How to Evaluate Aurgus Before You Buy It
Last updated: November 11, 2026
There is no case study and no reference customer. Here is a 4-step self-evaluation you can run before spending a dollar: take the gap assessment, read the methodology, stress-test the content library, and have the diagnostic conversation. Each step produces a signal about fit — including a clear “not now” if the gap isn’t real.
There is no case study. There is no reference customer you can call. There is no analyst report with our name in it. We launched in 2026 and we are building toward our first cohort of clients.
That is the honest starting point. The question is whether “no existing customers” is disqualifying, or whether there is enough to make a confident, well-grounded decision. We think there is — not on faith, but on a structured self-evaluation you can run before you talk to us. Here is exactly how to do it.
Step 1: Take the gap assessment
The ERP rebate gap assessment is a 7-question diagnostic that maps your current rebate accounting process against the documentation requirements for a governed close. It takes fewer than ten minutes and requires no identifying information.
The seven areas it covers: accrual estimation methodology documentation, ERP audit trail depth, settlement reconciliation practice, tier-change version control, period-to-date purchase volume verification, written calculation procedures, and audit documentation completeness.
Here is what to look for in your own answers:
Accrual estimation consistency. When you estimate rebate receivables at period-end, is the methodology the same every close — or is it rebuilt from whatever materials are available? If the answer is “it depends who does the close,” that is a gap.
Settlement reconciliation documentation. When a settlement arrives from a vendor, is there a documented process for reconciling it against the accrued receivable? Or does someone work backward from the check to explain the variance? If the reconciliation exists only in the head of one person, that is a gap.
Audit trail depth. If an auditor asked you to explain last quarter’s rebate accrual — specifically the volume assumptions, the applicable rate tier, and the calculation logic — could you produce that explanation from documented records, or would you need to reconstruct it?
If the assessment surfaces no meaningful gap, Aurgus is not the right tool for you right now. You will know that without a conversation. If it surfaces a gap in four or more of the seven areas, the conversation is worth having.
For a full fit criteria map before you start, see Which Rebate Structures Aurgus Is Built For.
Step 2: Read the methodology
The Aurgus methodology article describes what Aurgus actually does, why it is structured the way it is, and what problem it is designed to solve. It is not a marketing document — it is a description of an approach, written in enough detail that you can evaluate whether the approach fits your situation.
The rebate accounting diagnostic framework describes the four-area assessment structure that the first conversation follows: accrual methodology, ERP integration limits, settlement reconciliation practice, and audit documentation depth.
The specific thing to evaluate: does the accrual methodology section describe your actual problem, or a different one?
The problem Aurgus is designed to solve is specific: a distributor with multiple active vendor rebate programs whose ERP tracks purchases and applies rates but does not produce a defensible, documented methodology linking the period-end COGS entry to the specific program terms, volume assumptions, and rate tiers used in the calculation. The ERP produces a number. The number cannot be explained to an auditor from documented inputs without reconstruction after the fact.
If that description does not match your situation — if your ERP audit trail is robust, if your close documentation is already thorough — you will see that in the reading. That is signal that Aurgus may not be addressing your actual constraint. If the description does match, you will recognize it as your own close process. That recognition has predictive value.
For a full breakdown of what the price covers and what it doesn’t, see What $600/Month Buys (and What It Doesn’t).
Step 3: Stress-test the content library
There are twelve articles in the Aurgus answers library covering the rebate accounting problem in detail: accrual failure modes, settlement variance analysis, ERP audit trail limits, the governed close framework, and more.
The content library is evaluative evidence in both directions. If the articles demonstrate genuine expertise in distribution rebate accounting — if they describe the problem with specificity, engage with the actual mechanics of a mid-year tier change or volume shortfall adjustment, treat the governance requirement as the real issue rather than rebate management in the abstract — that tells you something about the product and the people who built it.
If they do not — if the articles feel generic, describe a problem that is not yours, or stay at surface level — that is signal too.
A specific test: read the rebate accrual close failure article and the settlement variance article. Ask yourself: do these describe your situation? Do they describe the specific mechanics of the failure mode in a way that reflects genuine knowledge of how distributor close processes work?
If your answer is yes, that content expertise is what the product is built on. If your answer is no, or if the framing feels off for your program structure, that is worth taking seriously as a signal.
Step 4: Have the first conversation
If steps 1 through 3 surface a real gap and the methodology looks right for your program structure, the diagnostic conversation is the final evaluation step.
The diagnostic conversation is documented in detail at What happens after you reply. You can read exactly what it covers before you schedule it.
The conversation covers four areas: your program structure, the specific documentation gaps the gap assessment surfaced, the ERP audit trail you currently have, and what adequate governance would look like for your situation. It runs approximately thirty minutes.
What you leave with regardless of outcome: a scored gap view, a description of what adequate governance looks like for your specific program structure, and either a proposed scope for how Aurgus would address the gap or a clear statement that it is not the right fit. No commitment is created by participating.
This conversation is the final step in the evaluation, not the first. The first three steps are designed to be completed before you talk to us — so when you do schedule the conversation, you are coming in with a real view of where your gap is and whether our framework applies.
For a full explanation of what the pre-client period means in practice, see Why We Are Publishing This Before We Have Customers.
What a confident “yes” looks like
There is a specific set of conditions that constitute a well-grounded decision to move forward — not a leap of faith, but a conclusion backed by your own independent evaluation.
You have taken the gap assessment and it surfaced gaps in four or more of the seven areas. The methodology article described your actual problem. The content library demonstrated genuine expertise in the specific mechanics of your close process. The diagnostic conversation confirmed the gap and produced a proposed scope that maps to your program structure. You have read the pricing page and the number is not a surprise.
If all of those conditions are true, the decision is a conclusion — not a leap. You evaluated the tool against your actual situation using published resources, without anyone selling you, and the evaluation produced a consistent signal.
If the evaluation produces an inconsistent signal — the gap assessment found no meaningful gap, the methodology did not describe your problem, the diagnostic conversation did not produce a clear proposed scope — that is a legitimate “not now” or “not right.” We would rather you reach that conclusion before spending a dollar than after.
Start here
If you have not taken the gap assessment, that is the right starting point: ERP rebate gap assessment.
If you have taken the assessment and want to evaluate the methodology before the conversation: Aurgus methodology.
If you are ready to understand what the diagnostic conversation covers: What happens after you reply.
If you have done the evaluation and want to see pricing before the conversation: Pricing.
The evaluation is designed to be done in sequence, at your pace, without talking to us until you are ready. That is the point.