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 ERP Solutions Pricing Infographic

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!

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
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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!

August 2011 Product Update Available Now!!

Hello Again Sage ERP MAS 500 Partners,

I am pleased to announce the release of the August 2011 Product Update!  The update is available for download from www.sagesoftwareonline.com as of this week.  We’ve included two important enhancements in this update that I believe your customers will find very useful.  The first is an added feature in Credit Card Processing for both versions 7.3 and 7.4 – Post Authorize Credit Card for an Amount in Excess of Pre-Authorized Amount.  As you know, our policy is to only include enhancements in the Product Update for the most current release but this feature was so requested we decided to include it for the prior version as well.  The second enhancement adds a task
to generate an ACH Remittance Advice – ACH Remittance Advice.  This enhancement is available for version 7.4 only.

Post Authorize Credit Card for an Amount in Excess of Pre-Authorized Amount

With the release of the August 2011 Product Update, users can now go in to Customer Maintenance and establish a limit for Credit Card Upcharges.

• The limit can be a Monetary amount or a Percentage of the total
• Established on an individual customer basis for added flexibility and control

Once the limit is established, when a post authorization is processed that exceeds the pre-authorized amount – as long as the excess is within the limit – the post authorization succeeds using the original authorization number.  No longer is there a need to guess at a freight amount, or process two transactions to collect for the overage.  The program handles it all in one simple transaction.  Of course, if the overage exceeds the limit, manual steps are still needed to reconcile the discrepancy.

ACH Remittance Advice

A new task is added to the Accounts Payable Activities menu with the August 2011 Product Update for version 7.4 called “Print ACH Remittance”.  This new task allows users to print a voided check form listing the vouchers paid with any posted ACH Remittance batch, thereby providing an audit trail or file copy to attach to the voucher copies.

You can see quick video overviews on both of these features on my YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/lscade

Looking Ahead…

Looking ahead for Sage ERP MAS 500 there are positive signs on the horizon.

• Just today Microsoft announced that Windows 8 will support virtualization at the desktop so that users can run multiple operating systems locally. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/07/bringing-hyper-v-to-windows-8.aspx
• Sage continues to invest in the continuing development of Sage ERP MAS 500 at or above the industry standard rate.  We continue to add new features designed to strengthen our market share in advanced distribution and manufacturing verticals.
• Development efforts for Version 7.5 are well underway.  Many of you have been invited to join in conference calls with our design staff to help us define those new features.  I am currently working on an update to the Sage ERP MAS 500 roadmap that will include broad stroke concepts for the 7.6 release and a preliminary timeline for additional improvements along the way.
• Efforts are underway to define requirements for a Project Accounting solution that could be deployed across the portfolio.  If you have direct input or customers who would like to give direct input, please provide their contact information and I will follow up with them.
• In the coming months – watch for new license promotions, additional marketing materials, updated websites, the introduction of a new freight solution, and other activities to help you succeed in your sales efforts.

If at any time you have questions or concerns regarding the future of the product, feel free to reach out to me personally at linda.cade@sage.com or by phone at 949-864-7040.

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Thanks for reading,