Sage Asia, a supplier of business management software to 5 million customers globally, firmly believes in complementing and leveraging local partners who have a strong understanding of the local markets.

“We provide products with are a very compelling fit for mid-market businesses and which are ably supported by highly skilled local partners. Many of our partners have specific vertical industry domain knowledge and expertise,” says Sonny Ng, regional sales manager, Sage Asia. “While we provide the software licenses, partners wrap their services and support around it to provide a total solution to the customers. This has been the business model of Sage, both as a group as well as in the local territories.”

Sage Asia’s business model is fully indirect. “We not only sell through channel partners, we actively engage them in sales campaigns and provide pre-sales, post-sales and generation activities,” he adds.

“We would like to engage and collaborate with local partners who have expertise selling ERP, CRM and SCM solutions into specific vertical markets, and which have strong local presences,” says Ng. “We are always on the look out for strong partners throughout Asia. The types of partners we are looking for include VARs and/or SIs who have, or wish to develop an expertise in selling ERP and CRM solutions. We are also interested in partners with applications that integrate to Sage’s products and those with specific vertical industry knowledge.”

In addition, the company also works with consulting partners.

The main challenge that Sage Asia faces in the region is finding the right partners. To try to address this, the company regularly conducts education cum recruitment road shows. A recent example was a CRM road show held in June that educated prospective partners on the latest trends, Sage offerings and business opportunities ahead.

Ng points to Sage’s devolved organization strategy that is based on nurturing entrepreneurship, innovation and team spirit of both their internal staff as well as their partners. “Our biggest advantage,” says Ng, “is that we leverage the power of local expertise. Our local focus allows us to develop compelling products tailored to each specific local market, and this differentiates us from our competition.”

Another differentiating feature is that the company is very aware of and recognizes that businesses continually change and develop over time. Existing customers may upgrade their products to benefit from new features or enhancements. Alternatively when business processes become more complex, entirely new systems may be appropriate. In addition, many customers automate further parts of their business often linking accounts data in the process, e.g. CRM, HR and Fixed Asset Management. “We therefore offer the depth and range of products to meet the needs of both new and existing customers as their businesses change and grow,” remarks Ng.

In Sage’s established markets such as the UK, Mainland Europe and North America, much of the growth of the software sector is being driven by SMEs extending their business process automation. “Here, we are meeting SMEs’ changing needs by offering complementary products for sales and customer services, industry-specific production processes and management reporting,” says Ng.

He notes that in many emerging markets in Asia for example, growth is being driven by small businesses computerizing their business processes for the first time. “SMBs in Asia, like in any other region need to better manage and retain customers, have better marketing insights and increase customer management effectiveness. The need for integration to back-end ERP systems is another important component.”

“Our model of expanding by acquiring leading local players in accounting or payroll software allows us to choose the ideal time to enter these markets. It also ensures that Sage solutions meet the unique demands of these local businesses.” He adds that Sage ensures it adds value to new acquisitions by bringing operational excellence to their local initiatives and helping them to introduce models to manage their customer service and support related activities more effectively. “This again, makes us stand out from the crowd,” he observes.

Sage is working hard to achieve consistent double-digit growth in the Asian region with a significant contribution from CRM products, and establish itself further by leaving a wider footprint and making its presence felt