The POS Software Comparison Chart

"Now You Can Quickly and Easily Compare Retail POS Software 10 TIMES Faster and More Thoroughly Than You Ever Could Before -- With Our Brand New
POS Software Comparison Chart"

"Just Imagine... It's Possible That You Could Discover a POS System that Will be Less Expensive and Will Increase the Profits of Your Business by 300% Higher Than the Software You're Looking at Now!"

"That's partly what is so scary about choosing a POS system. You just don't know what's best until you do a thorough and objective comparison. And now you can thoroughly compare 20 of the "best" available POS systems -- in as little as 45 minutes!"

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
From: Jeff Haefner

Dear Retail Owners, Managers, and Newsletter Subscribers,

    Sorry about the big obnoxious marketing headline. I don't feel comfortable writing things like that, but according to the "marketing experts" they are supposed to get your attention...

    And I want to make sure that I have your full attention and you read what I have to say, because I truly think that this new tool will be of enormous help to you. Otherwise I wouldn't write something like that.

    So here's the scoop...

    You see, over the last couple years, I've been receiving the same type of emails from my subscribers over and over again. They all say basically the same thing. This is a summary in my own words, but it's pretty darn close to the same thing I hear...

"Jeff - We have your buyers guide. And the Comparison Template that you've included is great. But it will take us a long time to fill it in. Do you have a filled in version? If not, you really need to create one because I'd be more than willing to pay you for that."

Over and over. The same type of emails kept coming in.

I'm a little slow but I finally figured it out and decided to create a filled in version of the comparison chart. I guess I just needed people to spell it out for me and repeat it a hundred times before I finally get it. :)

But Before I Get Too Far, You Should Know that this Chart is NOT for Everyone

    Let me explain...

    It's not for everyone because I highly recommend that certain retail businesses get industry specific solutions. For example, restaurants, building materials retailers, motorcycle dealers, boat dealers, and so on - should get industry specific solutions. And some of those solutions are NOT covered in this comparison chart.

    Now I know that some businesses (like motorcycle dealers) currently use some of the POS systems that I list in the chart. In fact, anyone that sells stuff can technically use these POS systems. But I DON'T recommend doing that. You'll be MUCH better off and more profitable with a system designed for your industry.

    So to help you figure out if this chart is right for your type of business, here's a list of businesses that would benefit from the POS Comparison Chart:

Stores that sells a variety of general merchandise
Antique
Apparel / Shoes / Hats
Appliance
Bicycle Store
Carpet / Flooring
Cellular / Wireless
Clothing Retailer
Collectibles (Antique, Coin, Comics)
Computer hardware and repair shop
Consignment
Convenience Store
Department Store
Electronics (TV, Radio, etc)
Firearms / Guns
Furniture
Garden Center / Nursery
Gift Shop
Small Grocery Store
Health Food Store
Home Furnishings
Lighting Stores
Liquor / Wine
Music (CD's, Videos, Sheet Music, Instruments)
Museum
Office Supplies
Pet Store
Scrapbooking / Craft Shop
Shoes
Sporting Goods
Thrift Store
Toys
Vacuum Shops

I tried to list as many I could think of, but I probably missed a couple. So if you're unsure if this comparison chart is right for you, just drop me an email.

A Few More Limitations of the Chart

    Now I don't want to mislead you in any way. So I thought that I should point out a few limitations of the comparison chart.

    First of all, you need to keep in mind that the chart simply tells you if certain features are supported or not. It only displays the following choices:

    Y - Supported
    N - Not supported
    F - Future release
    T - Third party enhancement
    P - Paid enhancement (requires custom programming)

    In other words, it doesn't say whether the feature is easy to use or not. Or if you need to jump through 5 hoops to make the feature work.

    So before you make your decision on a POS system, you still need to get a trial version or a software demonstration and make sure those features will work the way you want them to.

    In my opinion, that part is inevitable and I highly recommend using a trial version or spending a lot of time getting demonstrations from sales reps.

    Although the comparison chart is a great tool, you shouldn't base your decision solely on this information.

    The other thing that I feel could be improved is that some of the features might be a little confusing to you. I'm a little concerned that some of you might not understand a couple of the features listed in the chart because they're a little vague or sometimes too technical.

    Most of them will not be a problem at all, but if you're uncertain about a feature, just drop me an email and I'll explain it.

    Lastly, the comparison chart requires Microsoft Excel and is available through electronic download only.

    That's it.

    Now that I have that off my chest, let's talk about what the chart actually does...

Why 45 Minutes?

    In case you're wondering, "Why will it take me 45 minutes to thoroughly compare the POS systems in this chart?"

    This is because every business is different and you need more than a "canned" or "generic" comparison.

    You need something that's customized for your business. That's why you'll have to spend some time answering questions. In other words, you'll need to prioritize some of the features. I guess that you don't absolutely have to. But I think it would be foolish not to prioritize them.

    Once I explain exactly how the chart works, I think it will all make sense. I'll explain how it works a little later on this page.

How You Could Realistically Increase Profits
By 300% Or More...

    I know it's hard to believe.

    But if you stop and think about it, this comparison chart could easily increase the profits of your retail business by 300%.

    To explain, let me ask you a question...

    "Why are you thinking about getting a POS system?"

    I would hope it's to save time, improve business efficiency, and make more money.

    That's what it's all about!

    And the only way to truly figure out which POS system will save you the most time and give you the highest return on investment is to thoroughly and objectively compare each POS system in detail.

    Have you done that?

    I doubt it because it's way too time consuming. Not to mention, it's difficult to even figure out what features are available to you.

    That's why you're probably NOT making a very objective decision. And even worse, you're probably missing out on some major money making features and you don't even know it!

    So just by using the POS Software Comparison Chart, you could realistically discover a POS system that will boost your profits by 300% more than the system you're currently looking at! And you might even find one that's less expensive too.

    You simply don't know for sure until you do a thorough comparison. That's why this decision is so difficult and SO many retailers ask for my help.

    I'm confident that once you get into this project a little further, you'll realize this is true.

How Much Time Will You Save?

    Unless you recklessly choose a POS system without doing any research, the comparison chart will no doubt slash the time it takes you to choose a POS system.

    If you use my pre-built template (included with my buyers guide) and customize it to your needs, I would guess that it would take you somewhere between 10 and 50 hours to gather the information and thoroughly compare each POS system.

    If you don't have my pre-built template, it would probably take you at least 200 hours!

    Bottom line, I honestly think you'd be crazy to try and do it yourself when I've already done all the work for you.

Here's How The Comparison Chart Works...

    First, you'll download the comparison chart (in Excel format) to your computer.

    Next, you'll open the file and see some step-by-step instructions and tips on the very first page.

    From there, the instructions explain to simply go through the chart and prioritize each feature by selecting A, B, C, or D.

    Here's a snippet of the POS Software Comparison Chart showing where you select your priorities. You can quickly go right down the list.

chart-priorities (9K)

To figure out which features are important, just ask yourself: "How much time and money will this feature save me?"

I use the following scale:

A = Must Have -- Required feature that is a significant time or money maker.
B = Important -- Not required, but highly desirable because it will save time or money.
C = Nice to Have -- Cool feature, but it's not a big deal if I don't have it. It saves little time.
D = No Need -- Self explanatory.

    Once you're done filling in the priorities, you have a completely personalized comparison for your specific business.

    This allows you to slice and dice the information super fast. So if you want to see which of those 20 POS systems offer your most important features - which might be: integrated shopping carts, customer loyalty cards, and so on.

    Then you simply select the appropriate drop down from the Priority Filter. Now you will only be seeing your "A" features which are the most important to you. This makes it really easy to see which system matches your needs.

    With the filtering capability, you'll also be able to...

Save time and simplify your decision by hiding ALL the features you don't care about in a click of the mouse.
Avoid mistakes so you don't later find that your POS software is missing some important features!
Quickly and easily narrow down your software choices by viewing only your MOST critical features on the screen (with one click).
Save hours of time by quickly identifying POS systems that don't match your needs (before you spend hours looking at demos, speaking with sales people, and trying their demos).

Easily See Which POS System Scored the Highest

    Another great thing about prioritizing your features is that you can view "weighted scores" for each POS system.

    This is because the chart includes built-in formulas -- so you can view helpful summaries at the end.

    A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's an example:

chart-scores (19K)

Of course, these are fictional numbers and you also can't see all the POS systems in this picture.

So Which POS Systems Are Included?

As of this writing, the following POS systems are included in the comparison chart:

Retail Pro
Microsoft RMS
Microsoft POS
Spectrum Retail's ProphetLine
POSitive
Cougar Mountain CMS
Cougar Mountain Denali
CamCommerce Cam32
CamCommerce Retail ICE
CamCommerce Retail Star
Synchronics CounterPoint V7
Synchronics CounterPoint SQL
Celerant Command
Sage Accpac ePOS
ECRS Catapult
Christian James PayGo
KeyStroke POS
QuickBooks POS
TAM Retail (The Assistant Manager)
RunIT

All of these POS systems have different price tags, strengths, and weaknesses. In addition, there are other good POS systems out there. In fact, I'm considering a few others, but I don't want the list to get too big and counter-productive.

In any case, this is a great list of POS systems for you to consider!

What Features Are Compared?

There are 495 total features in the chart broken down into the following main categories:

Point of Sale
Inventory Management
Price Control Features
Purchasing
Vendor and Supplier Management
Receiving
Customer Management and Marketing
Employee Management
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Payable
General Ledger
Payroll
Work (Repair) Order Tracking and Shop Management
Rental
E-Commerce / Website & Shopping Cart Integration
Security
Multi-store
Sales Reports
Inventory Reports
Purchasing Reports
Customer Account Reports
Accounts Receivable Reports
Accounts Payable Reports
General Ledger Reports
Work Order Reports
Rental Reports
General System Features
Hardware Support
Supported Geographic Locations
Includes: United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia (including the Far East and Japan), Australia, Europe (east, central, and south), Europe (west and north, including the United Kingdom), Latin America (Mexico, Central America, and South America), Middle East
Software Provider Information
General Information and Pricing

    Now there will inevitably be a few specific features that you're looking for missing from the chart. In fact, you should expect that there will be a few missing. But the great thing about that is what at first seemed like an impossible amount of information to collect, is now easy...

    Let's say, for example, you identified 8 missing features that are important to you. Now all you have to do is insert those features at the end of the chart and contact each company to find out if they offer those features. A quick email or phone call should do the trick.

    Once you're done with that, you have a completely customized comparison chart with all the features you need.

"This is a lot of information, Jeff...
How am I going to be able to sift through all those features?"

    That's right. This is a lot of information to sort through and it doesn't do you a lick of good unless you can easily see the features that are important to you.

    That's why I added Filtering capabilities to the chart.

    All you have to do is spend about 45 minutes filling in your priorities. Then this allows you to use the built-in Filtering Tool that makes it super easy to show your most important features -- or hide the features that you don't care about.

    Once you try it, you'll see that it's amazingly simple to use and very effective.

In Case You're Wondering What the Comparison Chart
Looks like, Here's a Screen Shot

How Much Does It Cost?

    You might not realize this, but there are similar products comparing other types of software (like Accounting, CRM, or ERP) that cost anywhere from $100 to over $1,000. But I decided to charge much less than that.

    I know that I would probably make a little more money by charging a higher price but a big part of my goal is to help the smaller retailer. If I charged that much, I would probably only sell a few charts each week and end up helping fewer people.

    So I believe that $49 is more than a fair price for everyone (big or small). I still make a little money and you can benefit by saving a huge amount of time and choose a POS system that will give your business a big boost.

Unedited Customer Comments

In case you're skeptical and wondering if this is really worth it, read some of these unedited customer comments:

"Thank you very much. This is such a great tool. It will really help me with selecting the best system."
-Tammy Buda The Gift Stop, Manager/Buyer

"You covered just about everything I could think of."
-Richard Ell

"Your web site is great plus your book and spreadsheet are worth every penny. The spreadsheet was very helpful and easy to use - It made narrowing down systems extremely easy. I will highly recommend your site to anyone interested in purchasing a POS system. Thanks for all your help."
-Robert

"Your chart offers many different packages and I was able to generate a short list without much effort. Also, I am very interested in an INTEGRATED accounting package and your chart mentions a few which I was not aware of prior to completing your chart. A very useful chart, especially for those who have only just begun the search. Based on your needs the Comparison Chart generates suggestions in a fraction of the time spent searching the web on your own."
-Harry J Haus

"Your comparison chart opened my eyes to pros and cons of different POS systems that I had never even considered. It made the process of selecting a system much easier. I was worried about whether your offer was the real deal or just a cash grab. The fact that you had a *completed* comparison chart helped to convince me that you were authentic. That sealed the deal. Thanks very much for creating this chart; it was an excellent resource."
-Josh Cramer

"Your chart helped me narrow my choice to 3 systems without having to do a lot of research on products that didn't make the cut. It was also helpful to get an idea of what the different systems cost before contacting a pesky salesperson - could immediately cut out systems that are too costly for me, a little start-up. And while the decision still isn't easy, but I feel more confidant that I'm on the right track... It was especially helpful in that I gained a lot more vocabulary with which to discuss POS systems with vendors. I learned about some features that I didn't know existed."
-Linda

"I was quite pleased with the Comparison Chart. It gave me insight into how several well-known programs rank - particularly with regard to the features that mean the most to me. It saved me much time that I might have spent researching those programs on my own. It also gave me incentive to look more closely at a couple of programs that I had previously not considered. I think for the price, the Comparison Chart is a great deal, and I would recommend it to others looking for a time-intensive way to complete POS research. Thanks for your helpful products! I definitely feel that spending my time and money to do the research was helpful in choosing a POS system."
-Laura Rasmussen

"I was looking for replacement pos system including ecommerce integration and I wanted to find out what was in the marketplace. Your chart made me aware of several products that I did not know about. Your chart provided contact information that made my next step easy to contact the product providers. "
-Martin

"We did not have a compass to guide us. Gartner could not provide a summary-- so we found your web page and it has helped considerably. Your guide gave us a Good start. Everyone needs to work thru it for themselves. It's a long slug."
-Patrick

"We needed software. Without some sort of guide, we were just shooting in the dark. You gave us more than 6 leget choices for us to look at without having to wade thru 100's of others. The chart let us choose who to try to make sure that the POS system fit our needs before we purchased it. We also recommend the POS Software Guide. By reading the Guide, and using the Chart to narrow things down for us, we now know exactly what we want in a POS System. I can't imagine why every POS software company is not asking to fill the chart out and be one the list."
-Michael and Anjanette

"We were shopping for a POS and thought it would help narrow down my research. Saving time and becoming more efficient are very important to me. I have very little spare time, and believe this chart will speed up the process of my selection."
-Sharon Adamson

"The POS Software Comparison Chart is an excellent reference for POS Software with an extensive list of features. It helped me to narrow down my choices for POS software."
-Jonathan Martinez

"I decided to buy the chart because I found out first hand that there were literally thousands of choices out there, and as I was trying to narrow the field, I realized I needed help. I did a search on "help choosing POS software" and you came up. It was exactly what I was looking for. I downloaded your free chart, minus the research and started using it. I prioritized what I needed, then sent it to a few companies. Still no response three weeks later. Then you offered the chart already filled out. No kidding, this must have saved me 100 hours plus. It was a matter of 1 to 2 hours later that I had the field narrowed to 2 companies."
"When I started researching the POS software, I was very green, not knowing much at all about what I was even looking for. I needed help just to identify what I was looking for. I wanted to be sure I choose the right system. I can't afford to make a mistake. We are a small business and this will be a one time purchase for us, therefore making a mistake is not an option. We are a small business going through some growing pains. We need to increase sales, decrease waste and do a better job marketing ourselves. POS is the way to go, as long as we choose the right system for us."
"In summary, your chart was extremely helpful. I would recommend it to anyone looking at a first time or a repeat purchase of any POS system for any business line. The price is well worth the reward."
-Doug Champlin, Carleton and Dayne (Specialty gift shop)

"Let me tell you that I am most of the times very skeptical in terms of buying this kind of products on the Internet but I decided to get your guide because I know there are so many software out there that people tend to get overwhelmed and specially when I have the responsibility to make sure I provide the right solution to my clients. Your guide is excellent and I am so happy that I got it. Now I have a very good tool to use to evaluate my clients needs. Thank you so much for such a great job and if you come up with new products please let me know."
-Janet Barillas, FABARI Technology

"I wanted to try to simplify the decision process making sure I'm only considering systems that have the functionality I need and want. I also needed to focus my thoughts on what my needs are vs. my desires. It was not difficult to decide to purchase the Chart as the cost of the chart is low compared to the amount we'll have to invest in a system. The only question was, I suppose, will the chart be useful and it definitely was. "
-Scott Larrick, Coaltrain Wine & Spirits

"I was concerned that your chart would only be helpful to single store operators. I was pleasantly surprised that it is also helpful for multi store operators."
-Ed Sultan, Honolulu, Hawaii

"When I was trying to decide if I should purchase your comparison chart, I was concerned that the document would be so general and basic that it would not be valuable. I was pleased to find your comparison chart is very thorough, and provides a ready-to-use template for anyone in retail to begin evaluating POS packages. I would estimate that it provides more information than what's used in 90% of the POS decisions ever made. Given a thorough understanding of your requirements, and the time to take this exercise seriously, this is an extremely useful tool."
-Chris Rooney. Oak Park, Illinois

"I purchased the Chart because your book was so effective at providing a quick study on the state of the art and the fact that we have struggled with this purchase for some time. This objective, features-based, approach will shorten our time and let us make a better choice the first time."
-Alan Cunningham

"I am a POS consultant and this provides me the ability to conduct a quick survey for my clients. I was previously using your original blank spreadsheet. The chart give a quick yet comprehensive snapshot that will allow us to concentrate on the systems that will best serve our needs."
-Ron Hines

"We are choosing our third point of sale system. We outgrew the first old DOS one and had to jump into another one as we were in the middle of busy season and had no computers. It was a huge mistake - it has never worked right in 3 years. I have been perusing programs, without being able to make a committment, as I do not want to make another mistake. Although I have to admit that anything is probably better than what we have been attempting to use. Your chart has helped me look at several of the programs that I have demos for and one stands out by a mile - so that is the first one I will be relooking at today." "
-Carolyn Kool

"This is a well thought out list of features. Frankly, if you didn't list it, I probably didn't need it!"
"I've got so much on my mind getting my new business started I don't have time to think of everything. I was pleased that you have really done a great job of helping people in my situation to THINK about what we need."
"I now have all the information I need to make an informed decision and comparison of the major POS systems available ot there! Kudos to you for coming up with this excellent service! I wasn't worried about the purchase because your reputation PRECEDED you on this decision. I was familiar with your work when I was working for my previous employer. I knew you were legitimate and that you KNEW your stuff. I fully trusted that this next step of actually comparing the different POS systems out there was everything you said it would be and more!"
"I'd highly recomend to anyone interested in POS software to use your comparison chart to help decide which of the many software packages are worthy of consideration."
-Gary Swart

"I sell pos and found this to be a very complete source of information. It shows me a list of options and functionality that I may have missed. You gave me a tool that helps me decide if my pos solutions are valuable to my customers or if I need to search for new pos solutions. "
-Rene Halphen, DK Systems

"It has definitely helped me in the decision process."
-Daniel Schnauthiel

"Thanks for proving this service, I have been looking for it for the last two years. As a consultant in the field I like to compare features and price so I can lead my clients in the right direction."
-Essak, Magdy

My 100% Guarantee to You

    I'm going to let you try out The POS Software Comparison Chart for 90 days completely risk free -- because I don't want anyone to get stuck with something that they don't want. And I know it's hard to decide if it's worth it until you actually try it out.

    In fact, if the comparison chart isn't worth 10 times what you paid, then I didn't do a good job and I don't want your money. Frankly, that's NOT how I want to do business. And I will return every penny.

    If for any reason during the first 90 days you decide the comparison chart is not right for you, I will give you a 100% refund. No hassle, no questions asked, and no explanation needed from you.

    So if you'd like to save a huge amount of time, make your life simpler, and possibly increase the profits of your business by 300% (or more), here are 2 easy ways to order the POS Software Comparison Chart:

For almost instant delivery, click here to order on a secure server. Your personal information is completely safe and secure with an encrypted order form. And I promise I will NEVER share your information.
Or click here to print out a form to mail or fax your order. This option obviously takes a little longer for you to receive delivery.

If you have any questions at all, please send me a message.

I wish you the best of luck with your business and your software search.

To Your Success!

Jeff Haefner

"Now You Can Quickly and Easily Compare Retail POS Software 10 TIMES Faster and More Thoroughly Than You Ever Could Before -- With Our Brand New POS Software Comparison Chart"