Sage looks to 'significantly' increase UK channel business

Accounting provider targets UK channel growth after scrapping 54 global partner programmes

Sage is looking to "significantly" increase its channel activity in the UK after launching a global partner programme.

The accounting, payments and payroll software vendor has scrapped its 54 global partner programmes and replaced them with one programme that is in the process of being rolled out worldwide.

The firm currently takes around 31 per cent of its global revenue through the channel, but has ambitions to "grow that significantly over the coming years", according to Alan Laing, executive vice president for alliances at Sage.

"We can grow faster with and through our partners than through a direct model," Laing told CRN.

"The UK number is certainly lower [than the global 31 per cent revenue through the channel], and so the opportunity to grow with partners in the UK is higher than in many other Sage countries."

Sage's recent summit in Chicago was attended by 2,500 partners representing 34 countries.

Laing said that the new streamlined partner programme will make it easier for partners to work with Sage.

"We've had some issues in the past about being easy to do business with - about showing the partners our road map, about the direction we're taking and growing the Sage brand," he said.

"We took all the feedback we had that were, if you like, concerns, and we addressed them head on and that was very well received."

Marcus Leathwood, managing director at Acuity, told CRN that Sage's channel approach was in need of a revamp and that it now opens up new opportunities for partners.

Historically Acuity has only carried Sage but it has recently undergone its own business reshaping - splitting in two, with one half of the business focusing on SMBs and the other focusing on enterprise.

Off the back of new alliances formed by Sage, the firm has also started working with other vendors, including CRM giant Salesforce.

"Sage has been through a phenomenal transformation," Leathwood said. "It has been great to see it first hand and I think it was probably needed.

"For the last 20 years we've had a sole vendor relationship with Sage - we've only ever sold Sage products and been truly aligned to their go-to-market strategy.

"As we've seen the transformation with Sage we've recognised the opportunity to expand those relationships by harnessing some of their new relationships. We have built alliances and relationships with a number of the other apps in the ecosystem."