This was a very thought-provoking post, particularly because I specialize in marketing activities for Sage business software VARs. I agree with what you say about FindAccounting although I hear the occasional success some partners have using it. For me, the jury is still out on that lead gen source.

I still think SEO is the way to go as it allows you to be found when a given prospect is searching for solution providers. Google AdWords, as you so aptly pointed out, is a mixed bag; while it may provide leads it’s head-scratchingly odd how the ad budget has a way of just disappearing without any real leads coming through. At least that’s been my experience with using AdWords to generate leads for ERP systems. Others may have had more luck.

Putting your newsletter in the hands of as many businesses as possible is another good approach. People rarely look down upon free information, particularly if it’s a value-add and reliable.

For me, the bottom-line is that a VAR has to spend money to find new business. Exactly how it’s done, where and how much is spent, obviously varies. Whether VARs decide to duke it out with a bunch of other hungry VARs hot on discounting their software is a choice some are willing to make. In the end, we’re all competing for eyeballs and pocketbooks.

Whether one ends up on the winning end of the sales equation comes down to a complex mix of factors that may include pricing, reputation, software brand, VAR-customer chemistry, the economy, and more.

So while I’m in agreement with the majority of your post, I still think the jury is out on whether it can be categorically said that buying leads sucks. If it seems to work for some companies, and they have seen an ROI on the marketing investment, who am I to argue them out of it?

Dave Manzer