The ERP Lifestyle Consultant

This morning I was reading a post by Seth Fineberg on WebCPA. He apparently picked up on the press release issued by Accession Technology promising that they will be offering a 0% financing option and free consultation services to all companies interested in upgrading or converting to Sage Software’s MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.4, the latest version of MAS 90 and MAS 200.

This post from WebCPA elicited some excellent discussion on the Sage LinkedIN group about reducing software implementation and support Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

The only problem is that a lower service fee (or discounted software) – isn’t the same thing as a lower TCO (total cost of ownership). Not by a long shot. Read the rest of this entry »

As a group ERP consultants and Value Added Resellers (VARS)  flock around the same tired concepts. They tend to have one method of billing, one method of providing support, one method of marketing services.

Change doesn’t come easy to the group.

The problem is that the demographic of clients is changing – even when the VAR community struggles to keep old outdated practices in play. Read the rest of this entry »

The abrupt, if not totally unexpected, news of SAP AG’s (SAPG.DE) chief executive Leo Apotheke’s departure brings all sorts of Monday morning quarterbacking opportunities.

SAP’s troubles are not unique. Most ERP software companies are struggling to get their mojo back after enjoying an unprecedented run of ever increasing annual new license sales.

InfoWorld has essentially the same observation with a post  that predicts SAP’s future depends on how they treat their customers. Read it here.

But SAP is only one software company – and pretty much all software companies are suffering from this lack of customer benefit focus – having instead turned to treating the customer as a portable ATM machine that dispenses yearly maintenance fees.

Software VARS aren’t blameless either. Most hold tightly to their ancient model of overpriced canned training, installation and upgrade services  - all mechanical procedures with relatively small value add.

The past 10 years were filled with customers looking for the next great ERP software. Companies routinely reviewed their options – and when they perceived a better accounting solution was available they switched.

So what happened? Read the rest of this entry »

Netsuite reported earnings yesterday (read the entire Netsuite earnings call transcript here).

San Mateo, California-based NetSuite reported a quarterly net loss of $6.5 million, or 10 cents per share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $4.5 million, or 7 cents.

Revenue at NetSuite rose 4 percent to $43 million which largely met analyst expectations.

Some interesting items from the call. Read the rest of this entry »

For three days – from January 25 to 27, 2010 – I had the honor of mingling with the elite Sage Business Partners who earned awards for sales achievements. My reason for being there was to pick up a Sage Spirit Award (not a sales award) that Sage awarded this year to two Business Partners.

This award was being given for the first time this year to two partners who best exemplified the characteristics of being a diverse, vibrant and constant contributor to the Sage business partner community

Here’s my wrap-up of the event – containing the good and bad – but mostly good. Read the rest of this entry »

I just sat in on the Sage ERP X3 v6 launch which was simulcast over the web from Paris. Update: Sage have posted the complete video of the Sage ERP X3 launch online.

Sage ERP X3 was acquired by Sage in 2005. Prior to branding as Sage ERP X3 it was known as Adonix. They claim 2,700+ users — probably mostly overseas (As I’m in Glastonbury CT that would be non – USA customers – though I believe there are a several in the USA) and 150 partners. The US launch of V6 is scheduled for Q2 2010.

The overall theme of the launch today was that Sage ERP X3 is easy, simple, fast to implement, users like it.  Sage indicates that in competitive selling situations they  win about 1/3 of the time ( I’m unsure if that means globally or only in a region — it was hard to tell from responses because I was remotely connected and couldn’t see which Sage person answered).

Sage ERP X3 is one of two ERP accounting products  Sage has designated as a global offering. That means it’s intended to be used in all regions where Sage operates. The other ERP is Sage Accpac.

According to Sage they sell Sage ERP X3 50% direct and 50% through VARS. Sage further said that as of now they have no rules of engagement (????) for when to sell direct and when to sell through a VAR. This seemed really odd for me and a recipe for conflict. Read the rest of this entry »

The new year is here and with it is the hope and anticipation of an even better year than 2009!

With that in mind I have 10 predictions for 2010. Because I work primarily with Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 accounting software you’ll find that most of the predictions have to do with Sage or MAS90/200.

My predictions are based only on my gut hunches and careful observation at public seminars – in other words I don’t have any inside confidential information.

Score a win for any of these predictions if they’re announced in 2010. Most of the changes that I predict will be multi-year efforts meaning that I don’t expect them to be both announced and completed in 2010.

Read the rest of this entry »

Many people wonder how Social Media can be used in their business. They think it’s cool to share things with their friends but aren’t really convinced that it can be used to create sales.

The best example that I’ve seen of someone using social media to promote their business is Scott Jordan.

He’s the owner of Scottevest which make jackets for geeks with lots of pockets to hold their cell phones and other gear.

http://www.scottevest.com

Take a look at Scott’s Facebook page to get an idea of the type and quantity of things that he posts that help him generate business (he claims much of his new sales increases have been driven by Twitter/Facebook).

Some things that I think are noteworthy. Read the rest of this entry »

ERP Lifestyle consultants are all about keeping customers happy and not about winning awards.

So then how did I manage to squeak out an invitation to  President’s Circle with Sage January 2010?

According to Paul Johnson of Sage I was selected from a pool of 140 partners who’d been nominated for the inaugural Sage Spirit Award.

This new category  was created by Sage to honor business partners that embody the five Sage principles of agility, innovation, simplicity, trust, and integrity. In other words it’s meant to recognize people who don’t sell millions in software but have other characteristics that Sage has determined justify them being honored.

I wrote about the Sage Inaugural Spirit Award on my main site so I won’t get into it in detail here. Suffice it to say that I was completely surprised and honored to receive the call from Paul Johnson.

Now on to Arizona  (assuming they accepted my reservation) where I’ll see if I can use my scary social media skills to  become the first Sage Business Partner ejected for live blogging about what goes on at President’s Circle. Full press release after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

This morning I awoke to a message in my email inbox (click the full image on the left to get an idea of what I’m talking about).

The email is from a company that serves as a lead gathering source for ERP VARS ( and probably software publishers too ). They’re certainly not the only company offering this service but since I happen to be on their email distribution list I’ll use them as an example.

This lead  they’re offering is a person looking to be better trained for future job opportunities. A noble request – but not exactly the type of lead most VARS would be looking for.

Which started me thinking.  Are  “pay leads” something VARS should be chasing? Maybe there was a time in the past that they worked. Are they still a valid marketing tool?

Services like the one that sent the email work by having end users  submit contact information online – usually doing so in exchange for some type of free white paper or other assistance with finding an ERP solution.

These prospects are then matched with one of several consulting firms who’ve paid to receive the names of companies  looking for  help in their area of expertise.

At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. Read the rest of this entry »