How to get your sales list ready for a map
You need a list with two things on every row: a place and a number. That is all. Most businesses already have this somewhere.
What a good list looks like
| Customer ZIP | Sales |
|---|---|
| 93001 | 1,240.50 |
| 93003 | 860.00 |
| 93010 | 415.25 |
One row can be one sale, one customer or one whole ZIP code. If a ZIP code appears many times, we add the numbers up for you.
Where to find it
- Your sales or point of sale system. Look for Reports, then an option to export or download. Pick a report that has the customer's ZIP code (sometimes called postal code) and the amount.
- Your online store or booking system. Orders and customer lists usually have an Export button that gives you a CSV or Excel file with the shipping or billing ZIP.
- Your accounting program. Sales by customer reports usually export to Excel. If the ZIP is not in the report, export your customer list as well.
- A spreadsheet you keep yourself. Excel or Google Sheets files work as they are.
Every system words its menus differently, so look for the words export, download or CSV.
File types we open
Excel (.xlsx), CSV and text files, dBASE (.dbf) files, and Google Sheets. For a Google Sheet you can use File, Download, Microsoft Excel and drop the file in, or paste the sheet's link if it is shared as "Anyone with the link".
Common snags
- ZIP codes that lost a zero. Excel often turns 02134 into 2134. We fix that for you.
- ZIP+4. 93001-1234 is fine. We use the first five digits.
- Dollar signs and commas. $1,240.50 is fine.
- No ZIP column? If you only have street addresses, see mapping street addresses.