Table of Contents
The territory properties is where you can easily change the name and ID of your sales territory and also change the sales rep assignment and district assignment. From these properties you can also lock the territory, change the color and also view a summary of all the data sets and accounts assigned to this one sales territory.
To access the territory properties, you can right click to pull up the radial tool. From the radial tool you click on the properties button that appears on the right side of the radial options. You can also hold the [Ctrl] button on the keyboard and then right click on a sales territory. This will bypass the need to access the radial tool first. This properties menu can also be viewed on a district and region map. When the territory properties appears on the screen it will show you all of the data pertaining to the territory that you have clicked on. You can confirm this by looking at the labels in the territory properties. It should say the ID and name of the territory that you have clicked on. The territory will also be outlined in a red color to show you that this is the territory that you are looking at.
If you are creating sales territories from scratch using the lasso and touch align tools then the software will default to naming each sales territory “territory 1, territory 2, territory 3” and so on. By using the territory properties, you can change the names and IDs for every sales territory. You cannot have the same ID and name represent two sales territories. Each name and ID must be unique.
If you try to name a territory a name that already exists, it will show up with a red x next to the ID indicating that you cannot save this territory with this new name. You then need to rename the territory and click OK to apply the changes. You can also change the names and IDs of your sales territories by using the territory table view.
The territory properties also allows you to assign sales reps to your sales territories. If you click on the first drop-down menu you will see a full list of every sales rep that is currently in this file. The most common way for pulling in this list is via a sales rep import.
You can also add sales reps manually by clicking on the plus button next to the sales rep drop-down. In this new window you can type in the name of the sales rep and then the home zip code. When you click okay, then okay again the sales rep will be assigned to this sales territory and an icon will appear in that zip code representing that sales rep.
You can also use the territory table view to re-assign sales reps but the table view does not allow you to add new sales reps, you can only add new sales reps by using the territory properties or use the edit sales rep button found on the home menu.
The second drop-down menu shows you the assigned district. By default, the hierarchy is set up as sales territories are assigned to districts and districts are assigned to regions. This can be customized in the AlignMix options.
The hierarchy tools allow you to assign territories to districts and districts to regions. If you have created districts they will appear in this drop-down. You can then click on a district to assign this territory to that district. You can create a new district by clicking on the plus button and then typing the ID and name of this new district. When you click ok you will see that this new district now appears in the drop-down, click ok to apply this new change. You can also create new districts by using the territory lasso tool, or by using the district map and using the touch align tool in that view.
You can also use the territory properties to change the color of the sales territory. Simply click on the button that says “color” and the territory color palette will appear. Select the color and click okay. You can also change the color of any sales territory by clicking on the recolor tool found on the home menu or by using the radial tool and clicking on the color button. One final way to change the color is to use the territory table view.
The label in part section of the territory properties allows you to move the label from the largest non-contiguous part of the territory to the second or third largest. This is an option most users use when working in the Seattle/Alaska territory. The label will typically appear in Alaska, but you can move it to appear in the Seattle portion of the territory by clicking on the “set clicked” button.That label will move to be over the Seattle area, if that’s where you initially clicked for the territory properties.
The final section of the territory properties shows a total sum of every data set that has been imported or created. These are the sums of the data sets for only this one sales territory. The bottom most section will show you a count of all the account segments that are assigned to this sales territory including any account overrides.
Configure layers is where you can customize how labels and layers are displayed on the map and at what zoom level they will appear. You will notice that as you zoom into your map more things will appear. If you imported sales accounts you will not see them when zoomed all the way out, but as you zoom into your map those icons will start to appear at different zoom levels. These zoom levels are set by default so that your map is not too cluttered when zoomed out. All these zoom and display settings can be adjusted in the configure layers.
The first layers that you can customize in the configure layers are the sales rep’s settings. You will only be able to make adjustments here if you have either imported sales reps or created the sales reps manually in the AlignMix software. By default, the sales rep icons will start to appear at a zoom level of 6. At this zoom level the icons will appear at a 24-point size. As you zoom further and further into the map these icons will reach their max size when you zoom into a zoom level of 14. The same applies to the sales rep names. By default, you can have two different icons for the sales reps. These icons are created based on the gender which is decided simply by the name of the sales rep. If you would like the software to ignore the gender-based icons, then click the ignore gender check box. You can also change the icons of the sales reps by clicking the icon drop-box. If you are mapping distribution centers you may want to change the icon to a building instead of a person. If you are mapping points of interest, then you can change the icon from a person to a GPS location icon. There are over 200 icons you can choose from.
The second section that you can customize how densely the cities will be displayed on your map. By default, the density is set to 100%, this pretty much guarantees that the city name will not overlap on your map. If you want more cities to appear on your map, then you simply need to increase the density in this section. The higher the percentage the more of a change the city labels will overlap in your AlignMix file.
If you imported sales accounts into your AlignMix file you will be able to customize how and when those icons appear. If you imported your account with an account segmentation, then you can customize each account type appearance. You can also rename the account segments in this view.
The next section is for the roadways and highways. You can choose which type of roads to display at different zoom levels. By default, the major highways will appear first and as you zoom into your map other smaller roadways will start to appear.
The static layer section will show you all the static layers that are found in your AlignMix file. By default, you will see US States. The state border size and appearance can be customized in this view.
The territories section is where you can add and customize additional sales territory labels. By default, the territory label will show the territory ID. You can change this by double clicking that label and changing it to the territory name, assigned sales rep, or to show data sets summed up to the territory level. There is no limit to how many territory labels you can set. But if you add too many then it will be difficult to see your actual sales territories on the map. Each label can have a different color, but all labels will appear at the same zoom level that you can choose at the bottom of the territory layer options. If you set a data label, like sales, then when you use the touch align tool or lasso tools you will see that data label provide instant feedback when you make changes to the territory boundaries.
The district and region sections operate the same way as the territory section. If you are currently viewing a sales territory map and you have created districts, then you can use configure layers to view the district and/or region boundaries over-laid on top of your sales territory map. When you open up a district map view you will see a number appear inside of the district. This is the span of control; the number of sales territories that are assigned to each district. To change this label to something else, like the district name then you will need to access the configure layers and change the label just like you do at the sales territory level. At the region level you will see the same default label set, but this time the span of control will be showing the number of districts that are assigned to each region.
The next section will be the base geography section. If you have created a zip code-based map, then this will be the zip code section. If you have created a US county (FIPS) map then this would be the US county section. By default, if you zoom all the way into your map you will see the five-digit zip code appear in the center of each zip code. You can change this to show the city name in the configure options.
The world section is where you can customize how the rest of the world appears on your map. You can also de select the check mark to hide other countries. If you have purchased additional international maps, make sure you have the check box for high resolution selected. This will make your maps look much better on your screen.
The final section is for your account legend. You will only be able to make changes to the account legend if you have imported accounts into your AlignMix file. By default, the legend is set to auto-fit so that all of your account icons will be displayed when accounts are visible.
The AlignMix Radial Tool is an easy way to access several options for your selected territories. The Radial Tool can be used at any time while using the AlignMix 2021 Territory Mapping Software. The video above will show you how to use this tool step by step.
By default, the territory label will appear in the middle of your sales territory and show the territory ID. You can use configure layers to change this label or add additional labels.
If you are looking at your map when zoomed out and you do not see any labels appear on the screen. This may be because the labels are set to be displayed at a different zoom level. Try to zoom into the map. IF the labels still do not appear this may mean that the labels have been turned off from view. To turn them on, click on the layers tab and then click the labels button. This will turn on/off all the territory labels.
In configure layers you can customize the current label and/or add additional labels for your sales territories. If you imported with your sales territories with an ID and a name you can change the label to show the name instead of the ID. Simply click on the label type in territory/configure layers. You can also add additional territory labels by clicking the green plus button. There is no limit to total territory labels but if you place too many labels you may not be able to easily see your actual sales territories. You can also change the color of each territory label by clicking the color box next to each label type. At the bottom of the configure layers section you will see at what zoom level these labels will appear. By default, the territory labels will start to appear at zoom level 3. Therefore, if you have zoomed all the way out, the labels will not be displayed. You can change these settings by moving the little marker from 3 to 0. This will always cause the labels to appear at any zoom level. These labels will start to appear at a 12-point font and then reach their max size of 36 points when you zoom into a zoom level of 14. All these settings can be changed at any time during your mapping project.
If you have created districts of regions, then you can use these same methods for customizing and adding labels of district and region maps.
When displaying sales territory data via the sales territory label you may forget which data set you are actually looking at (especially if you have multiple territory labels). This is why in AlignMix you can add a custom sales territory label prefix to any sales territory label. Open up Configure layers and then select territories and then add the caption to the data set. This is most useful if you are displaying multiple data sets as a territory labels.
By default, the sales territory labels will appear in the center of each sales territory. Most often the label that you will see after import is the sales territory ID or territory name. You can add additional labels to each sales territory from the configure layers options. If for some reason you do not see the territory labels at all that means you may have them turned off. To turn the labels on, click on the layers tab and then click the labels button. This will turn on/off all the territory labels that are currently displayed on the map. You may also notice that some territories are missing a label. This most often happens with territories that call on Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico. If there are non-contiguous areas of that territory, then the label will appear in the largest of those non-contiguous areas.
There is no way to click and move the sales territory label. The label will always be placed in the center of the largest portion of that territory. But you can move the label from one non-contiguous portion of that territory to another. In the example in the video above Seattle and Alaska are part of the same sales territory but the label is not seen over Seattle. That is because the label is in the center of Alaska because that is the largest non-contiguous land mass of that territory. You can shift that label to appear over Seattle. To do this you need to open up the sales territory properties. In the properties you will see a button that says “set clicked” clicking this button will move the territory label to appear in the section that you initially opened the territory properties from. This process will only move the label if there are non-contiguous parts of the territory.
The same process can be used if you need to shift the label when in district or region map views.
By default, the account icon colors will match the account segmentation legend. If you have imported without a segmentation during the account import process, then all of your accounts will appear on the map as small blue squares and there will be no account legend in the top right of the screen.
You can change these colors to match the color of the sales territory that the accounts are assigned to by clicking on layers, and then the color button on the far right. This will change the color of every account that is on your map to match the color of the territory. AlignMix did not re-segment or change the imported accounts in anyway. Only the color of the accounts has changed.
Changing the color of the accounts to match the sales territory will allow you to locate account overrides. Account overrides are accounts that are located within a territory but are assigned to a different sales territory. Account overrides can also be called Special Ownership accounts, Unique Assignment accounts or even key accounts.
You can also view these account overrides from the territory table view. Open a territory table and you will see the override section with gains and losses. Double click on any of the fain or losses and the map will zoom into those account overrides. Make sure you have changed the colors of the accounts to match the sales territory or you won’t be able to see which of those accounts are the actual account overrides.
The hide tool will hide your territory, district, and regions from view. Nothing is deleted or moved; when hidden these geographic areas are just hidden from view. This is especially useful when you are balancing sales territories in one area like the south east and you do not want to show off what the other areas on the map look like. If you have built a hierarchy then you can hide an entire region and at the same time any districts and territories that are assigned to that one region will also be hidden from view.
There are 6 ways to hide territories from view:
The Radial tool allows you to hide individual sales territories one at a time. Simply right click on a territory to pull up the radial tool and then click on hide. This will hide the one sales territory that you initially right clicked on. The territory is not deleted, it is just hidden from view. To un-hide this territory right click on the space where that territory was and then click on un-hide. This will bring the territory back into view.
The territory table view will allow you to select multiple territories and hide them all at the same time. This option is found in the “visible” column when you open up a sales territory table. If a box is checked in this column then that territory is visible when in the territory map view. If there is no check in the checkbox then that territory is hidden from view.
The district map view is another method that you can use to hide territories. In the district map view you will see all of your districts (only if you have created districts, of course). Right click on a district and then click on hide. This process will hide the district while in district map view and it will also hide all of the sales territories that are assigned to this district. This is a great tool to use if you are working with district managers and you only want to display single districts and territories on the map.
The district table can also be used to hide districts and territories. This process works the same way as the territory table view. Checking the visible boxes in district table view will display all the districts and the territories assigned to those districts. Removing the check mark will make that district and assigned territories hidden from view.
The region map view and region table view operate just like the district map and table views. If you hide a region then all the districts and territories that are assigned to that region will also be hidden from view.
The territory table view shows all the sales territories that you have created in an easy to understand and use table view. In this table all the data is summed up to the territory level. You can also edit the territory ID/Name, assign/reassign sales reps, and assign/reassign the sales territories to districts (first level of hierarchy).
To open a territory table view you first need to open AlignMix. If your file does not have any sales territories imported or created, then your territory table will be blank. Next, click the plus button next to the territory alignment tab. This will open up a new tab.
Now click on tables on the left side of the new window and select territory table. The territory table will appear on your screen. The same process is followed if you want to view a district or region table.
On the far left of the territory table you will see a checkbox next to every sales territory. You can select one or multiple sales territories by clicking the check box. You can then click the delete button to delete the territories that have been checked. You can also delete sales territories from the territory map view by right clicking on a sales territory to open the radial tool. Then simply click the delete button. If you have deleted the sales territories by accident you can undo this action by clicking the undo arrow that is found in the top left on the AlignMix software near save icon.
Next to the check-boxes you will see a color box. This box shows you the color of the sales territory from the first tab. Double clicking on the color box will open a new window that allows you to change the color of the selected sales territory.
You can also change the color of a sales territory by using the radial tool, territory properties, or by using the radial tool that is found on the home menu.
Next to the color boxes you will see the territory ID and territory name for every sales territory. Double click on the ID and or the name and you will be able to change the text. You can also rename the sales territories from the territory properties that you can access from the first tab by right clicking on a sales territory and then clicking on properties.
The next column of data will show the sales rep that is currently assigned to each sales territory. If this area is blank that means that you do not have any sales reps currently assigned to these sales territories. Double click on the field where the name appears, and you will see a drop-down appear showing the name of every sales rep that is currently in this file. You cannot create new sales reps from the territory table view. You can only create new reps from the territory properties or the edit sales reps’ options.
Next to the assigned sales rep you will see the assigned district. By default, the Pro version will assign sales territories to districts, and districts to regions. This can be changed in the AlignMix options. Double click on the assigned district and a drop-down menu will appear showing the name of every district that is in this AlignMix file. If no districts appear in the drop down that means you have not created any districts. To create a district, you will need to do that in the territory view tab or in the district map tab.
The next two columns are check-boxes. Visible and locked. When visible is checked that means that the sales territory is visible in the first tab where you have your map created. If it is not checked that means that the sales territory is hidden. It has not been deleted; it is only hidden from view. The locked section when checked means that the sales territory is locked and cannot be modified.If it is not checked that means that you can make changes to the sales territory.
The contiguous section will show either a yes or a no. Ideally all territories should be contiguous. This means that there are no satellite areas of the sales territory that are not touching the main land mass of the sales territory.
Not all sales territories will show up as fully contiguous because of islands that exist. If it says “No” that means that the territory is non-contiguous. You can then double click the No and the software will flip to the first tab and zoom into that area that is non-contiguous. You can then use the touch align tool or lasso tool to fix the area.
Moving towards the right side of the territory table you will see a total count of all the zip codes and accounts that are assigned to each sales territory. Moving to the far right you will see every data set summed up to the territory level.
The override section has to columns. Gains and losses. A gain means that the territory has an account assigned to it that is not geographically located within that territory and a loss is the opposite. A loss is when there is an account in a territory that is not assigned to that territory.
At the top next to the delete button you have two more buttons. The edit columns button and export button. The edit column option allows you to remove columns from the territory table view. The export button will export this table to Microsoft Excel. This same type of export can be performed by using the Export to Excel Export.
In AlignMix you can not only view and modify sales territories, but you can do the same for districts and regions. You can build this type of hierarchy manually or import the hierarchy assignments during your zip to territory import. By default, the terms for the hierarchy are set to Territories, districts, and regions. If your company uses different terms, then you can modify them in the AlignMix options.
After you have created your hierarchy you can then view them in map and table form. There are two ways to access the district map. You can first open a new tab and select the district or region map. Or, you can open up a new view from the home menu by clicking the add view button and then select district or region map. When the district map appears on your screen you will see all of your districts appear with a red number in the center of each one. This is the default label that is set that shows you the span of control (number of territories assigned to each district). You can change the district labels by going to configure layers and changing the label to show the district name. When opening up a region map you will see all of the regions appear on the map and an orange number appear in the center of each region. Again, this is the span of control but this time this is the number of districts assigned to each region. You can change this label by using the configure layer options.
AlignMix comes preloaded with the States Static layer which you can see when you are navigating around on your maps. This static layer can be turned on/off in the layer options and in configure layers. You can further customize the appearance of the static layer in configure layers under the static layer section. Here you can change the color of the static layer and change at what zoom levels the static boundaries will appear at on your map. Any static layer is just that, it is a static layer that will not change as you move around territory boundaries.
You can create your own static layers that will show your original territory, district, or region boundaries (districts and regions only if you have created a hierarchy). It is best to create this static layer at the start of your alignment project before you have made any changes to your current sales territories. To create a static layer, click on file, export, and export alignment as static layer. You will then see three options: territories, districts, and regions. This is where you select which level of assignment you plan to use for this new static layer. Click next and now you can customize how this static layer will appear when loaded into your map. These options can be further customized in configure layers after you create this static layer. You can also save this static layer as a shape file and then import the static layer into a different AlignMix file or just add the static layer to the current file you are working on. After you complete these steps you will click finish and then you will the static layer appear as boundaries for your current sales territories.
Using the touch align tool or any of the lasso tools you can now make changes to your sales territories and you will notice right away that the static layer you have created will not change. That is because this static layer is a snapshot (static layer) and will never change. As you move your sales territory boundaries the original territory static layer will stay in place so that you can see where the territory boundaries used to be before you made changes to the sales territories.
By default, you will see neighboring countries surrounding the country you are creating an alignment for. You can toggle the world view on/off in the configure layers options or in the Layer options menu. You can also change the color of the world and the sea while in configure layers.
In AlignMix you can access 4 types of thematic maps that will allow you to further analyze and optimize your sales territories.
Four types of Thematic Maps:
The over under thematic map allows you to set a range for the upper and lower bounds and then you can see which sales territories fall into that set range. The default setting is 15% but you can change that in the thematic view. Most often this thematic is used together with the territory index to pinpoint which sales territories are too large and small based on the alignment index. Any data set that has been imported or created can be used in the thematic map views.
The zip code thematic map allows you to view any data set in your file as a zip code thematic map allowing you to pinpoint high and low zip codes based on any data set. You can also customize the number of buckets displayed and change the colors of the map and individual buckets. You can also overlay your sales territory boundaries in this view to see where each sales territory is while looking at this thematic view. The territory thematic map operates the same way that the zip code thematic does. You will see each sales territory colored in to match the bucket that is found in the thematic legend on the top right of the screen.
The bi-variate thematic map allows you to choose two data sets and then show a map comprising of those 2 data sets with break points. This view will allow you to pinpoint sales territories that meet the criteria that you can choose in the break point settings.
In AlignMix you can view any data set in thematic or chart form. There are two ways to access the charts. You can click on the “Add View” button from the home menu or you can click on the new tab button and then select the chart button from the left. Both methods will get to the same place.
The most recently imported or created data set will be used for the chart that appears on the screen. You can click the drop-down menu in the top left to choose a different data set. Most often this chart is used together with the sales territory index so that you can get a high-level view of how your sales territories currently stand. By default, the upper and lower bounds are set to 15% but you can change this at the top of the chart screen or by using your mouse to move the boundaries in the chart up and down. If you are using the index as the data set for this chart, then you will be able to see which sales territories are above and below your set threshold. Any territories that fall into the upper right red section are the territories that have an index that is too high and the territories that fall in the left blue section are the sales territories that are too low on index. At the bottom of this view you will see a data table showing some key statistics for this chart.