Making the commitment to join the Salesforce.com community as an integration partner is not a step to be taken lightly. The Salesforce community is huge. And Salesforce.com users expect high quality business software applications. Salesforce mapping for business would entail the same high expectations.
For Map Business Online Map Business Online it made perfect sense to join the largest CRM community because we knew our sales territory mapping tools were second to none in our price range. I mean that – if you review all the less than $1000 mapping applications you will not find a slicker sales territory mapping software.
The demise of Microsoft’s MapPoint software played into our decision too. Map Business Online developers spent years making sure we provided a more advanced feature list than MapPoint. Territory alignment was just the icing on the cake. And just as soon as we started to really out due MapPoint, they folded up shop.
But there are additional reasons why Salesforce.com business mapping customers may want to consider Map Business Online before choosing from some of the more legacy mapping add-ons currently listed on the AppExchange.
Location Record Import Allowance – Make sure the business mapping tool you choose allows you to import a significant number of total data points. Avoid daily import limits; you shouldn’t have to tolerate those restrictions. If your company uses lots of data, buy a business mapping software with a large enough import allowance level, or go full on GIS. If you need to view hundreds of thousands of records against a map you should probably be using GIS tools.
Map Point Labeling – Label positioning and graphic display quality are important elements of any business map. Map Business Online provides a variety of labeling options including compact options; clock-face placement; font, box, text color and size controls. Turn all the labels on if you want or turn on just a few. Make it easy and obvious for your map audience to understand your map intent.
Easy Map Legend Editing – The map legend or key explains categories, shading, and data layers to your audience. If you can’t quickly edit that map legend and easily, move on. The map legend should instantly communicate your map intent with your map audience. Otherwise, your entire map project is a failure.
Database Management – Whether your creating areas of interest for market analysis or sales territories, you need to be able to easily assign demographic data, geographic data, postal data, and your own imported data to that analysis. Our simple data management tool attached to each map area lets you grab data layers with just a couple of mouse clicks. Where I grew up that’s called, “Wicked easy.” Maintaining data layers in a business map should be easy. So if your mapping application takes up hours of how-to research or requires an in-house genius to run it, dump it.
Sales Territory Mapping – As mentioned above, nobody does it better than Map Business Online. Import a preassigned spreadsheet of zip codes to rep territories, or counties to territory names and watch those shaded areas automatically populate. Lasso groups of zips, counties or cities for territory creation. Easily append demographic, geographic, and imported data layers to your territory analysis. Automatically highlight areas of overlap. Have territories always been a huge challenge in your organizations? Not anymore. And guess who’s the hero? You are.
Demographic Mapping – US Census demographic data is embedded in Map Business Online for thematic mapping or for market analysis of specific areas. You can access and add population, ethnicity, race, income, housing, rental, education, and employment data to your analysis. And best of all the data is exportable for use outside the application. Easy and affordable demographic mapping for your sales team.
Sharing and Collaborative Editing – Maps are for sharing. With Map Business Online you can share interactive, view-only web maps with non-subscribers at no charge. Your viewers will be able to query, export, route and navigate; but they can’t edit your maps. Great for call centers, or client maps. You can also use Map Business Online to set up team collaborative map editing (full subscriptions required for this). Put your best minds to work geographically to solve cross departmental problems.
A Sales Map
So, salesforce.com decision makers, do your research. Apply business mapping software in your sales organization. Just remember, the easy affordable solution may be the new guy – Map Business Online.
Find out why over 25,000 business users log into www.MapBusinessOnline.com
Contact: Geoffrey Ives geoffives@spatialteq.com (800) 425-9035, (207) 939-6866
MapPoint users – please consider www.MapBusinessOnline.com as your MapPoint Replacement.
Please read customer reviews or review us at Capterra, or at the Salesforce.com AppExchange.
