How to Sell Your POS Software to Retailers

Retailers generally buy POS software based on the salesperson they are dealing with. Too often, the POS software itself is not the major factor in the decision. This ignorance of the software itself often leads to bad decisions and these bad decisions often come back and hurt the software company.

Here are some tips for selling POS applications to retailers:

Have the right sales team. Good IT companies try and counter retailer ignorance by using technically skilled sales people who focus on genuine business outcomes for the retailer.

Technically skilled sales people can show how the POS software genuinely helps the retail business for the long term. They will also counsel against a business purchasing the software if it is not the right fit for the business.

A sales person who knows how to sell but does not truly understand the technology chases the sale without consequences. While this may deliver good revenue to the software business in the short term, sales will fall in the long term.

Make better software. Retail businesses have very specific needs. IT companies need to understand and serve these needs, needs which go beyond traditional cash register facilities.

Smart IT companies thoroughly learn the needs of retailers in their niche, they embrace opportunities to develop specialist facilities in their products. They look for ways to help their retail customers with enhancements long after the software has been sold to the customer.

An IT company which does not care about the long term relationship with their customers will usually sell old and out of date software, not offer regular updates and not seek to engage with all of their customers, seeking our enhancement requests.

Educate. Good IT companies offer education about how to use their software, long after the software has been sold. This education could be in the form of group training opportunities, online training, training videos and the more traditional printed documentation.

Regularly enhancing the training opportunities can extend the connection between retailer and POS software vendor. This can lead to good word of mouth, driving further sales. It can also lead to upgrade business.

There is a feeling of a job well done within software companies when they hear of retailers making good use of the software and achieving an outcome which, without the software, might not have been achieved.

Poor software companies tend to offer less education. Once they have the sale they don't see much value in spending money on their customers unless they expect to make considerably more money.

The relationship between POS software vendor and retailer needs to be long term and not just about the detail done today to purchase the software. It must be a mutually beneficial relationship, one which respects the needs of both businesses.

Smart software will do considerably more than any software user ever dreamed. The key to unlocking this is the professionalism and dedication of the software vendor. The approach of a retailer is as key to driving this outcome as is the commitment of the vendor.

See good POS software at Tower Systems, http://www.towersystems.com.au. Their POS software is used by more than 2,500 independent retailers.

Qs Point of Sale software is one of the best POS software systems. Using this POS software system you can process credit and gift cards, manage coupons and promotions, access sales data and reports in real time, communicate clearly and instantly between corporate operation and front line franchisee staff. It boasts the latest security features including employee authentication. It enhances speed and efficiency with features like Quick Order Entry, Credit Card Clearing, Pricing and Tax Management and Inventory Management.

Point of Sale Software - How to Make it Pay For Your Retail Store

Point of Sale software can easily make more money for any retail store than it costs in a few months.

All it takes is commitment to using the software properly and consistently and a dedication to making business decisions based on evidence and not feelings.

Here are time proven tips for ensuring that your Point of Sale software investment delivers excellent financial rewards to your store:

Make sure you have the right software for your business. When it comes to software for retail stores, you get what you pay for. Cheap is usually not better. Buy software for your niche area as it is more likely to come closer to serving your needs.

Use the software properly. Stupid as this may sound, many mistakes are made in using POS software. Learn it well and be committed to using it properly. As they say, garbage in, garbage out.

Review business performance weekly. Select two or three reports which suite your business and your approach to management of the business and run these weekly. Rule by numbers, track performance as measured by the software and make business decisions accordingly.

Decide by numbers and not the heart. Reorder stock based on that your Point of Sale software says and not based on what you think you should order of what a supplier thinks you should order. In an average retail business with manual stock control processes, at least 15% of the inventory will be grossly under performing. Good POS software can help you cut this immediately

Underperforming stock. Get rid of stock which is not selling fast enough to cover its costs. Look at the cost of the stock and the floor space it is occupying. You can soon work out the point at which the stock is costing more money on the shop floor than it is worth.

Use business rules. Good POS software will allow you to establish business rules to stop poor performance by an employee or bad decisions being made. Take care in establishing these rules as they can be your eyes and easy when you are not at the sales counter.

Good Point of Sale software, like that from Tower Systems, comes with documentation, face to face training and video based training to help retailers get the most from the software as quickly as possible. This is backed up by management expertise to help analyse the business reports and through these uncover business development opportunities.

POS software based retail business owners and managers smarter.

Mark Fletcher is a retailer, business advisor and author at http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au.

Qs Point of Sale software is one of the best POS software systems. Using this POS software system you can process credit and gift cards, manage coupons and promotions, access sales data and reports in real time, communicate clearly and instantly between corporate operation and front line franchisee staff. It boasts the latest security features including employee authentication. It enhances speed and efficiency with features like Quick Order Entry, Credit Card Clearing, Pricing and Tax Management and Inventory Management.

Why POS Systems Are Easier to Use Than You'd Expect?

Investing in a point of sale system for your retail store can be a bit of a dicey proposition if you're not already used to working with computers. While there's no rule that says you must go digital, the fact of the matter is that you could be missing out on a lot of merchandising, marketing and profit-generating opportunities if you continue to ignore technology. A great POS system can help you monitor your inventory more effectively, keep more accurate tabs on your employees, increase efficiency when dealing with customers, and more. If you think you can continue to get by without computers, think again!

The twenty-first century has arrived, and a simple cash register is not going to cut it if you have any ambitions for your store beyond mere survival. Fortunately, POS systems are not as daunting as they may seem at first. In fact, you may be surprised by just how quickly you adapt to this new way of doing business. Here are three reasons why point of sale retail systems are easy to use, regardless of your level of computer savvy:

1. A good POS system will be extremely user-friendly. Remember, this software was designed with merchants like you in mind, not computer programmers or web designers! Once you have the hang of it, you may find that the program is almost intuitively simple. All you have to do is follow the instructions.
2. These programs were created to make running a retail operation as smooth and seamless as possible. Rather than making your day more difficult, having a point of sale system in place will actually make everything faster and more efficient, from returns and exchanges to ringing customers up to taking stock of your inventory. With an Internet-based system, you can even manage your store remotely, from any computer with an online connection. What could be easier?
3. Finally, you can count on your software provider to offer hands-on guidance and support. A service representative should actually visit your store in order to install the system and show you the ropes, and may even stick around to give employees a quick primer on how to use the program. If you have any further questions down the line, call or email them for instant support.

Don't waste another minute feeling intimidated by the thought of bringing your store up to speed; invest in a point of sale system for your retail operation today.

Qs Point of Sale software is one of the best POS software systems. Using this POS software system you can process credit and gift cards, manage coupons and promotions, access sales data and reports in real time, communicate clearly and instantly between corporate operation and front line franchisee staff. It boasts the latest security features including employee authentication. It enhances speed and efficiency with features like Quick Order Entry, Credit Card Clearing, Pricing and Tax Management and Inventory Management.

Using POS Displays

No-one can deny that starting your own business is exciting, but we also know that a large percentage of small businesses fail within their first year. In some countries the failure rate is as high as 90 per cent, but this is of no surprise to those familiar with the small business industry.

When starting a business such as opening a shop, there are a lot of things that need to be considered, the main one being how you will make your business stand out from the rest.

The retail industry is extremely competitive and one aspect often overlooked is the importance of good visual presentation in stores. Retail display equipment comes in all shapes and sizes, but point of sale displays are a great way of grabbing a customer's attention.

If you ensure your display is eye catching you are more likely to sell. Research has shown there is a direct correlation between how quickly a product is seen and how likely to it to be bought. The most contributory factor to making something eye catching is colour. Colour counts.

You may pick a beautifully designed display, but if it is not coloured boldly, it is unlikely to catch a customers eye. Make sure your display is coloured in a way that makes it stand out. If you are able to catch the customer's eye as soon as they walk through the door, you are already half way to your sale.

Where you place your display is also an important factor, where possible, put your display as close to eye level as possible. It may seem obvious, but make sure you place your POS display in the most crowded area of your store. Floor displays are the most common type used, as they can be placed on the main shop floor and around the till.

Thomas Gilbert is a freelance author who has vast knowledge in point of sale displays and retail display. For more information on shop display he suggests you to visit: http://www.discountdisplays-express.co.uk/

Qs Point of Sale software is one of the best POS software systems. Using this POS software system you can process credit and gift cards, manage coupons and promotions, access sales data and reports in real time, communicate clearly and instantly between corporate operation and front line franchisee staff. It boasts the latest security features including employee authentication. It enhances speed and efficiency with features like Quick Order Entry, Credit Card Clearing, Pricing and Tax Management and Inventory Management.

7 Ways to Increase Profit Margins With Point of Sale Software

How would you like to use point of sale software to increase profit margins by up to 5%? Most businesses would leap at the opportunity of increasing margins by this amount, but by using your software properly you may be able to do just that.

By carefully classifying details of your sales and keeping track of all the costs involved, point of sale software can become the most vital tool in the day to day operation of your small business. The economy of scale that large businesses have been able to utilise in the past is now available to any business for a relatively small investment.

This means that small businesses can now compete with their larger rivals on a much more even footing by utilising the same information to massage their pricing and cost control measures.

Let's look at some of the methods you can use to ensure you are using your point of sale software to the greatest advantage.

Always ensure that the minute details of your pricing information are entered into your data descriptions. This means that you will be able to analyse every sale from every position in your store enabling you to track individual staff performances and even the location effectiveness of your individual checkout points.

Analysing sales results regularly during the day will allow you to implement a re-pricing strategy the instant it becomes necessary. You can print price tags instantly and have them replaced across the store to give immediate effect to a price strategy change.

Set your pricing accurately and strictly within your system and advise staff that negotiations at point of sale are not possible.

Make sure that any discounts you offer are calculated by the software and not by staff at the checkout. This reduces calculation errors and enables the speed of sale to continue at optimum levels.

If you have a large inventory you can request your suppliers to provide you with their product details and pricing in electronic format so that you can integrate that with your point of sale system. This allows you to change prices electronically store wide without having to individually reprice every item.

You can maintain your profit margin by automatically setting up your software to calculate price by percentage profit margin rather than by adding dollar amounts. Gross profit margin is one of the most sensitive aspects of business planning and by electronically controlling your pricing structure in this way you can ensure that your profit targets are reached.

Test individual price points with every item on a regular basis and use the information generated to work out the optimum price point. By doing this continuously over a period of time the data you collect will be priceless in maintaining your profit.

By implementing some or all of the above strategies you can quickly turn your business into a sharp edged pricing machine. Your POS software system will allow you to not only maximise your profits are all so make quick decisions and implement them in an instant.

Neotechnology Business Systems is a boutique software developer of new and emerging technologies. Our business software is created with the end user in mind, born from consultation with businesses covering all the industries we service. It is designed to be used by business professionals, not IT gurus, and achieve quality business results. For more information or to view our products, visit POS.

Qs Point of Sale software is one of the best POS software systems. Using this POS software system you can process credit and gift cards, manage coupons and promotions, access sales data and reports in real time, communicate clearly and instantly between corporate operation and front line franchisee staff. It boasts the latest security features including employee authentication. It enhances speed and efficiency with features like Quick Order Entry, Credit Card Clearing, Pricing and Tax Management and Inventory Management.

POS Technologies That Help Control Bar Liquor Inventory and Costs

Bar staff often work without direct supervision and liquor waste and theft is hard to detect or prevent. Overpours, spillage and waste are ongoing problems that can mess up any liquor inventory. Drink size portions are not guaranteed with free pouring. Liquor inventory loss can make the difference between profit and loss for a busy bar.

Bar inventory management systems can help measure every ounce of alcohol that flows through a premise, every minute, every day. Easy to install, hotel, bar and restaurant owners can let their staff free pour but quickly manage liquor costs down.

Easy, fast, accurate, invisible to customers, all systems can usually be interfaced with the incumbent POS system. Real time reports give visibility of actual inventory levels and stock movements.

Solutions:

There are several modern systems that can control the complete range of bar drinks:

For spirits and wines compact rechargeable electronic devices can be simply bottle top mounted. These wirelesses pour tags send a signal to the POS system every time a drink is poured. Powerful variance reporting via the point of sale system identifies where and when wastage and slippage occurs.

Bottle mounted ETNs are an option for wall mounted spirits. These pour spirits directly into the glass by activating an inbuilt switch and have a L.E.D display with counter. It's relatively easy to link these up a with a variance software to see pour reports in detail.

Bulk beer and post mix can be monitored by a flow meter. These devices reduce draft beer loss significantly and are hardware devices installed on beverage lines as they come up from the cellar. They can provide automatic real time calculation of pour costs and a list of list of all pours updated every 10 seconds. Pre-sets are made to make allowances for any beer loss during cleaning.

Alternatively a computer linked fount based system can also be used for draft beer or bulk beverages. By combining intelligent software & a specially designed dispensing fount, up to 8 different beverages can be dispensed to within 98% accuracy every time. This system can reduce pour time dispensing a 30 ml spirit in 2.5 seconds with no over or under delivery. Up to 8 different spirits and/or wine products and post mix dispensing can be delivered from the same fount. Up to six founts can be grouped together to operate throughout the whole venue.

Typical benefits of a bar control system:

• Easily track pour costs, flow vs. sales, trends & brand performance
• Help staff keep drink sizes constant
• Better record keeping of alcohol dispensing for risk reduction
• Track data minute by minute, by hour or by day
• Drill down to the exact time and location of each variance.
• Compare every ounce of alcohol flowing through the bar to POS records
• Easy integration with CCTV to link variances to actual images of customers & staff
• Assess pour costs & receive precise profit and loss information on a daily basis
• Receive accurate variance analysis and alerts a PC or mobile
• Set automated alerts at store, regional, and corporate levels.
• Compare poured versus sold drinks
• Check and provide suppliers with reports on brand performance.
• Remove the need for manual stock takes.

Vectron offers a full range of tracking systems for liquor and draft beverages from wireless pour tags to flow meters. All products can be found on Vectron's website.

Vectron can provide the hospitality industry with advanced beverage dispensing systems that quickly pay for themselves. Markets include: fast food franchises, bars, casino's, pubs, clubs, hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and stadiums. For more information call them on 1300 789 366 or see their website http://www.vectron.com.au.

Qs Point of Sale software is one of the best POS software systems. Using this POS software system you can process credit and gift cards, manage coupons and promotions, access sales data and reports in real time, communicate clearly and instantly between corporate operation and front line franchisee staff. It boasts the latest security features including employee authentication. It enhances speed and efficiency with features like Quick Order Entry, Credit Card Clearing, Pricing and Tax Management and Inventory Management.

Choosing The Right POS Software System

If you are planning to get a POS software system, you need to keep certain things in your mind. Every business has different needs. You need to analyze different aspects of your business. You should make a list of all these. Based on these, you can make the right decision about which POS you should choose, and what features it needs to have.

A POS software system may have certain hardware requirements. You already have made a business requirements list and based on that you have selected certain point of sale software. Now you need to have a look at the hardware requirements for the POS system. Based on these hardware requirements, you can make a decision about which POS system to buy.

Many business owners make a common mistake. They often buy the hardware without analyzing the business requirements. The POS software often turns out to be incompatible with the hardware. As a result new hardware is required to be purchased.

The next thing that you need to do is to evaluate different POS suppliers. You can find many different suppliers online or even through references. When you have a list of suppliers, you should call them and ask them different questions. You should ask them how many and who their clients are. You should also ask them about how long have they been in this business. A good supplier will be the one with the most number of clients and the most experience. Once you have decided about which supplier to chose, you should try to buy both the hardware and software from them. This will also insure that the hardware and software are compatible with each other.

Another key thing to keep in mind is which operating system your POS software system runs on. If it used Microsoft Windows, you should get the computers with Microsoft Windows operating system installed on them. You should keep in mind the future growth and expansion of your business, while deciding about which software to use. Buying branded products can also make huge difference, as they are usually top notch.

Qs Point of Sale software is one of the best POS software systems. Using this POS software system you can process credit and gift cards, manage coupons and promotions, access sales data and reports in real time, communicate clearly and instantly between corporate operation and front line franchisee staff. It boasts the latest security features including employee authentication. It enhances speed and efficiency with features like Quick Order Entry, Credit Card Clearing, Pricing and Tax Management and Inventory Management.

Netsolace provides customized franchise management software and Franchise Software Technology solutions to optimize and automate the way your franchise system operates.