Overview

Creating a sales territory map in Population Explorer allows your team to translate business-defined sales areas into data-rich geographic boundaries. Many sales organizations already understand what a "territory" means in business terms—it's the collection of ZIP codes, neighborhoods, or regions assigned to a rep or franchisee. In Population Explorer, those concepts are modeled spatially using shapes and folders.

Each territory you create in Population Explorer can represent a single shape or a collection of shapes grouped in a folder. A shape might correspond to a ZIP code boundary, a custom polygon you draw, an isochrone (a travel-time area generated from a point), or a buffer around a location. Together, these boundaries form the structure of your sales coverage model.

When users first transition from spreadsheet- or CRM-based territory systems, the key idea to understand is that Population Explorer’s folders act as containers for your geographic shapes. Each folder’s metrics automatically summarize the underlying shapes’ population, income, and POI counts. This design allows you to maintain alignment with your existing internal territory definitions while adding a visual, map-based dimension that reflects real-world demographics and travel dynamics.

Step-by-Step

1. Create a Folder for Your Sales Territories

In the left drawer, click New → Create Folder. Give the folder a name that reflects your sales region, such as “Northeast Division” or “Los Angeles Reps.” Each folder will serve as a container for one or more shapes that define your territory boundaries.

2. Add Shapes to Define the Territory

With your new folder selected, click New → Create Item. You can then choose from multiple shape types:

• ZIP Code or postal code: Import or select predefined postal areas.

• Isochrone: Generate a drive-time area around a central address.

• Buffer: Create a circular zone around a point of interest.

• Custom Boundary: Draw your own polygon directly on the map.

3. Review Demographic Layers

Review layers in the output frame: Population (LandScan + WorldPop), Income, or add Google POIs to evaluate your new territory’s key characteristics. Population Explorer will automatically display metrics like total population, median income, and nearby points of interest for each folder and shape.

4. Refine and Adjust Boundaries

If your territory overlaps neighboring markets or needs adjustment, use the Edit tools to resize or redraw boundaries. You can also duplicate shapes or merge adjacent ones to consolidate coverage.

5. Save and Export Your Territory

When your territory is complete, click Export and choose Excel (.xlsx) or KML (.kml). These exports include shape geometry, population, and income values—ready to share with CRM systems or other planning tools.

Verification

Confirm that your new folder and shapes display the correct population totals and boundary extents. If demographic or POI data looks incomplete, make sure your layers are enabled and your shapes are fully closed polygons.

Next Steps

• Learn about Balancing Territories to ensure even sales coverage.

• See Exporting Your Data for details on file formats.

• Read Using Isochrones for Catchments for travel-time analysis.

• Sales Territory hub