Sage pushes global vision with new partner programme
Accounting and payroll vendor claims new programme will 'reinvigorate' its channel
Sage has claimed it wants to "reinvigorate" its partner base with a new programme that moves away from its previous regionalised model to a new global system.
The accounting, payments and payroll solutions provider has moved away from having different partner programmes in different countries, to one new worldwide system in the shape of the Global Partner Programme.
Sage previously had up to eight competency tiers in certain countries, but now there will be just four tiers everywhere the vendor works: Authorised,Silver, Gold and Platinum.
The vendor claims it's also upping its partner rewards, by providing a "lot more focus on marketing development funds (MDF), partner events and partner campaigns", Alan Laing, Sage's executive vice president of global partnerships and alliances, told CRN.
Laing would not disclose details around what the MDF will be increased to, but said the changes are about encouraging partners to find new opportunities and thus helping them "grow their business significantly".
He added that support is also increasing for partners, and said the vendor wants to ensure this support runs from installation through the whole lifecycle of the customer.
The changes were around ensuring a global uniformity in its partner relationships, Laing said.
"We want a global programme as part of Sage's vision for the future, and we need to be a global business and show our partners consistency from one country to the next," he said.
"[The previous model] varied from country to country, and we never gave the partners the benefit of one Sage. We were organised around business segments or products, but what we are saying is we want to give partners the benefit of working with the whole of Sage."
The Global Partner Programme is only for Sage's cloud-based products; Sage One - for small businesses; Sage Live - the Salesforce platform for larger businesses; Sage Impact - the accountants' portal; and Sage X3 - the enterprise solution.
Laing said these products were selected because there is a focus around "having a compelling set of benefits for partners who work in the cloud", but other on-premise and hybrid products could be added to the programme in the near future.
The changes will apply to all 23 countries the vendor operates in, including the UK, Brazil, the US and Australia.
He added the changes are part of Sage's push to become the "market-leading partnering company in the industry".
And Laing wants this ambition to be reflected in Sage's partners.
"Sage has a huge partner install base and we want to update that and reinvigorate it forwards," he said. "We want partners who are ambitious to grow; we don't want lifestyle businesses. We will continue to support them but the real drive is to grow with us."