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ZDNet
QuoteWerks generates sales quotes efficiently and
easily. This all-purpose quoting system integrates
seamlessly with some of the top contact-management
programs, such as ACT!, GoldMine, and Maximizer, allowing
quick quote generation for customers already in the
database. (Users without contact-management software
can use the one provided in the system.) QuoteWerks
can track your cost, selling price, and profit and
allows for selling price and markup adjustments based
on single-line items or the entire quote. You can
also create bundles of items, see product price history,
enter volume discounts, and link similar products
together to offer substitutions. Quotes are stored
in a Microsoft Access database file, ensuring a highly
flexible format. You can fax, print, or email a quote
by customizing your output or using a variety of pre-existing
formats. Another powerful feature is the ability to
convert a quote into an invoice (once the customer
accepts the quote) by using a drop-down menu. Reviewed
on Dec 24 2000.
This sales and ordering tool integrates with a contact
manager, eliminating the need to reenter customer
and supplier information when producing quotes. ACT!,
GoldMine, Maximizer, and Outlook are among the supported
contacted managers, but there is no need for an external
contact manager because one is included here. Track
and manage all necessary information for ordering
and selling products. The Datalink feature automatically
pulls order terms, sales tax, and customer profile
information into a quote.
(September 2000)
QuoteWerks received a "5-Cow" rating which is the
highest rating possible.

Goldmine Software Productivity Newsletter
"The Nugget"
One of the greatest needs a
Sales or Marketing Professional needs from GoldMine
is the ability to produce a quote for their customers.
Sadly this is where we quickly learn that GoldMine
just doesn't provide that functionality. Yes you can
use the complete a sale dialog, and it's o.k. for
a single item, but not for multi item, discount, shipping,
or terms functionality.
What a relief it is to find a real gem of a Goldmine
add on called QuoteWerks from Aspire Technologies,
Inc. located in Orlando, Florida. We here at Sales
Automation Group have been using John Lewe's
powerful quoting application (formerly known as Quote
Pro) for a year. Available in a network version this
tool quickly becomes your right hand man. Installation
of the product is relatively quick and easy, and the
new version has much improved the procedure.
Once installed on our server, we added QuoteWerks
to our Goldmine menu by a simple user.ini change.
The first thing you will need to do is enter information
about your company, address phone and the like. Next
it is time to add items to your product database.
This is an Access Mdb file and is located in the QuoteWerks
directory. If you carry a lot of items there is a
handy import wizard that makes it a snap to get to
work. An accountant I am not so I really appreciated
the ease of use that QuoteWerks provided in adding
items to our product database. One feature that is
really useful is the ability to code a GoldMine field
for discount purposes and QuoteWerks will automatically
adjust the price.
Go configure!
An extremely powerful tool in QuoteWerks is the ability
to configure and bundle products. This is really necessary
when you sell a suite of components or services in
an inclusive package. By using a flow chart interface
you can quickly connect items together. We think the
configuration is extremely well thought out and provides
more than adequate performance for even the most demanding
user.
Product bundling has been vastly improved in QuoteWerks.
Now all I need to do is use convenient drop down lists
to add items to my bundle. I like bundles, and it
makes creating a quote a fast bulletproof procedure.
If your company bundles goods or services (Yes, we
use QuoteWerks for our GoldMine consulting business)
this is a great way to save time and avoid omitting
items unintentionally.
The folks at Creative must of heard me cuss when it
came time to customize the appearance of my quotes.
That was one of my beefs with Quote Pro. But now with
the layout designer, I have regained my Angelic disposition!
It's fast and easy to give your quote the appearance
you want with this handy tool.
We have frequently found ourselves faxing our quotes
or invoices to our customers. Using my favorite fax
app FaxRush, and it works well. But there are times
where email is better and faster way to do it and
Creative has added this capability as well.
Management Time!
A new feature in the software is the inclusion of
management reports. How many open quotes do I have?
Or what are my salesmen's commissions are. Before
it was almost impossible to track. These reports are
a welcome and much needed improvement.
Turning quotes into GOLD!!!
Once I complete my quote and make a sale I can have
QuoteWerks update my completed sale in the contacts
record. I can create a sale profile, and the quote
becomes a linked document (sync-able). I never loose
them, and by installing a copy of QuoteWerks on my
laptop I can create quotes, and sync them back to
the office when on the road. This works out great
when using GoldMine's sales analysis tools.
Accounting (Yechhh!!)
Well all good things have there dark side, and sales
has it's own. How to get that invoice into QuickBooks?
Creative has made available, an optional linker to
QuickBooks and Peachtree. It takes a little reading,
and coaxing but the results are huge gains in productivity.
By opening your quote/invoice and pressing a button
you create a native .iif file that QuickBooks can
read. This will update your customer list with an
invoice. The .iif file is overwritten or appended
upon your instructions. Be careful though as it became
a tug of war with my lovely wife (and bookkeeper)
as we were initially overwriting each others invoices.
A couple of well made threats made by her and I quickly
learned to append my invoices!
Can QuoteWerks help your business? Absolutely, it
is a sound investment and my do it yourselfer marketers
will find you can spend more time closing sales, than
trying to make GoldMine into a quoting system.