Visions of Wealth with Vertical Specific Solutions

Hello Sage 500 ERP Partners,

Show of hands – how many of you want to increase your revenue this year from software sales?  Okay, good to know.  Now, how many of you want to increase your revenue this year from consulting?  Really – that many of you?  Interesting.  So, if there were a session at Sage Summit 2012 that could demonstrate a tactic that could, according to one reliable source, increase your software revenue by 20% and your consulting revenue by up to 40% – would it be worth your while to attend?  What if that same strategy could mean the difference between staying in any deal versus being dismissed after the first pass?  Would that be enough to encourage you to sign up?

Well, guess what.  We have just such a session planned for Sunday, August 12 and there is still plenty of room for you to attend.  The name of the session is Vertical Options and Sage 500 ERP.  Come join us for this informative, important, profitable session.  You can see the details on who the panel member will be here.

Don’t miss this opportunity!  See you there!

Rumors of Change?

Hello Again Sage 500 ERP Partners,

Okay, so you may have already heard the rumor and I just want to set the record straight.

Yes, I have taken on the management of Sage ERP X3.

No, I have NOT abandoned Sage 500 ERP.

As of Mid-May, I now hold the title of Senior Product Manager (not that a title changes the job description in the least),  and the management of both products is now my pleasure and responsibility.  We here at Sage have determined the best way to manage these products is from a portfolio perspective … leveraging the strengths of each for the customers best suited to that solution and continuing to strengthen each to maximize the value for both existing and prospective customers.  This means I will be able to look at both products and drive the future of both in parallel rather than in competition; in the interest of true organic growth rather than a mere shuffling of the revenue from one bucket to another.

So, take heart Sage 500 ERP partners!  This is a positive move for all of us. Keep on doing what you’ve been doing.  I’m counting on you to stay the course and help me continue to demonstrate the strong contribution Sage 500 ERP makes to the portfolio when presented to the right customer.

Sage ERP X3 has a place in the portfolio as well and is destined to see growth in North America. My mission is to see that we find, package, and deploy the right mix of features for the right customers to ensure that growth.  That doesn’t mean that I won’t be doing exactly the same thing for Sage 500 ERP.  In fact, it just makes it easier because now I have insight into the larger picture.

So, let’s take a deep breath, roll up our sleeves, and keep on keepin’ on.

Sage 500 ERP – Super Sunday at Sage Summit 2012!

The Super Sunday logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hello Sage 500 ERP Partners,

As the saying goes, “Time flies when … “.  I’ll let you fill in the rest.  Whatever it is that’s making time fly for you (and hopefully it’s closing all those new sales for Sage 500 ERP), please take a moment to review the schedule of sessions for Sage Summit 2012.  We’ve planned an excellent line-up of sessions tailored especially to you and we really need your attendance to make them worthwhile!

In particular, for the first time in a long time, we have Super Sunday sessions planned on topics you’ve requested.

P-0267 – SAGE 500 ERP: VERTICAL OPTIONS AND SAGE 500 ERP-PANEL

 

Wish you knew more about Advanced Planning, Demand Planning, MRP or Replenishment and how the parameters and calculations worked?  This is the session for you!  In this session you’ll learn how to assist your customers in getting the most out of the planning capabilities in Sage 500 ERP.  You won’t want to miss this opportunity.

So, whatever you’re doing … take a break … open your web browser … and sign up today!!

 

 

See You There!!!

 

 

Sage ERP Solutions Pricing Infographic

March 2012 Product Update Now Available on Partner Portal

Hello Sage 500 ERP Partners,

The March 2012 Product Update for versions 7.3 and 7.4 of Sage 500 ERP (formerly Sage ERP MAS 500) is now available for download on the Partner Portal.  Product Update 3 for Sage 500 ERP Business Intelligence (SMI) is also available in a separate download.

Version 7.3 Notable Changes

In keeping with our ongoing support policies, product updates for versions prior to the current version exclude enhancements.  Nonetheless there are some notable changes new to the March 2012 Product Update that warrant mention.  In particular, users will note the modification of the splash screen at login to display transitional messaging introducing the new Sage 500 ERP naming of the product.  Additionally, this update includes support for Microsoft Office 2010 SP1 for version 7.3.  Lastly, there are a number of updates to the behavior of Project Accounting fields and entries encountered in the Purchase Order module.  As a reminder, product updates are cumulative of all prior updates for the associated version. Details on the specific program fixes and the objects modified are included in the v7.3 Release Notes.

 Version 7.4 Enhancement

In addition to the program fixes, the March 2012 Product Update for version 7.4 includes an enhancement to Project Accounting Credit Memos.  The purpose of the enhancement is to add the ability to make credit memos billable.  Customers find it necessary on occasion to adjust Project Accounting expense entries.  In many cases, the adjustment is the result of the expense having been charged to the wrong project.  Prior to this enhancement, the expense entry had to be completely reversed and reentered in order to be applied to the correct project.  With the enhancement, an entire entry is eliminated.

For additional details on this and prior enhancements included in this cumulative update, please review the v7.4 Release Notes.

Announcing Reporting Trees for Sage 500 ERP Business Intelligence

Product Update 3 for Sage 500 ERP Business Intelligence (SMI) includes a number of key enhancements including:

• Enhanced Report Designer Mapping Tool
• Support for Load Balanced Environments
• Reporting Trees
• New Report Distribution Options
• Report Designer Progress Bar
• Improved “Refresh Data” in Report Designer
• Easier “Right Click” Drill Down Capabilities
• Financial Reports Performance Improvement
• New BI Tools Tool Tips

The addition of the Reporting Trees allows customers to model complex reporting structures and view their organization in many different ways with the click of a button.  Sophisticated corporate hierarchies requiring up to hundreds of tree units to adequately depict the reporting structures can be accommodated in a visual depiction for ease of design without requiring a change to financial data.  Once a Reporting Tree is saved, it can easily be linked to one or more Report Design layouts saved within the workbook for report generation thus streamlining the entire process.

Additonal enhancements improve accessibility to data, ease of use, and productivity.  Please review the Release Notes for details on this important update.

Thanks for listening,

Don’t Miss the Subscription Program Enhancements Webcasts 3/27/12!

Did you miss the announcement?  If so, here’s the information.

Please plan to attend one of the following two webcast sessions to learn about exciting enhancements to the subscription program announced earlier this month that will have a positive impact on your business and your ability to attract and retain customers.

During the initial Sage Transformation Journey partner webcast several weeks ago, we introduced subscription pricing. Since that time, we have received many questions and comments on this topic. We have carefully reviewed every question and considered all feedback that have been received. We have also engaged with many of you, including the Mid-Market Enterprise Business Partner Advisory Council (BPAC), for additional input. Based upon the collective input, we have updated our go-to-market plan and made some exciting enhancements to the subscription program.

Please join Joe Langner, EVP, Mid-Market ERP and CRM Solutions, Sage North America for a special webcast, where he will share the details of this enhanced subscription program.

To allow as many partners as possible to attend, we are offering the same session twice. A recording of the webcast will be posted on the Partner Marketing Resource Center for those who are unable to attend.

Tuesday, March 27, at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET (1   hour), or
Tuesday, March 27, at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET (1   hour)

Following the webcast, we will provide an updated Partner Program Guide and FAQ with responses to all of the questions that we have received to date.

Thank you for your continued commitment to Sage and our shared customers. We sincerely value your partnership.

So don’t miss out!  Register NOW!

New License Project Accounting & Timesheet Promo

You asked for it … We listened!

For a limited time, Sage is offering the Sage ERP MAS 500 Project Accounting and Timesheet modules for at a special promotional rate.  See the announcement here.

Are there prospects in your pipeline that need Project Accounting?  What about professional services firms that need to track costs and deliverables by client?  Or manufacture-to-order firms that need to track materials, labor, outside processing, burden and overhead as well as progress billings toward the contract completion?  Now is the time to close those deals! Act today!

Terms and conditions:

• Available with new Sage ERP MAS 500 user based pricing bundles only
• Valid on new license orders through September 30, 2012
• Maintenance is based on full list price

Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion

New Pricing Options to be Announced

New pricing options for Sage ERP MAS 500 are to be announced in a partner webcast on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 9 am PST.  Please contact me directly or your Sage Partner Advocate for additional details.

Thanks,

Updated Roadmap Charts Consistent, Sustained Direction for Sage ERP MAS 500!

Hello Again Sage ERP MAS 500 Partners,

As we close fiscal year 2011, it is only fitting that we refine and finalize our plans for fiscal year 2012.  For me, part of that exercise included taking a look at the Sage ERP MAS 500 roadmap and updating it beyond the 7.5 release targeted for Q4 2012.  Last week’s news about continuing support of VB6 in Windows 8 allows us the flexibility to continue with our plans in a coordinated and strategic manner. Nonetheless, we want to remain mindful of that challenge and build it into our long term plans.

For those of you who have been around for a while, you have undoubtedly noted some recurring themes in recent releases.  Some directional corrections were needed and some groundwork needed to be laid.  We are very proud of the work we’ve done over the past few releases and believe we are well positioned now to take some more aggressive steps to add value for existing customers, as well as attract new prospects in some key verticals.

As you know, we go to great lengths to listen to our customers and prospects in an effort to understand our opportunities.  We not only review, but follow up by phone on in-product surveys and win/loss analysis reports.  We travel to customer sites during and after implementations to understand how our products are being used in the everyday workflow of individual businesses.  We spend time with you, our partner community, to understand the areas where we could improve in the sales cycle and in day-to-day operations once the sale is complete.  All of this research brought us to a few key moments of truth that serve as the framework for everything we put into our releases and updates.  Our software needs to be:

We’ve begun the journey.  The course is charted.  The road is clear.  Please see the roadmap posted here.

Sage ERP MAS 500 Roadmap Oct 2011

And while you’re at it, why not get connected and join me on the journey?

• Check out the YouTube Videos and Like the ones you find useful
• Friend me on FaceBook and Like this post
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• Send me a link request on LinkedIn
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Thanks for listening!

Microsoft Confirms “What works on Windows 7 will work on Windows 8”!

Hello Again Sage ERP MAS 500 Partners,

I am excited to share with you today news from last week’s Microsoft BUILD Conference.  During the conference keynote, Microsoft confirmed that any application, including VB6 applications, that works on Windows 7 will also work on Windows 8.  Further, our own Wei Li was in attendance and received a Windows 8 tablet.  He installed both the Windows 8 desktop and the Windows 8 server and confirmed that Sage ERP MAS 500 Version 7.4 and the development version 7.5 run perfectly in the new operating system.  This is wonderful news!

We can now continue to develop and promote Sage ERP MAS 500 with confidence in its continuing sustainability, while taking advantage of the advances in technology promised with the release of Windows 8.  We can continue with our plans to move forward with adding features that strengthen our dominance in key verticals, confident in our ability to deliver efficient software without the need for workarounds to make them compatible with newer operating systems.  We will continue to pursue connected services and leverage our ecosystem of strong development partners to tailor systems to the specific needs of our customers while at the same time making it increasingly easier for custom work to survive upgrades.

As we come to the close of the current fiscal year, this news should give you added confidence in the marketplace to approach prospects and close deals knowing that Sage ERP MAS 500 is here to stay!

I am in the final stages of updating the Sage ERP MAS 500 Roadmap and should have that posted in the next week or so.  Additionally, we are looking at how we can help you in the new year to bring in additional business.

Stay tuned for more news!  In the meantime, don’t forget about the sales tools at your disposal now on the Partner Marketing Resource Center.  And while you’re at it, why not get connected?

• Check out the YouTube Videos and Like the ones you find useful
• Friend me on FaceBook and Like this post
• Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this post
• Find me on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to this Blog

Thanks for listening!