hard work IS rewarded.   But activity is not the same as progress. If you are an enterprise seller where your success hinges on a small number of large, complex opportunities, the most valuable work you do is the work that happens before the first call is ever made: strategic planning.

The question is, how do you make time for planning?  And how much should you do?  I recommend that you build a time budget, block it out, and spend every minute, no more.   Treat it as the most critical driver of your success.

Here is a simple framework to ensure you are spending time on the thinking that wins deals.

1. Territory Planning: Where to Play

A territory plan is the blueprint for market ownership. It defines which prospects and customers to pursue, how to engage them, and what actions will maximize results. This isn't a one-time, set-it-and-forget-it exercise.

As a bare minimum, I believe sellers should invest 2% of their annual working hours in territory strategy. For a typical 2,000-hour year, that's only 40 hours. We recommend 2 full days dedicated to this at the start of Q1, followed by a 1-day refresh at the start of Q2, Q3, and Q4 to adjust to market changes.

2. Account Planning: How to Win

Within each key account, a specific strategy is needed to map relationships, identify leverage points, and build coalitions of support. This is where deals are won or lost.

The investment here should be proportional to the account's value. A good rule of thumb is to dedicate 1% of your time for every 10% of quota an account represents. For instance, an account expected to deliver 30% of a seller's annual quota deserves 3% of their time—60 hours a year, or over an hour each week dedicated to penetrating and securing that single account.

These are the minimums. In total, this strategic planning should consume at least 12% of a seller’s time—that’s 240 hours a year, five hours per week, 1hr per day.  Does that seem like a lot? While it may feel like a significant investment, the alternative is far more costly: time wasted talking to the wrong people about the wrong things, chasing deals that will never close.