Sage News and Discussion

In case anyone will miss them, ALL of the Sage sales people - VP's on down - will be in an offsite sales planning/training meeting starting this Sunday through either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the product. I'm wondering if they're learning how to be resellers. Or perhaps they're all learning Gangnam Style for Halloween.

FYI: PSY - GANGNAM STYLE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

Maybe they are learning Gangnam style dancing for next year's Summit video........ Offsite sales planning? Sales Planning? Isn't that an oxymoron? Anyone have any great ideas for increasing sales? Umm, improve the product? Too damn hard! Involve the resellers? Too Damn hard! Be more responsive to end user's needs? Too damned hard! Increase reseller fees? Great FUCUS on the bottom line! Meetings adjourned. Let's go golfing............

And here is how they are learning..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C40gHcDdoqw&feature=related

Me bet's the offsite location for that difficult sales meeting is either Hawaii or Grand Cayman

Gangham style = a dance that simulates riding a horse. Sage sales personnel meeting, gangham style = a dance that simulates a...

THIRTY-FIVE sales people, all of whom had ""Partner"" in their title were all fired (layed off - ha) on Friday. There are 21 new positions all of which are client-centric that they will be hiring for in the next weeks. It has begun in earnest.

How/where did you hear that @BethBowers??

A partner. Wonder why they bothered to invite the partners to Summit this year?

Where is Wayne when we need him :(

Actually, I am surprised he hasn't posted a response.....

He is on a cruise and internet is spotty some times... on the boat.

Had Wayne told anyone at Sage he was going on the cruise? it would explain the timing...

We had a FAS demo schedule with an existing MAS 500 / Abra client that the FAS team was going to conduct. It was scheduled for today. Our channel rep sent the client an email cancelling the demo this morning and sent another to our VP of Sales telling her she would need to contact Sage to reschedule and his last day is Friday. I can't reach anyone at Sage in the FAS group today. Everyone's voice mail says there are out today and will return tomorrow. Big re-shuffle in the FAS group coming. Who knows how wide it spreads?

Perhaps the off-site location was a 3 hour tour out of Newport.

OMG - @BethBowers - that's incrediable. Yes you're right...the cut the channel out has begun.

@JohnHoyt - Thanks for posting the Gangnam link. I was able to surprise my daughter yesterday when she made a passing reference to it. Freaked her out.....

Any buzz on linked in?

Why have any sales people at Sage? They never know any answers, so they have to ask the Sales Advisors, who are the ones really answering our questions and entering the orders.

This goes beyond direct sales and is hitting the entire sales / partner channel division. Our Regional Sales Manager for Sage 100 and Sage 500 is in meetings as well.

Well @ShawnSlavin if they're in the meeting, at least they still have a job - or is that just the automated voice mail/email response?

@MoiraGoggin, I got a call from the FAS guy telling this is his last week. I received an email from my RSM this afternoon.

In the Sage Partners LinkedIn discussion, Michael Pedone (Inventory Management Solutions) mentioned that the FAS channel team was pretty much shut down. I'm guessing the FAS channel sales function will be given to the ERP channel sales people, which makes a lot of sense.

Notice in the email below how it says ""Joe Langner will share how the sales and marketing organizational structure has been aligned with the FY13 strategy.

My understanding is that nearly 3 dozen positions were eliminated and they rehired a good portion of those people (hopefully the best ones) into new positions that are going to be more channel friendly. Sage has a sales kick-off meeting that started Sunday (10/14) and runs through this week to review goals and objectives for FY13 and how the new roles are going to help them hit those numbers.

Can't register for it. Doesn't like my credentials.....

The ultimate shutdown...

@JeffSchwenk try clicking on ""Join as a participant

Thanks @DianeRuth!

Geez, Louise!!!! Guess I flunked that reseller quiz........... Thanks!

And to think Wayne is missing all this fun!!!

Thank you @DianeRuth! I really like the View Agenda button

He's winning at the casinos according to FB...

@PeterWolf - more channel friendly as in directly selling to the clients add-ons, etc? That's considered more channel-friendly?

I really don't have an issue with Sage supplementing my sales efforts to sell to my clients, if we get full margin and do the implementation. All I ask is that they work with me and communicate when they are doing this and allowing me to veto calling for specific clients. That has not happened. Recently a Sage employee out of Irvine (without notifiying me) called my clients using StarShip, telling them it no longer will integrate and SmartLink was the endorsed software. All this did was prompt many calls to us asking why Sage was calling and was this true. A larger issue is that Sage has no idea what the strategic systems plan is for these clients, so what they may be pushing is not appropriate. I suppose we'll see what the new plan is during the webcast on Friday.

@JohnHoyt - that's how I feel, too. And what happens when they sell a product to your client that you are not authorized for? Do they install, train, and support it, or do they bring in another partner, and who decides what partner? I'm betting a lot of BWG clients are going to start getting phone calls about BWG being sun-setted, and do they want to upgrade to Sage 100 or 300? So - who installs, trains, and supports THOSE?

Whenever Sage has talked directly to my clients, more harm than good has resulted. One client they ""fixed"" a PR error which took me about an hour to ""unfix"" What happens when the client needs something done OUTSIDE the box as a workaround for Sage's refusal to actually fix the problem. Will Sage continue to call after hours just to make their call metrics? I really see Sage losing business because they refuse to support the client properly.

A policy that isn't in effect yet but it will be soon: if Sage ""makes a sale"" (they will interpret that however they want), there will be no partner commission. It's coming. Be aware. The new reality is that Sage is going to do more and more calling of the clients. They feel that they can do a better job with cross-promotion and sales because they see the big picture vs most partners that only represent one or two products. I think most of us are fine or, at least, accepting of that world. But they absolutely need to respect the wishes of the partner to hold off on certain types of marketing though to avoid cross-talk during sales.

FAS channel reps seem to be the targets.

It's definitely also at least some Sage 100 reps, as well. They also have until Friday. They can re-apply for the new positions, but not everyone will be rehired.

As in the past, we have no assurance that the best ones [for the partners] will be rehired. In fact, it will actually be the ones that support the Sage party line.

@WayneSchulz, go get an umbrella drink for all of us. Looks like more fun ahead.

Not just FAS. Not just Sage 100. Most positions on the front line were eliminated with roughly 75% of that number being created with new positions. As Beth said, some but not all will be rehired. That's what I've heard.

That makes no sense. Sounds like it's going to create a toxic atmosphere internally like that article about Microsoft

Agree @MarkChinsky Sage hasn't been making much sense for over a year now.

I'm not sure having Joe Langner explain anything is a good idea.

I'm sure Pascal could sum it up with one word...

Fuc-em?

I believe his ended in 'us'.

Sorry, some translation difficulties......

Does anyone know of any of the Sage 100 reps that are included?

I do, but I'm not allowed to name names. It's a 100/300/500 rep.

Resellers have NDA's? :-)

@BethBowers Any initials?

Just a gentle reminder to everyone about the group's ""Vegas"" rules.. This should give BB satisfaction that she can ""spill her guts"" without worry that it will come back to haunt her.

Oh, sure, and then someone pulls a Prince Harry on me.

What are they going to do, fire you too??

We aren't asking you to expose your butt, but if you must..........

I just promised, that's all.

Well, a promise is a promise!

What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook

I talked with John Snelling and Rich Gillum, both on the FAS team. They have until Friday to get things settled. Per Rich, their playing golf tomorrow!

In tonight's debate a student expressed concern about not being able to get a job when he graduates and wanted to know the candidates answer to that. As long as Sage is around, there will always be new sales jobs. (And, no, I didn't waste my time on the debate - someone related this to me.)

Drew Macbeth of Sage commented on the Sage Partner LinkedIn discussion about the consolidation of FAS sales into REP sales.

*ERP sales (above)

MacBeth. How appropriate.

Must have picked the short straw.

I heard that the 30 Customer Account Managers are being let go and that the Regional Account Managers will now handle partner add-on as well as new sales. Further I heard that the number of RAMs will increase from 5 to 8, and that 20 sales reps in a ""new role"" will be hired.

Conceivably the 20 new sales reps will be assigned to calling our clients behind our backs. Fucus indeed.

A VERY DARK thought regarding the sales reorganization. This is from Wikipedia regarding Saddam's rise to power. Shortly afterwards, he convened an assembly of Ba'ath party leaders on 22 July 1979. During the assembly, which he ordered videotaped (viewable via this reference[37]), Saddam claimed to have found a fifth column within the Ba'ath Party and directed Muhyi Abdel-Hussein to read out a confession and the names of 68 alleged co-conspirators. These members were labelled ""disloyal"" and were removed from the room one by one and taken into custody. After the list was read, Saddam congratulated those still seated in the room for their past and future loyalty. The 68 people arrested at the meeting were subsequently tried together and found guilty of treason. 22 were sentenced to execution. Other high-ranking members of the party formed the firing squad. By 1 August 1979, hundreds of high-ranking Ba'ath party members had been executed.[38][39] I wonder what the atmosphere is like sitting in the sales meeting this week..............

Yikes! I hope the Sage meeting isn't quite this dark although, for many, it may feel the same.

Okay, since Sage still hasn't straightened out my email and I only get a sprinkling of emails from them, wuold one of you be kind enough to forward the email for the Oct. 19 webcast to me? moira@chismet.com. Thank you.

Just forwarded it to you.

Just saw why @JohnBroadfoot said he really liked the view agenda button.

Where is the Imperial March mp3 from Star Wars when I need it?

@JeffSchwenk A la Saddam, I hope the surviving sales people don't all look like Pascal.

@JeffSchwenk The number one testimonial about Oasis for your web page should be: ""And we can say whatever the F we want to about Sage.

@ThereseLogeais Oh, rest assured, Sage has an agenda.

So @JohnHoyt is that YOUR testimonial????? And speaking of testimonials, to date, I have ONLY received one. Keep those cards and letters coming in....

@JeffSchwenk That was only part of my testimonial, but a little softer. I have input from all of my team, so I am consolidating it into one document. I learned that technique from @PeterWolf and his group blogs.

I'm working on it!! I'm working on it!! It's not like I don't have a day job @JeffSchwenk...

Now where have I heard that from before @ThereseLogeais

Any news now that it Friday? Can we talk to someone about discounts for 100 user CRM prospects?

That's right, @JeffSchwenk - I like the way you think. We all need to focus on the CRM prospects!!!!

My Regional Account Manager e-mailed me today regarding the CAM's going away starting today (to be announced at our conference call at 9:30) and that he will be my single point of contact. He also offered me 10% off through the end of the month on new CRM licenses, but there also will be new promotions coming out any day. The buy 4 get 1 free promo might still be in play.

Is anyone going to start a separate discussion for comments during the call today?

I'd say you just elected yourself @JohnHoyt

I started one.