Account assignment rules versus manual assignment
Key Takeaway
Account assignment rules place accounts that match their criteria. Manual assignment covers accounts with unique characteristics that rules can't capture. When you change a territory's rules, existing accounts that now match don't move in on their own, so run the rules again.
In Sales Territories, accounts get into a territory in two ways. Account assignment rules place accounts automatically when they match criteria you define, such as state or industry. Manual assignment places a specific account in a territory directly, for accounts with unique characteristics that rules can't capture. Knowing when rules run on their own, and when you have to run them yourself, explains why an account is or isn't in a territory.
Account assignment rules and manual assignment
Rules automate assignment for new and updated accounts, so you don't place each account by hand. Manual assignment places a specific account in a territory directly. Use it for accounts with unique characteristics that rules can't capture.
Your Northeast territory has a rule for accounts in New York and New Jersey. The rule covers the hundreds of accounts in those states, so nobody places them one by one. One large customer is based in Texas, but the Northeast team has always served it. No rule about location describes that account, so you assign it to the Northeast territory manually.