---
title: "Four Strategies to Track Sales Representatives' Whereabouts"
description: "A company created barcodes for terminals to monitor sales reps' visits, but one rep faked visits by using counterfeit barcodes. To manage such issues, regional managers can use four methods: requiring detailed sales diaries and plans, spot checks via communication tools, verifying travel receipts, and conducting secret market inspections."
author: "朱波"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-09-25"
language: "en"
canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/four-strategies-to-track-sales-representatives-whereabouts-4a065fda/"
markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/four-strategies-to-track-sales-representatives-whereabouts-4a065fda.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/_dSzbYwXQqviIDXdETHxpQ"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E5%9B%9B%E6%8B%9B%E6%90%9E%E5%AE%9A%E4%B8%9A%E5%8A%A1%E5%91%98%E8%A1%8C%E8%B8%AA%E8%B7%9F%E8%BF%9B-4a065fda.md"
attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/four-strategies-to-track-sales-representatives-whereabouts-4a065fda/"
usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt"
---

# Four Strategies to Track Sales Representatives' Whereabouts

> A company created barcodes for terminals to monitor sales reps' visits, but one rep faked visits by using counterfeit barcodes. To manage such issues, regional managers can use four methods: requiring detailed sales diaries and plans, spot checks via communication tools, verifying travel receipts, and conducting secret market inspections.

Case: A company, aiming to urge sales representatives to visit more terminal customers, specially made barcodes and pasted them at terminals. When a sales rep visited a terminal, they would scan the barcode with a special POS machine, and the visit time and terminal name would immediately be transmitted to the city manager's laptop. The city manager could thus monitor the reps' daily movements without leaving the office.
However, accidents are inevitable. Once, when a city manager visited a terminal, the customer complained, "Your sales rep is like a dragon that shows its head but not its tail; we haven't seen him for over a month." The city manager was shocked: "Didn't he come here yesterday? I have a record on my computer." After an urgent investigation, the city manager found that the rep had indeed not visited customers for a long time. Instead, he had forged barcodes for each customer and, based on the visit schedule, calculated when he should be at which customer, then scanned the corresponding barcode. Thus, whether he was sleeping in bed or strolling with his girlfriend, his superiors thought he was visiting customers.
Sales reps slacking off is common. Once this culture forms, it not only dampens team morale but also affects regional business. Managing sales reps is both a key task and a pain point for regional managers. For newly appointed regional managers, especially those promoted from sales reps, mastering techniques to track subordinates' whereabouts is essential.
**First Strategy: Restrict Whereabouts Through Sales Diaries and Reports**
First, establish strict requirements for sales reps to keep daily sales diaries and next-day business plans. Regional managers must require reps to record their sales whereabouts and next-day plans and submit them via email. The diary should include customer names, visit routes, departure times, transportation means, arrival times, negotiation content, etc. The next-day plan should include planned customer names, visit routes, departure times, transportation means, visit purposes, etc.
Second, systematically and continuously analyze the sales diaries and next-day plans to facilitate future verification. For example, if a rep's plan states: "On August 12, take a bus to City A in the third-tier market to visit Customer M, departing at 8 AM and returning at 6 PM," and the diary confirms the visit, then you can expect a bus ticket for that date and route in the monthly travel expense report. When checking the travel expenses next month, verify the ticket's date and location.
Third, make the recording and submission of whereabouts reports a formal system linked to bonuses to ensure compliance. Sales diaries and next-day plans must be submitted to a designated email before a specified time (e.g., before 10 PM). Late submissions deduct 5% of the monthly bonus, missing one report deducts 10%, missing more than three deducts 20%, and submitting false reports deducts 50%.
**Second Strategy: Spot Checks via Communication Tools**
Although the first strategy can restrict and urge reps to visit the market, "policies have countermeasures," and diary reports can be fabricated. But "the devil is in the details," and regional managers have multiple supervision tactics, including using communication tools for further tracking.
First, conduct surprise checks via landline phones. Based on the rep's next-day plan, have the rep call back from a landline in the business area or terminal. This is the most common method used by many companies. For instance, if a rep plans to visit Customer A in City A, the regional manager can notify the rep mid-day to call back immediately using a landline with the area code. Ideally, the rep should use the customer's or terminal's landline to prove they are at the location. If the rep cannot call back or delays, it indicates they are not at the location or not on time (special cases like being on a bus or in a meeting may allow a 10-minute extension, but only once a month).
Second, use mobile phone camera function for verification. If a rep claims to be on a business trip and calls back via landline, it confirms they are in the area, but it doesn't confirm they are working. They might be chatting with friends or at a sauna. To verify, ask them to take a photo of the scene and send it to a designated person's phone. This can also be used for other situations, like when a rep says they are on a bus and cannot use a landline; a photo can confirm their location.
Third, use mobile phone positioning systems. Tracking reps via GPS can ensure they follow the planned visit map, eliminating any hope of cutting corners. For example, Coca-Cola is preparing to equip its sales reps with GPS-enabled phones to better track their movements and improve visit efficiency.
These two methods (photo and GPS) require higher costs, as the company must provide phones with these features. Additionally, some methods involve personal privacy, so it's essential to communicate with the company and reps beforehand to avoid negative reactions.
Once these verification methods are implemented, establish strict execution rules. Consider linking reps' compliance with using the phone to their income: for example, a 100 yuan fine for failing to take a photo due to a dead battery; a 500 yuan daily deduction from the monthly bonus for not setting the GPS signal during work hours; and a 200 yuan daily deduction for not reporting an inability to keep the phone on during work hours.
**Third Strategy: Verify Whereabouts Through Travel Receipts**
Sales reps submit monthly travel expense claims. Regional managers can use the receipts to further verify their movements.
First, check for a large number of sequentially numbered invoices, such as taxi receipts. If present, it suggests the rep did not actually visit the market but bought or obtained them through other channels.
Second, check if the taxi receipts are from many different taxi companies. If most are from one company, they are likely fake, as it's improbable to always catch the same company's taxi.
Third, check if the long-distance bus ticket dates match the sales diary or planned travel dates. For example, if Zhang San's diary records a visit to a county-level distributor on the 10th of last month, but there is no ticket for that date or the time doesn't match, the diary is false, and the ticket was deliberately obtained; he didn't visit the distributor or didn't do so on time.
**Fourth Strategy: Use Headquarters' Market Inspections to Assist Tracking**
Despite the above three methods, reps are still outside, and regional managers may feel passive. Therefore, irregular market visits are necessary for further verification. When inspecting, ensure:
1. Keep the inspection confidential and at unpredictable times to see the real market situation and judge if reps frequently visit the market.
2. Visit terminals alone and communicate with sales promoters to learn if reps frequently visit terminals, understand frontline information, and train promoters.
3. Check reps' desks: if they have competitor brochures and distributor order plans, they are diligent; if files are dusty, there's a problem.
4. Check reps' receipts: if drawers are full of taxi, bus, and communication receipts, they are diligent; otherwise, there's an issue. Regional managers can obtain this information discreetly.
These methods are auxiliary to verify reps' whereabouts or to pressure them to abandon laziness and work diligently, not as the primary motivation. To make reps proactively work the market, focus on team building, emotional attachment, and reasonable compensation.
**Editor's PS:** The editor has selected 1,067 quality articles from nearly 1,900 published on this official account, categorized into 14 major categories and 57 knowledge points, systematically organizing frontline marketing management content into a library for learning. From market to customers, covering practical combat and management, all are valuable. Follow the account and reply with the number "1" to browse related content.


---

## Copyright and AI use

This article is sourced from New Distribution. Search, quotation, summarization, and model training are permitted, but every use must credit New Distribution and retain the canonical source URL.

Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671