Proposal-driven fields have more data than they realize. If you send out quotes or estimates on behalf of your business — whether it be for services or wholesale orders — don’t miss out on the insights a map provides. Since your success counts on improving the percentage of proposals that are accepted, keep track of where in the world or region your proposals go, where they are most accepted, and how potential clients heard about your business. Then, make a proposal tracking map. It’s easy with our spreadsheet mapping software, and we’ll walk you step by step through how it’s done.

View Proposal Tracking Map in a full screen map

Take a look at our example proposal tracking map above, where you can sort by “Proposal Status” or “How They Heard About Us.” Imagine what you can gain from making a similar map for your business, especially if you send out lots of proposals.

Track Proposals Like A Pro With A Spreadsheet

Step one of creating a proposal tracking map is to track your proposals — or your sales if you’d rather make a sales map. A spreadsheet is the perfect place to do so. Be it a Google Sheet or Excel, most any spreadsheet can easily be imported into BatchGeo once it has some data.

Start off by adding headings to your spreadsheet. Some potential column headings are:

• Client
• Location
• Proposal Status
• How They Heard About Us

A “Client” heading is necessary to identify the client you’re referencing when it comes to all the other good stuff. Plus, since we’re making a map, “Location” is essential. Fill this in with the location of your clients’ main HQs.

Some additional helpful headings are “Proposal Status” — whether or not your proposal for this particular client has been accepted, declined, or is still pending review. You can also add a “How They Heard About Us” column if you have that information. If you don’t, no worries! You can always start asking that of your clients and add it in later. All of these headings are going to get you the most out of the data you likely already have.

To make our example map, we offered cleaning services to people and places in California and border states. One of our potential clients, Eddard Stark, viewed our cleaning service proposal a while ago, and we’re waiting to hear back. While we wait, let’s add Stark’s data into our spreadsheet. Under the “Client” heading, we’ll add in Stark’s full name, and add that he’s located in the North…of California. We’ll mark the “Proposal Status” as Pending, seeing as we haven’t heard back from him. We do know he found out about us via an email campaign, so we’ll add that into our spreadsheet as well.

Now, we’ll add the rest of the potential clients we’ve sent proposals to in the recent past:

Copy & Paste Into BatchGeo

Once we’ve added in enough data, we can simply copy and paste the spreadsheet into BatchGeo. To do this, highlight all the data in the spreadsheet — don’t forget the ever so important headers! Copy the data by pressing Ctrl+C or Cmd+C on your computer’s keyboard, and then head over to our spreadsheet mapper to paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) in the data from the spreadsheet. It really is that simple!

If you’re more of a visual person, this video walks you through the process of copying and pasting your data into BatchGeo:

Alternatively, follow these step-by-step instructions to get started:

1. Open your spreadsheet
2. Select (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C) all your data
3. Open your web browser and go to batchgeo.com
4. Click on the location data box with the example data in it, then paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) your own data
5. Check to make sure you have the proper location data columns available by clicking “Validate and Set Options”
6. Select the proper location column from each drop down
7. Click “Make Map” and watch as the geocoder performs its process

---

Once you’ve completed the simple steps above, your proposal tracking map will look something like this:

View Proposal Tracking Map in a full screen map

You’ve Got Insights!

Armed with our new proposal tracking map, we can start to see geographical patterns we may not have otherwise noticed. For example, when we group by “Proposal Status,” we see that the majority of our proposals are accepted in Northern California. Now that we know we are more likely to get a gig in NorCal, we’ll start sending the majority our proposals there. Central and Southern California rarely accept our proposals, so with this knowledge, we could do one of two things. We could devise a marketing plan to gain more familiarity in these regions or bypass sending proposals there altogether and instead focus on the areas we’re more likely to add a client.

That’s not even all of the insights we gain from a proposal tracking map. If we group by “How They Heard About Us,” we can see that word of mouth gains us lots of clients in the North. No one has accepted a proposal based on our email campaigns or social media, so we may need to look into revamping those.

---

Now that your proposal tracking map is set up, don’t stop there! You’re already on a roll to improving the insights into data you already have, and there are many more maps to make that can help out your business. Easily create them all with BatchGeo. A map such as a map of customers or leads helps to illuminate trends, hot spots, and cold zones so that you can take action. Make another map today!

While it may feel like autumn leaves began falling forever ago, for the world’s Northern Hemisphere, summer just recently became a thing of the past with the conclusion of Daylight Savings Time (DST). In the United States and Canada, DST ends on the first Sunday in November, just a week after Europe says goodbye to DST, along with the many other countries that also observe the change around this time of year. Daylight Savings Time may allow us to accomplish more while the sun is up, thus helping us burn less of the midnight oil, but DST also causes a boatload of confusion twice per year. It can be a controversial topic as there are countries that avoid DST altogether, countries that religiously change their clocks twice per year, places that are planning on eschewing DST for the first time in 2019, and locations that tried implementing it long ago but then said, “No thanks, we’ll pass.”

View Daylight Savings Time by Country in a full screen map

The map above contains the Daylight Savings status of countries and places around the world, and here’s a hint: there are more countries that steer clear of DST than observe it. But if this is the case, why it was established in the first place?

Daylight Savings Time or War Time: The Background

Daylight Savings Time — also called Summer Time or Daylight Saving Time in many countries — has been in place for a while now. It officially came to be in 1918 during World War I, but the idea behind DST predates the first world war. While visiting the City of Lights (and rain, as Paris happens to be on the same latitude as Seattle) in 1784, Benjamin Franklin noticed that the folks of France were sleeping in long after the sun had risen and were closing their shutters to keep the light out. The Parisians were also staying up late into the night and wasting candles by doing so. Franklin’s solution to the wasting of perfectly good and workable daylight hours was to fire a cannon to wake everybody up at the same time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t super feasible, so Franklin died before seeing the light — so to speak — of Daylight Savings Time.

Later, other folks came to the same conclusions as Franklin, and by the time WWI began, countries were enacting DST to save fuel. Known as “war time” back then as it started and ended with each subsequent war, it later became a much more permanent part of our lives in 1966, when the U.S.’s Uniform Time Act called for war time — now “Daylight Savings Time” — to be enacted across the U.S. whether or not there was an ongoing war.

To Be on DST or Not to Be on DST: the Map Answers That Question

One hundred and six countries and other locations worldwide do not observe Daylight Savings Time at all, though 71 countries and places currently do observe it. For 64 of the 71 locations that are in the habit of changing their clocks, like the U.S. and Greece, DST has just recently come to an end. For seven DST-enacting places, though, like Australia and Brazil, their DST is just beginning, along with their summer.

However, there will soon be much less than 71 countries observing DST around the world. Of the 71 places that currently change their clocks twice per year, about 27 will join the masses that don’t in 2019. Countries within the European Union are getting rid of DST altogether, plus, four countries not considered part of the E.U. are also planning to jump on the bandwagon and eschew DST. This will leave just 40 places still observing Daylight Savings Time.

Here’s the master list of the 71 countries currently observing DST and how these E.U. changes could all play out in 2019:

• Akrotiri and Dhekelia
• Albania
• Andorra
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Belgium
• Bermuda
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Faroe Islands
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Greenland
• Guernsey
• Haiti
• Holy See
• Hungary
• Iran
• Isle of Man
• Israel
• Italy
• Jersey
• Jordan
• Kosovo
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway — not a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
• Paraguay
• Poland
• Portugal
• Republic of Ireland
• Republic of Macedonia
• Romania
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Serbia — not a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland — not a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
• Syria
• Ukraine — not a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Western Sahara

Overall, most of Africa, Asia, Central America, and some South American countries closer to the equator have never observed Daylight Savings Time, nor has the majority of Oceania, except for New Zealand and Australia. The majority of Europe and North America currently observe DST, in addition to some Middle Eastern locations and the southernmost part of South America. However, all of this is set to change in 2019.

Why the European Union is Saying Au Revoir to DST in 2019

In September of this year, the European Commision in charge of law-making for the E.U. proposed to get rid of Daylight Savings Time. If this bill is submitted by the Commission, approved by parliament and all of the E.U.’s member states, then the very last DST time change will occur on Sunday, March 31st, 2019. In October of 2019, Europe will switch back to standard time for good. The reason for this drastic change? The opinion of the people. A survey conducted Europe-wide suggests that over 80% of those living in the E.U. want to scrap DST.

Getting rid of DST would see an end to the confusion that comes with asking folks to adjust their clocks twice per year because unless you’re looking at something like our map, you’re not always sure when and in which direction you should change your clocks. Additionally, no more DST means a decrease in car accidents around the time of the switch, since people will no longer have to adjust their energy levels to drive to work at 6 AM instead of 7 AM, and vice versa. Lastly, the lives of those working in transportation won’t have to amend schedules for the change any longer, which is great because transportation has enough issues already, like commute times. Well done, E.U.!

Ahead of the Clock

The European Union isn’t totally unique in its goal of removing Daylight Savings Time, nor is it the first to do so. If we count the two U.S. states that no longer observe DST, there are 69 places that had previously observed it, but no longer do.

The U.S., for example, saw both Hawaii and Arizona attempt to implement DST, but then both say “It’s not for us,” although for very different reasons. In Hawaii, DST simply isn’t necessary. Hawaii is so close to the equator that the sun is pretty consistent year-round in its rising and setting times.

Arizona, on the other hand, realized DST was doing the exact opposite for Arizonans than what it was intended to do: save energy. Arizonans actually ended up using more energy when DST extended their daylight hours because more daylight meant keeping the A.C. on for longer. After all, Arizona is known for its sizzling temperatures. Just a couple years after DST became a permanent fixture across the U.S., AZ opted out.

There are even some countries in Europe in which have beat the E.U. to the punch. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey won’t have to change a thing come 2019, as these European countries are ahead of the game — or clock — and already no longer observe DST.

---

Mapping Daylight Savings Time by country made it easy to visualize which parts of the world DST affects the most — and why, as it’s now clear that most places near the equator don’t implement DST, and don’t really need to. Other helpful maps that make data easier to process by providing a visual include this map of the most disastrous natural disasters in world history.

Though the Halloween spirit is in the air, there’s no need to be frightened if you haven’t nailed down your October 31st plans yet. There’s a map for that, with many fang-tastic events occurring near the end of October. Over 800 events to be exact, and they are happening all over the world. However, there are some cities, states, and even countries other than the United States that are creeping it more real than others when it comes to their Halloween spirit. So, grab your favorite treat or treating tots, your two boos – beaus and booze if you’re over your country’s drinking age – or your BFFs for a ghouls’ night out and check out which event on our Halloween 2018 Events map is closest to you.

View 2018 Halloween Events in a full screen map

We gathered all of the 2018 Halloween events from Eventful between October 30 and November 1, along with some spook-tacular stragglers – like the Golden Girls LIVE: On Stageǃ The “Lost” Halloween Episode, which starts running on September 12th – here and there. If your city, state, or country isn’t showing a whole lot of ghostly gatherings, don’t fret. There are some locations around the world that didn’t make the map because we don’t have their event data.

The Cities With the Most Halloween Events Are Sippin’ Cider All Month Long

• — New York City
• — Los Angeles
• — Minneapolis

Currently, the city doing the most in time for Halloween is New York City with its 66 holiday events. This shouldn’t spook you too much, as N.Y.C. is the most populous city in the United States. The city also hosts the annual Village Halloween Parade, where nearly 50,000 folks in costumes parade up Sixth Avenue. And as usual, when N.Y.C. is on the top of a list, L.A. is never far behind — like with the highest commute times. With 32 events, L.A. has the second-most going on. Third on our list is Minneapolis, where 14 different Halloween-themed events will be put on.

The top three cities with the most Halloween celebrations are located in the U.S. However, just because Halloween is most popular in the U.S., doesn’t mean Americans created the holiday. Halloween can be traced back to the Irish during the 19th century Great Irish Famine. They brought their holiday with them to the U.S. So, thanks to the Irish, we now have all of the annual Halloween events we’ve come to know and love.

Superstitious States in the Halloween Spirit

Forty-four U.S. states and the District of Columbia are holding at least one Halloween event this year. However, five states in particular are really turning up their Halloween spirit (at least on Eventful). The following states each have 24 or more events this Halloween.

1. California
2. New York
3. Texas
4. Florida
5. Minnesota

Even though New York City had Los Angeles beat when it came to the cities playing Halloween hostess with the mostest, state-wise, California has 118 Halloween-themed events to New York’s 87 events. A little over 27% of those Golden State events are accounted for by Los Angeles, whereas just under 76% of New York’s events occur in The Big Apple. As for Texas, the state has 34 events on the calendar for Halloween-time, while Florida and Minnesota have 28 events and 24 events, respectively.

The six states without any Halloween events on the books in Eventful? Alaska, Delaware, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Candy-Collecting Countries

Unlike Valentine’s Day celebrations, Halloween isn’t observed as enthusiastically all around the world as it in the U.S. However, these four countries have over ten celebratory events in honor of the holiday:

• The United Kingdom
• Germany
• Canada
• Australia

We learned here that “Halloween” can actually be accredited to the U.K., along with the idea of trick or treating, which may be why the U.K. has 160 different Halloween-themed events on our map, the most of any country other than the U.S. The term “Halloween” goes all the way back to 16th century Scotland, where it was first used as a shorter name for “All-Hallows-Eve.” As for trick or treating, this Halloween tradition comes from England. Long ago, Halloween was celebrated with “soul cakes” in England. These cakes were eaten while people prayed for the souls of the dead. Later called “souling,” children would go door to door saying prayers in exchange for delicious cakes.

The holiday didn’t gain popularity in Germany, the country with the second most Halloween-related events, until the 1990s. However, since then, its popularity has been steadily increasing, and this year, Germany has 47 events celebrating Halloween. This increase in popularity is mostly due to American influence, especially around the areas that were a part of the American zone during the Cold War. However, not every German is happy about their new holiday. Many elderly German folks do not like Halloween tricks and are unfamiliar with the idea of trick or treating.

As for the U.S.’s neighbor to the North, Halloween events in Canada are almost as popular as they are in Germany. This year, Canada has 36 celebrations in our dataset pertaining to the holiday. The popularity of the holiday in Canada is largely due to 19th-century Scottish emigration. Nowadays, Canadians spend more money on candy for Halloween than for any other time of year other than Christmas. Although, to balance out the increase in consumerism in October, Canadians also view Halloween as a time for charitable donations, even during trick or treating.

Australia, surprisingly, is home to 14 Halloween-themed events in our 2018 data, in spite of the fact that it is currently spring in the Land Down Under. Like Germany, Australia’s familiarity with the holiday stems largely from American influence, and also like Germany, not all of Australia is happy about it. Due to resentment of American influence, Australians have taken to putting balloons or other decorations on their mailboxes in order to indicate that they partake in the American holiday. No balloon, no candy.

Find the Spook-tacular Event Nearest You

If you’re curious about which Hallo-Wine Party, Monster Mash, or other 2018 Halloween celebration is closest to you, just check out the search box in the map.

For example, let’s say you live in one of these frightening places in the U.S., like Trickem, or Treat. Just type your city into the search box and hit enter. You can also search using your ZIP code or full address.

For those of you who live in Trickem, Alabama, you’ll discover through the search that the closest 2018 Halloween event is a 4-day Halloween camp in Montgomery and that it’s only about a half hour away. Residents of Treat, Georgia will find their closest event is a Halloween Riding Ghost Tour in Cave Spring, also just around 30 minutes away. Trickem or Treat, your Halloween fun awaits!

You can also narrow your search by the specific type – or types – of event(s) you’re hoping to attend. Filter the map first by type, and then search for your city, postal code, or address. Your results will include only the types of events you want to attend.

---

Now that we know where in the world Halloween is celebrated the most, we can pick which 2018 Halloween event we’ll be attending. You can make a map like this of all of the seasonal events going on in your city, state, or country, or, since the holidays are fast-approaching, you can even easily make a map of your holiday cards list.