Frequently Asked Questions
(Click on a question to view the answer)
Be sure to ask our competitors these same questions!

1. How will the software package meet my business objectives?
2. How long has the vendor been in business?
3. How long has the package been in use? Who is using it? What do the users have to say?
4. Is the point of sale records updated immediately? Or at the end of the day?
5. How is control maintained over sales, cash and inventory?
6. How are special orders tracked?
7. How are lost sales tracked? Lost sales due to out of stock? Lost sales of items not carried?
8. Are traffic patterns collected?
9. Can ticket transactions be suspended and recalled? How many?|
10. Can a central cashier station be used with automatic transfer of orders for cashier processing?
11. How detailed is the sales analysis? Is it a profit centered analysis? Is it appropriate to your needs?
12. How are price changes handled? How are suppressions handled? How are new part numbers handled?
13. Does the system offer automatic price comparison of same and similar product from different vendors?
14. How are stocking levels adjusted?
15. Does purchase order management provide a complete audit trail from order date to receipt? Does it carry agreed on price comparisons?
16. Does General Ledger provide a key ratio report, and include budgeting, comparisons, and cost centers? Does it offer profit center analysis?
17. Does the system maintain a file on each customer? Major unit customers, service customers, and parts & accessory customers? Does it merge the information?
18. What is the warranty? Who handles it?
19. How are software and hardware upgrades handled? How often? At what cost?
20. Who handles maintenance? How often? At what cost? Are any special protection devices required? (Voltage-surge protectors, anti-static mats, back up power supply)
21. Who does the training? Where? When? How long? How much?
22. Is the system expandable? How much? At what penalty to existing hardware? Will it still operate effectively? Or will it slow down to a crawl?
23. How many users (workstations, Logic Boxes w/monitors & keyboards, etc.) can run on the system without conflict?
24. Does a printer count as a user and can more than one user access the same printer?
25. Does the vendor provide a financing, lease or rental program? Is it cost effective under the new tax laws? How does it compare with local financing?
26. Does the system offer daily operating reports of each department’s activity and profit efficiency?

Answers to the Frequently Asked Questions

1. How will the software package meet my business objectives?

Promarq is a true complete dealer management system covering every major need, point of sale in every department, inventory control, sales closing, and F&I, detailed service records and profitability tracking, marketing and prospecting, Profit Center Analysis, daily operating controls, flexible management and security functions, automatic General Ledger, cash needs and income projections and more.

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2. How long has the vendor been in business?

The first business was brought up on the PromarQ system in 1981.

3. How long has the package been in use? Who is using it? What do the users have to say?

Since 1981, updates for increased efficiency have been regular. The first thing our users say is that it makes them money. A contact list can be made available with their permission. We have designed the system to prompt for the proper job at all times. And in critical areas, the right job must be done or not at all. No one has taken this approach in this field.

4. Is the point of sale records updated immediately? Or at the end of the day?

PromarQ is an automatic (real time) point of sale system. Inventory updates are immediate and online at all times. What you see in stock is what you have in stock.

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5. How is control maintained over sales, cash and inventory?

PromarQ gives you a complete sales history with seasonal trends and special order tracking. Inventory sales and lost sales are combined to offer order suggestions on a daily basis, weekly basis or monthly basis. More detailed analysis of individual parts can also be obtained with cross reference to other vendors.

6. How are special orders tracked?

PromarQ rings special orders directly into the point of sale. Our suggestion is that all special orders be paid in full. However, outstanding balances are tracked with the order and posted to the order when it comes in for the customer notification. Special orders are automatically posted to your customer order file. It notifies you of Special Order status. When it comes in, the automatic receiving system notifies you of the customers to be notified with easy access to the status of all open orders.

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7. How are lost sales tracked? Lost sales due to out of stock? Lost sales of items not carried?

PromarQ posts lost sales to a special file and notes it to the history file.

8. Are traffic patterns collected?

PromarQ offers a broad base of sales and prospecting files for every department including individual salesman’s performance tracking, by day, by hour, by product status. You also get sales performance figures by percentage of gross sales, or gross profits, of commission or evaluation of performance.

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9. Can ticket transactions be suspended and recalled? How many?
For how long? Can pick tickets be used for stock pulling before final transaction?

Absolutely! This is a necessity for absolute inventory control and ease of use, not to speak of the inevitable bottleneck at the parts window otherwise. The option of pick tickets is a must in order to have accurate control of a parts department.

10. Can a central cashier station be used with automatic transfer of orders for cashier processing?

PromarQ offers central cashiering as the most effective control over all incoming cash as well as employee operations efficiently.

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11. How detailed is the sales analysis? Is it a profit centered analysis? Is it appropriate to your needs?

PromarQ gives you as much control over information as you demand-daily, monthly or YTD; you can break it down by product, vendor, type, department, etc. With the system ENGLISH reports, you will have complete control over your business data.

12. How are price changes handled? How are suppressions handled? How are new part numbers handled?

PromarQ supplies you with automatic vendor price updates when new price books come out. Super cessions and stock movements are automatic with these price updates. The complete vendor price books are on the system. There is also a general price matrix based on list or cost, in % or dollars, increase or discount. Of course, we always suggest that you sell everything at COST PLUS. Another price matrix adjusts price according to vendor, product, customer, customer type, or subclasses within one of the above classes. Of course any price setup according to one of the above matrices can be manually overwritten.

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13. Does the system offer automatic price comparison of same and similar product from different vendors?

PromarQ arranges each part with a cross reference of parts with best prices available in order to help you plan your most profitable purchases.

14. How are stocking levels adjusted?

Stock levels are adjusted monthly from actual sales history. Slow movement and no movement are also noted. Monthly history can also be overwritten in order to adjust suggested orders to reflect the continually changing market.
PromarQ feels that this is of vital importance to let you know you are paying the prices as agreed, as well as update cost files from those vendors that are not online.

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15. Does purchase order management provide a complete audit trail from order date to receipt? Does it carry agreed on price comparisons?

PromarQ feels that this is of vital importance to let you know you are paying the prices as agreed, as well as to update cost files from those vendors that are not on line.

16. Does General Ledger provide a key ratio report, and include budgeting, comparisons, and cost centers? Does it offer profit center analysis?

General Ledger is automatic. Each function is tracked and comparison is easy. Cash needs forecasting is on several levels, even four day cash needs projections in order to help you work with your cash float. Profit center analysis is essential to let you know immediately what is making money and what is not. You will be able to react to market surges or declines with precision and speed. You can print reports with any comparison you deem necessary through the custom report writer, not to speak of the graphing and regular spreadsheet views.

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17. Does the system maintain a file on each customer? Major unit customers, service customers, and parts & accessory customers? Does it merge the information? (Minimum suggestions – discount type, tax status, address phone, work phone, fax number. Riding preferences, MTD/YTD sales/costs, date of last purchase/payment, ship-to address, security control messages.)

The most important asset you have is your customer base. PromarQ tracks each sale to your customer base with automatic departmental merging. You can know at any time who buys what, when and at what profit. You can better target the right customers and help stir the infrequent customer to more frequency. However quick cash sales are also available. Besides name, address, type of unit, and frequency, notes of importance are also recorded, e.g. whether to take checks or not.

18. What is the warranty? Who handles it?

Hardware warranties are the standard manufacture’s warranties. The service contract can be ON SITE or Hot Swap. You make the choice. Your service needs will be responded to immediately. You have one phone number for both hardware and software support.

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19. How are software and hardware upgrades handled? How often? At what cost?

PromarQ offers several options. You can get a complete service contract. You can select only what you need, or you can cover only the software or hardware. Some need more than others so no one plan will fit every need. Price tape needs are handled on an individual basis. You pay for what you need.

20. Who handles maintenance? How often? At what cost? Are any special protection devices required? (Voltage-surge protectors, anti-static mats, back up power supply)

PromarQ will make sure that all service contracts are dealt with promptly. Maintenance is nationwide and is ordinarily the next business day. Software and program support can be obtained through the phone numbers, fax, and e-mail. Loaners will always be available as economically as possible. Full maintenance agreements of course, will have complete coverage. The un-interrupted power supply and Power Witness is a necessity for absolute integrity of data.

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21. Who does the training? Where? When? How long? How much?

PromarQ will train to the needs of the individual, on site and at yearly update clinics. The Cost depends on the needs. Again no one plan will fit every occasion. Training is set to your needs with complete flexibility.

22. Is the system expandable? How much? At what penalty to existing hardware? Will it still operate effectively? Or will it slow down to a crawl?

The PromarQ system has an unlimited expansion, and is not at great penalty. Completely interchangeable hardware is used as much as possible with no performance loss. Upgrades can be easily made to fit you expansion needs. Over 40 different hardware manufacturers are supported with no difference in the program. You will not have to learn a new program, as computers progress.

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23. How many users (workstations, Logic Boxes w/monitors & keyboards, etc.) can run on the system without conflict?

It is Unlimited! We’ll design a system that meets your current needs and specifications, capable of expanding as your business grows.

24. Does a printer count as a user and can more than one user access the same printer?

A printer is simply considered another device as are CD-ROM and tape drives. This is a true multi-user system and these devices can all be shared without additional licensing costs.

25. Does the vendor provide a financing, lease or rental program? Is it cost effective under the new tax laws? How does it compare with local financing?

PromarQ offers the widest range of leases including start-ups. Leases are structured to take advantage of the new tax laws and allow maximum depreciation of hardware and software. All leasing costs go to the operating expense tax bottom line. Of course, you a re free to make your own arrangements for financing also.

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26. Does the system offer daily operating reports of each department’s activity and profit efficiency?

This is again vital information in order to properly evaluate your daily efficiency as well as departmental efficiency. You can make clear decisions based on demonstrable fact. You can structure your complete dealership to operate at maximum performance and be able to react to problems as the trends become obvious. Plus there are many security controls that keep you informed of attempts at security break-ins, price changes, deleted orders. Etc. You know who, when where how and who for how much and how often!

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