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Using MapPoint for various Sales Management activities
If you work in sales, you can use Microsoft® MapPoint® 2010 to help with the following types of activities:
- Defining sales territories
- Analyzing sales performance
- Calculating routes for sales calls
The exercises in this Test Drive provide a guided experience of the ways to work with MapPoint 2010. The scenario used for these exercises centers around the sales efforts of the owner of a basement-waterproofing franchise in the northeastern United States. There are four sales representatives, each with his or her own territory.
You can explore MapPoint in this fully functional Test Drive environment and see for yourself how key features of MapPoint can make light work of common sales-related tasks. It is easy to translate the skills acquired here, along with the MapPoint feature set, to other scenarios and industries where spatial data and mapping can help improve decision making.
To start MapPoint:
On the Start menu, click All Programs, and then click Microsoft MapPoint North America 2010.
Exercise 1: Mapping sales territories
Your sales representatives' territories are assigned based on county boundaries. Because territory details are stored in a Microsoft Office Excel® worksheet, you can easily plot the territories on a map.
Note: For MapPoint to be able to plot territories, at least one column in the worksheet must contain geographic information.
- On the Data menu, click Territories.
The Create Territories Wizard starts.
- On the first page of the wizard, select the Create from your own set of data option, and then click Next.
- Browse to and open the SalesData workbook.
- On the Choose the sheet or range you want to map page, select the Territories worksheet, click Next, and then click Finish.
MapPoint maps the territories by county and then zooms in and centers your map on the territories. The Legend and Overview task pane opens to the left of the map, showing the color assigned to each sales representative's territory.
Note: You can click the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons on the Advanced toolbar to customize your view of the map.
Leave the map open to continue with the next exercise.
Exercise 2: Displaying sales performance by region
You need to compare the actual and projected sales for each of four territories. You can use data from an imported worksheet to create charts for easy comparison. Use the map that you created in the previous exercise.
- On the Data menu, click Data Mapping Wizard.
- On the Map Type page, click Pie Chart, and then click Next.
- On the Choose the data to map page, select the Import data to map it option, and click Next.
- Browse to and open the SalesData workbook.
- On the Choose the sheet or range you want to map page, select the Sales by Territory worksheet, click Next, and then click Finish.
- On the Data Fields page, select the Actual and Projected check boxes to display these data fields on the map.
- In the Show the data by list, select Street Address as the location of the territory representative, and click Next.
- On the next page, change the Legend title to Sales by Territory, and then click Finish.
- MapPoint creates pie charts in each territory, comparing actual to projected sales.
- Double-click on the territories.
- On the Navigation toolbar, click the Road and Data Map arrow, and then click Data Map to hide the streets and most towns.
It is now easier to view the sales information on the map. You can see at a glance how each sales person is performing against projected sales figures.
Leave the map open to continue with the next exercise.
Exercise 3: Changing territory delineation
You want to take a closer look at the actual vs. projected sales by county for a particular territory to see why sales are low. You can then decide whether to create a new territory for a new sales representative. Use the map that you created in the previous exercise.
- In the Legend and Overview task pane, right-click Sales by Territory, and click Delete. Click Yes when asked if you want to delete the data from the map.
The pie charts are removed from the map.
- On the Data menu, click Data Mapping Wizard.
- On the Map Type page, select Column Chart, and click Next.
- On the Data Set page, select the Import data to map it option, and click Next.
- Browse to and open the SalesData workbook.
- On the next page of the wizard, select the Sales by County worksheet, click Next, and then click Finish.
MapPoint maps the sales records by county.
- On the Data Fields page, select the Sales Actual and Sales Projected check boxes.
- In the Show the data by list, select County, and then click Next.
- Change the Legend title to Sales by County, and then click Finish.
You can see that several counties in Colino's territory have low sales. To help solve the problem, you decide to create a new territory that contains these counties for a new representative named Jones.
- In the Legend and Overview task pane, right-click Sales by County, and click Delete to remove the column charts from the map.
- On the Data menu, click Territories.
The Territory Manager task pane opens to the left of the map.
- Click the New Territory icon in the task pane, type Jones as its name, and press ENTER.
- To add counties to this new territory, click Lamoille County on the map, and then in the task pane, click Add to Territory.
The map shows a new territory, entitled Jones, that includes Lamoille County. Note: Another way to add counties to the territory is to right-click a county, and then click Add to Territory.
- Repeat Step 13 to add Franklin, Orleans, Washington, Chittenden, and Addison counties to the new Jones territory.
Note: If you can't see all of the counties on the map, click the Zoom In or Zoom Out buttons on the Advanced toolbar to adjust the view.
- You have finished creating a new territory for Jones and want to export the data to a Microsoft Office Excel® workbook.
- On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Drawing.
The Drawing toolbar opens at the bottom of the window.
- On the Drawing toolbar, click the Rectangle button, and then drag a rectangle around the new Jones territory.
- Click the outline of the rectangle to select it. Then right-click it, and click Export to Excel.
An Excel workbook is created, showing the details of the selected territory. You can save the workbook, or close it.
- Select the rectangle again, and press DELETE. After you have exported information about the new territory to Excel, you no longer need to show its rectangle on the map.
Leave the map open to continue with the next exercise.
Exercise 4: Mapping an efficient route between multiple locations
You have mapped a territory for your new sales representative. She wants to start scheduling appointments right away. Because she is new to the area, MapPoint can help by providing driving directions. You start by locating her office address on the map. Use the map that you created in the previous exercise.
- On the Advanced toolbar, in the Find box, type 108 South Street, Essex Junction, VT, and click Find a Location icon.
- In the Find dialog box, click OK to verify the address.
The map zooms in, labels her location with a pushpin, and shows the address in an information balloon.
- On the Data menu, click Import Data Wizard.
- Browse to and open the SalesData workbook.
- On the Choose the sheet or range you want to map page, select the Prospects worksheet, click Next, and then click Finish to map the prospects by street address.
- On the Map Type page, click Pushpin, and then click Next.
- On the Pushpins page, change the Pushpin set name to Hot Prospects. Then click the Set symbol arrow, select image of the small red circle in the gallery, and click Finish.
Each prospect is marked on the map with a small red circle.
- To plan a route to visit these prospects, right-click Hot Prospects in the Legend and Overview task pane, and click Add Pushpins as Stops.
The map numbers each prospect as a stop on the route.
- On the map, right-click the pushpin for the Jones location, point to Route, and then click Add as Start.
You might need to pan the map to the right to see the pushpin.
The location is marked with a green box with the number 1, indicating it is the first stop on the route.
- Right-click the pushpin again, point to Route, and then click Add as End.
The location is now also marked as the last stop on the route.
- Right-click the pushpin, point to Route, and click Get Directions.
MapPoint calculates a route, highlights it on the map and provides text directions at the top of the window.
Leave the map open to continue with the next exercise.
Exercise 5: Displaying points of interest
After reviewing the route she will take to call on customers, your new sales representative decides she will be ready for lunch after the fourth stop. You can use MapPoint to find restaurants near the fourth location on the route. Use the map that you created in the previous exercise.
- Right-click the small red circle on the map for Stop 4, and click Find Nearby Places. The Find Nearby Places task pane opens to the left of the map.
- In the task pane, use the arrows to change the Search criteria to 2.5 miles.
- Click the Categories button. On the Restaurants tab, select the Restaurants – Italian and Restaurants – Chinese check boxes, and then click OK.
A shaded circle is drawn on the map showing a 2.5-mile radius from Stop 4.
- Change the Search criteria to 1.0 miles, and click Refresh.
The zone is narrowed down to include Italian and Chinese restaurants within a 1-mile radius of Stop 4.
- In the task pane, click the + icons next to the Italian and Chinese places to expand the listings.
- Double-click a restaurant name to locate it on the map.
As you click each one, an information box containing the phone number and address is displayed.
Congratulations! You have completed the exercises. You may now close MapPoint without saving your changes. Ready to buy MapPoint or view additional product information? Select one of the options below: Buy MapPoint North America 2010 Buy MapPoint North America 2010 with GPS Free Trial
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