PROFITfreight Frequently Asked Questions

The following is a list of frequently asked questions from PROFITsystems retailers just like you.

What does it cost me? 
It is absolutely free.  PROFITfreight is a service offered to all of our clients who are current on maintenance. Once you sign up, you are eligible for discounts with our preferred carriers immediately! You get the savings and it doesn’t cost you a dime. Our goal is to reduce an expense that our retailers have expressed difficulty with. 

How do I sign up?  
Simply complete the membership sign up form and fax or mail it back to us.  That’s it!  You are now a member and will be contacted by a PROFITfreight specialist shortly.  We will need to collect your shipping and billing information for your company to start receiving discounts.

Why should I sign up? 
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!  Being a part of our group can only assist you with lowering expenses.  The nice thing about PROFITfreight is that there are no fees for our services and our leverage as a buying group is constantly growing.  This only opens the door for more opportunities for future services and savings. Remember, this is a buying group concept. Every shipment that is sent via one of the groups’ preferred carriers will only assist the group as a whole to continue receiving better discounts and benefits in the future.

How much will we save? 
The typical savings for a client working with a freight specialist is between $4,200 and $60,000 per year. Savings will vary based on many factors, however, the more you work with one of our freight specialists, the more savings you will find. The average savings for a client simply by signing up is $1,730 annually.

How soon do I start to see the savings? 
Once you complete the membership sign up and return it to us, you will be eligible to start receiving PROFITfreight preferred carrier discounts immediately.  To maximize your benefits, we recommend working with one of our freight specialists to identify all areas of potential savings.

Why is PROFITsystems getting into freight? 
We aren’t just a software company any more.  We are a one-stop solution center for the independent furniture retailer with a collection of five businesses, including PROFITfreight.  Several years ago we surveyed our clients on what areas they struggle the most with and freight was undoubtedly the number one answer. So, Rick and Ricki Stark invested a significant amount of time and money into researching and teamed up with a logistics company to help us develop a program that would benefit our clients and allow them similar discounts to what the big guys are getting on their freight.

Why do I have to fax you this Membership form? 
Carriers only want to give the very best rates to the really big customers.  They want proof that you are indeed a member of our group.  We provide carriers with a copy of your sign up form to ensure you are a member of our group. The more members we have, the better prices we receive. So sign up today!

What is PROFITfreight and what is the difference between you and a broker?
PROFITfreight is the largest buying group for freight in the industry. Our pricing is better than every U.S. broker program that we have priced against. We negotiate freight rates with the largest and most reputable nationwide carriers in the country. We do not mark up your freight.  We do not charge our PROFITsystems members for our services. We offer freight bill analysis to customers who are interested and freight consultant expertise for questions that our members have regarding their freight bills. We do not pay your freight bills for you they will come directly to you with PROFITfreight discounts visible to you. 

A broker charges their customers for their services and generally marks up the freight as well.  They generally pay your freight bills for you, part of the reason they do this is so you will never completely see what you are being charged by the carrier or the brokers mark-up.  A broker generally offers a wide range of services and a vast number of carriers which tends to water down their discounts.

Will I be paying the carrier or will I be paying PROFITfreight?
Of course you will still be paying your carrier directly.  We do not accept payment from you; our job is to be an independent association that negotiates on behalf of the PROFITfreight group.

Do I have to buy hardware or software or anything to make this work? 
No.  Nothing to buy, no money to spend, no people to hire, and no fees to pay, as long as you are current on your maintenance contract with PROFITsystems.

How will this affect my guaranteed freight programs with manufacturers?
Signing up will not affect your guaranteed freight programs unless you wish to be removed from those programs and ship directly using our carrier rates.  We actually recommend that you let us do a thorough analysis of any guaranteed freight program that you use.  Many are great, many are not.  Let us compare and confirm for you which programs are working in your favor.

How many members do you have?
Our membership numbers are constantly growing as our clients become more familiar with our program.  As of October 2007 we have over 400 members on PROFITfreight. The more members we add and the more our clients take advantage of the program, the better our services and discount opportunities for the future

Who are the carriers that you work with? 
We currently work with several highly reputable, nationwide general commodity carriers.  Our top preferred carriers, offering discounts just for signing up are FedEx Freight East, FedEx Freight West and UPS Freight   All have offered significant discounts to our group and consistently come in lower than almost any other general commodity carriers. Currently we are negotiating rates with FedEx National and are happy to report they are offering our group outstanding discounts nationwide.

What do you mean by “general commodity” carriers?
General commodity carriers are typically nationwide carriers who do not specialize in furniture alone.  They are known for their flexibility in shipping locations and timing.  They have larger infrastructures to encompass internal systems with greater technological innovations and service for their customers (i.e. online tracking and locating).  They are known for shorter road days and broader delivery and pick up areas.

I don’t use any General Commodity carriers…will this benefit me at all?
If being a member saves you on even one shipment, you will have benefited and the service is free, so why not? Simply sign up and if you ever receive a shipment from one of our carriers, at least you will be receiving a significant discount. 

We have found that almost all customers use general commodity carriers at some point.  General commodity carriers have larger coverage areas, more terminals, and larger infrastructures.  They are designed for convenience, ease of routing, and shorter road days.  If you work with one of our freight specialists, we can assist you in identifying the type of product/product lines that are being carried by general commodity already.

Does signing up obligate me to use your carriers?
No. The decisions are all yours.  

What does PROFIT get out of this?
Our #1 goal at PSI is to help make home goods retailers more profitable.  We recognize that the survival of the independent retailer is crucial, which is why we continue to develop programs that will assist our clients with increasing profitability and decreasing expenses.  That being said, we do receive a small percentage from our carriers that generally covers the cost of our infrastructure.

What’s the “catch”? There is NO catch! You sign up, we do the work, you save money! You have no expense and you have the benefit of a full-time freight staff at your finger tips to answer questions, provide consultations, perform quotes and complete accurate freight analyses for your company.

What can I do if I have a question that is not answered here? Contact us via phone, e-mail or fax with any questions you have! Our freight experts would be happy to assist you.

CONTACT INFO:

PROFITfreight
422 E. Vermijo St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Toll Free: 866.754.4650
Fax: 719.578.9506
Email: Freight@profitsystems.net