Lines Per Call Meaning

The average number of distinct SKUs sold in each productive call. It measures how deep a rep sells into the range, as opposed to how many outlets were visited.

There is no universal benchmark because it depends entirely on portfolio breadth. A range of 2.5 to 5 is common in Indian general trade for a mid-sized portfolio, but what matters is the trend in your own territory and the spread between reps on comparable beats.

Because selling one more SKU to an outlet the rep is already standing in costs nothing extra, while adding a new outlet costs a visit, a delivery, a credit decision and ongoing servicing. Moving average lines per call from 3.0 to 3.5 usually beats a coverage drive.

Give the rep that outlet's own purchase history at the counter, so the conversation becomes what this shop stopped buying rather than a run through a catalogue. Range visibility moves this metric faster than training does.

Not past a point. A rep with eight minutes at a counter presents what they remember, so beyond a certain catalogue size extra SKUs produce inventory rather than revenue, and lines per call plateaus while SKU count keeps rising.