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By default AlignMix will be set to five digit zip codes as the base geography for your AlignMix files. There are two ways to create your sales territories. The first way is to import your current sales territories into AlignMix and then modify those territories from within AlignMix. The second way is to start with a fresh, blank file and create sales territories from scratch.
To import data into AlignMix you first need to format your files in Excel. Make sure to have each column label appear in the same row. This will allow the import to import successfully into AlignMix. Any import will need the base geography included in each row of data. If you are importing data into a 5 digit zip code file then you will need the 5 digit zip code for every row of data that will be imported.
After you have set up your data in Excel you can then import your data into AlignMix. Most common imports are the zip to territory import, sales account import, and sales personnel roster import. There is no specific order for these imports. If you do not have any data to import you can start using AlignMix with a blank AlignMix file and create sales territories from scratch.
To create sales territories from scratch you can use the touch align tool or the lasso tools. The touch align tool allows you to click and create new sales territories. Just like finger painting. You can also use the lasso tools to click and drag out a shape and then create a territory from that lassoed area.
Every shape that you create will capture zip codes and those zip codes will be assigned to a sales territory.
By default the base geography for AlignMix is 5 Digit USA Zip codes. You can change these default settings when Click on File, New project or in the Alignmix options. To create an AlignMix file at the US county level (FIPS) you will first need to make sure you have downloaded and installed the US county shapes. You can do this by Clicking on File, then click on Download and Install Geography, and then select US counties.
In order to import any data into a US FIPS code map in Alignmix you will need the FIPS code for every row of data. The FIPS code is a 5 digit identifier for US counties, very similar to five digit zip codes. The reason you need to use the FIPS code for imports is that over 30% of county names are duplicates in the USA, this is why you need to use the FIPS for any county level imports.
If you do not have any data to import then you can start creating sales territories in a blank map by using the lasso or touch align tools. Using the lasso tool you can click and drag out the lasso. As the lasso gets bigger you are capturing more counties. When you let go of the lasso you can then assign the lassoed area to a new territory. Using the touch align tool you simply click and color in an area on the map. It is just like finger painting. Any shapes that you capture will be the county shapes. Each shape can then be assigned to a sales territory. The same process is used to expand existing sales territories.
If you have existing county based sales territories then you can import that data directly into AlignMix. First make sure you have the excel file formatted correctly with the column labels all in the same row. Most common imports are the FIPS to territory, Accounts, Sales Personnel Roster. Any piece of data that is imported will need a field for the base geography. In this case it would be the FIPS code, each row of data will need the FIPS code in order to be successful imported into AlignMix. You will next need to drag/drop the data from the left to the corresponding section on the right. This will tell AlignMix how to import your data into AlignMix. When you click finish the import will be complete.
To create a Canadian FSA map in AlignMix you first need to purchase the Canada Map add on. This is a one time purchase and does not need to be renewed like the annual AlignMix Pro license.
You can either import data to recreate your current territories in AlignMix or start from scratch by using the Alignment tools to create new sales territories. To import your data into AlignMix you will first need to have the data formatted correctly. You can import the FSA to territory assignments, accounts, and sales rep/manager locations. Each import can be performed at any time, there is no specific order for these imports. The two most important things to remember when setting up data is to have all of the column labels appear in the same row, and also to have the base geography for every row of data. Since we are importing data into a Canadian FSA file we will need to have the assigned FSA for each row of data. To import your data you select the file for import and then drag/drop your data sets from the left to the corresponding section on the right. This process is what tells Alignmix how to import your data.
If you are starting a Canadian Map without any data import then you can use the touch align tool to start creating sales territories. Click and hold on an area on the map. While holding down the left button on the mouse, move the mouse. As you move the touch align tool, the tool is assigning FSAs to a territory. When you let go, that territory has been created. You can also use the lasso tools to lasso an area and create a territory from the lassoed section on the map.
Territory labels can be customized in the configure layers options. By default, the territory ID will be the only label that is displayed in the center of each territory. You can add as many labels as you want but with more labels you will notice that the text may start to overlap. It’s best to show 2-3 labels so that the maps do not get too cluttered. If you have imported numeric data then you can display sales territory totals for any data set as a territory label.
To add a new sales territory label click on configure layers and then select the territory option on the left side of the window. You will now have the option to change the current label or add a new label. Double click on the current label and a drop-down will appear showing you all the labels that are available. Or, you can click the green plus button to add another label. You can then choose to add a label that shows total sales (if you imported account sales) or display any other data set that you have imported into your file. You can also change the color of each label by clicking on the color box left of the label selection box.
You can easily import your current sales territories into AlignMix. You only need to have the data in excel. Make sure to format the data so that you can easily import the data into AlignMix. If you are creating a US five digit zip code map then all of your data needs to have the 5 digit zip code. Each row will need to have this information. You also need to make sure to open up a 5 digit zip code AlignMix file. By default AlignMix will have the US five digit set for any new file you create. You can change the default settings in the AlignMix options. If you are importing US county (FIPS) data then make sure to open up a US FIPS map so that you will have a successful import.
To import your current sales territories you will need at a minimum the US zip code in one column and the assigned sales territory in the second column. That is all you need in order to import your current sales territories into AlignMix. If you are creating a county based import then you would need the US FIPS code. Any time you import data you will always need the base geography in the excel file you are using for the import. To start the Import click on File, then on Import, and select the file you will be importing. AlignMix will display the data labels from the first worksheet in your Excel file. Now you simply drag/drop the data columns from the left to the corresponding section on the right. Click Next, Next again and the import will start and then finish. The sales territories will now appear on the screen. If you do not see any geographic territories that means you may have imported incorrectly or used the wrong base geography in AlignMix.
There are several ways to export your data to excel. The export to Excel tool will export all of your data into one excel workbook. The table export will export the territory, district, or region table that you see in AlignMix into Excel. You can export data for a single sales territory using the radial tool. The batch export will export excel reports, pdf maps, and also Power point presentations.
The Export to Excel tool is found by clicking on File, Export, Export to Excel. You now have the option to choose what you want included in the Export. Territory table, district table, region table, account list, zip code list, zip code ranges, and sales personnel roster. You can select one, two or all of these selections. Click next and then save the export. When the export is complete it will open up on your screen in Excel.
You can also export any of the tables for territories, districts or regions by opening up the table view and then click on the export button at the top. You can also customize which data columns are included in this export.
The radial tool allows you to export a territory summary for a single sales territory. To access the radial you right click on the territory you want to export, click on export, and then choose the export to excel option. You will find the same territory summary export when you perform the batch export and select territory summary excel for the export.
The batch export allows you to export PDF, PPT, and Excel summaries for every level of hierarchy. To perform a batch export you click on File, Export, Batch Export. Make sure to create a new folder for this export. If you select to only export Excel Summaries then you will have one excel file per territory. Those files will add up, so make sure to create a new folder for this export. When the export is finished you will see an excel file for every sales territory that is on your map.
Note: If you are using the two week AlignMix Pro trial any data export you create will be missing every other row of data and any image exports will have an AlignMix watermark on the exported images.
In AlignMix there are several ways to export your maps out of the AlignMix software.
The save map method will save the image that you see in your AlignMix software directly to a image file that you can save anywhere on your PC. The Copy map operates the same way as the save map but will only place the image onto your PCs clipboard which you can then paste into another piece of software.
The PDF high resolution export will export what you have currently displayed on your AlignMix screen to a pdf file. You can customize the page size and also the resolution from 96dpi up to 500dpi.
The batch export tool can do several exports at the same time. It will create excel summaries, pdf exports, and also PowerPoint Exports. This export may take a few minutes depending on the resolution settings and also how many territories you have created in your AlignMix file.
Note: If you are using the two week AlignMix Pro trial any data export you create will be missing every other row of data and any image exports will have an AlignMix watermark on the exported images.
The color of the land and the rest of the world can be changed in the configure layer options. You can even hide the world from view so that only the country you are working on is displayed on the screen.
The default color for un-assigned zip codes/counties/FSAs/any other base geography is a tan color. You can change this color in the AlignMix Options. Click on File, Options, then Select View from the left side of the options screen. Now you can click the land color button to change the color of the un-assigned areas in your maps.
To delete territories you can use the:
These three methods are the only ways to delete a territory. If you un-assign all the zip codes assigned to a territory, that territory still exists as a territory. You will then need to delete that territory from the territory table view.
Using the radial tool you can right click on any sales territory you want to delete and then click on the delete button. This process will fully delete the zip to territory assignment. Any sales reps, accounts, zip code data will not be deleted, only the territory itself is deleted. The radial tool will only let you delete one sales territory at a time.
Using the territory table view you can select multiple territories by clicking the check box to the right of the territory ID’s. You can then click the delete button on the top left to delete all of the selected territories. This process is only deleting the territory. All of the data found inside of that territory will remain.
The territory lasso allows you to lasso one or multiple sales territories. Click on next, and now you have the option to delete all of the lassoed sales territories. Again, this process will only delete the territory not the data that is found in the accounts or zip codes.
To delete data you will need to click on data definition and then select the data sets you want to delete. Deleting data sets will not delete the account Icons. To delete the imported accounts you can either lasso them and delete them or delete the account segments in configure layers.