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  • 1.  Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 01-31-2025 14:39

    Hey Committee - Anne advised that Sage proposed the sessions that's mentioned in the email blast she sent recently, the one where the subject starts with Exclusive Sage 100 Insights Await. Also right here if you haven't had a chance to read it: Exclusive Sage 100 Insights Await: Meet the Minds Behind the Future

    So we have a quick To Do assignment on 2 things with a short deadline of early next week.

    1. Review the Sage sessions mentioned and give any quick feedback on it Look at the description and the presenter, and think of past Sage presenters. For example, are any sessions not relevant? Do you have an idea for a different and better session(s) ? Elise McFarlane is Anne's new point-of-contact at Sage (no longer Dianetta) and Elise is both new to this role and new to Sage 100, although not new to Sage itself. She has been a Product Marketing leader for other divisions. She's done a great job there but has just been thrown in on the Sage 100 side and appears to be drowning

      Anne learned herself the Road Ahead session is not being done by Mike Ritchie of Product Mgmt (PM) as it turns out he is not coming this year, so imagine a new non-Sage 100 person delivering the Road Ahead to our Sage 100 partner audience? If Heather Dispain was still here or Mike Ritchies was coming, then different story. THE POINT is this is an opportunity to say it's very important that somebody from PM, someone more connected to the partners, deliver the Road Ahead instead. Anne did come up with an idea to have Mike record the Road Ahead and have Sage play that video recording

    2. Give any feedback on Sage 100 Development / Engineering sessions and those people not attending. John Nichols, Elliott Pritchard, and all other Development people are not coming to MOTM, primarily due to higher level decision making (not from any people mentioned already). Looks like John and Elliott will able to join remotely though. As a committee, we can feedback with "We were looking forward to the Engineering team giving us sessions on X, Y, or Z and are disappointed to learn they are not attending while we are spending all this money on the conference and not getting the value we deserve."

    Mailchi remove preview
    Exclusive Sage 100 Insights Await: Meet the Minds Behind the Future
    Dive into the key trends shaping the future of the distribution and manufacturing industries in 2025. Discover the latest advancements in technology, shifts in supply chain dynamics, and strategies for staying competitive in an ever-evolving market.



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    Alnoor Cassim
    Accounting Systems, Inc. (ASI)
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  • 2.  RE: Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 01-31-2025 15:01

    I'll keep the feedback straightforward as I'm a bit behind on a few things due to Acumatica Summit this week.

    • Sage Keynote
      • Description - I think the only feedback in reading the description is that it doesn't speak to the future of the product. I see milestones (past progress) and mention of acquisitions (I cringed as it said, "be prepared for plugs/commercials for more add-on products to Sage 100"). But will he be speaking (even at a high level) to the future of the product as Sage sees it? At Andy's level, it would be good to get his opinion of how Sage 100 will continue to fit within the Sage portfolio as the VAR ecosystem continues to consolidate and new developments are driven by the MOD squad and few other contributors.
      • Speaker - Andy had great presence and I felt he got a very positive response given his newness to the community. 

    • Sage 100 Road Ahead
      • Description - good. This is what I think 99.999% of the partners will want to attend above all else.
      • Speaker - I honestly think Elise is fine. If she's going to be the new face of the product (either in the way she'll be consistent representative to 90 Minds or as a key contact for Sage 100 going forward), she needs to step into and own that role. A recording on this update seems like a gamble. A video could work, but it really boils down to how the speaker tees up the transition and handles the pivot back to the live engagement. If it's clunky, it's not going to go over well. She'll also need to come prepared for lots of questions related to whatever Mike says in the video as the 100 partners tend to pull no punches - even for new people. Make sure Elise has thick skin. Mike Ritchie is a known element, but I'd be looking to stable presence that's likely to have a more enduring/consistent face YOY to also prevent any possible "spooking of the herd" responses. I think the partners are used to a revolving door at Sage, but anything with promises of consistency isn't a bad idea. 


    • Sage 100 Customer Journeys
      • Description - this one is interesting to me. The "critical first-year experience" inspired a smirk as I am curious how many net new customers were added to Sage 100. The rest f the content I think is fine. 
      • Speaker - I like Mike Edgett as a speaker. He needs to dial up his warmth in presenting, but overall I think he does really good at delivering sessions.

    • Distribution and Manufacturing 2025
      • Description - this reads as a thought leadership/industry analyst on the market segment. If that's what this is, then great. But if it's meant to be more of a cheerleading session for Sage SDMO, I'm not getting that from this.
      • Speaker - I'm not familiar with Annette Grotz, but if she's more of a thought leader on the industry, then she'll be fine.

    • Introducing Sage Supply Chain Intelligence
      • Description - If there's a way to add some emphasis, I would make the first sentence bold or something similar to make it jump out on all future correspondence. This looks like a commercial/promo session about something new. If there's any "show and tell" planned in this session beyond screenshots - I'd call that out as well.
      • Speaker - I'm not familiar with Rodney Manzo either, but, guessing he's a face the community will want to know if he's connected to the new product. If so, seems like the best fit.

    • Mod Squad
      • Description - this is probably in a dead heat for the sessions that the 100 partner community want to attend.
      • Speaker - I'd suggest Beth Bowers (everybody loves Beth and she's fun/funny) as a presenter and have her backed up by the Mod Squad team in attendance (Robert Wood, Bill Pfahl, etc.).


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    Best Regards,

    Basil Malik
    President/CEO
    e: basil@malik-inc.com
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  • 3.  RE: Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 01-31-2025 15:32

    Knee-jerk reaction - WTF???  Does Sage even care about this relationship with 90 Minds?  No Mike Ritchie?  No John Nichols?  No Elliott Pritchard...again???  Perhaps those roundtable discussions about the future of 90 Minds will contain a lot more interest in publishers not named Sage.  Sorry, but I'm pissed off about this.  As Alnoor pointed out in his last sentence, why should I spend $4k-$5k to attend when Sage won't even send their best people.

    I agree with almost everything Basil wrote, and here are my thoughts:

    Sage Keynote - this always contains elements of prior year accomplishments, acquisitions, and the vision for the future of Sage and how we as partners need to embrace the direction Sage is headed.  Just tell us where Andy sees Sage 100, Sage 100 partners and Sage 100 customers in the next 3 to 5 years.  What he says matters because he is the top dog (or, one of them, anyway).

    Sage 100 Road Ahead - I don't know Elise, but I don't know how she can possibly deliver this being a newbie.  Remember when Timothy Harfield was thrown into a similar situation?  Several us tried to give him feedback, and he wouldn't hear it.  He was too green, and too naive.  I know Elise isn't that, but Mike Ritchie should be here for this.  No exceptions.

    Sage 100 Customer Journeys - Mike Edgett delivered this last year, and I think he will do fine this year.

    Distribution and Manufacturing 2025 - agree completely with Basil on what this sounds like.  I'm fine hearing about this, but I want more technical information on SDMO and Intacct.  Where's Darin Steward???

    Supply Chain Intelligence - shiny new acquisition, fine.

    Mod Squad - might just be the best committee we've ever assembled since Sage seems to embrace our suggestions.



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    Brian Kelly
    Accounting Systems, Inc. (ASI)
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  • 4.  RE: Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 01-31-2025 17:18

    I agree with the feedback.  Rodney Manzo is the principal of the company they bought and are rebranding Sage Supply Chain Intelligence.   Most principals are good at talking about their baby.

    For SDMO I was hoping we would get some Sage partners who are working with the product like DWD, Stewart Technologies, RKL who all have been involved early.



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    Gary Feldman
    Principal
    I-Business Network
    Marietta GA
    16786270646
    http://www-i-bn.net
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 02-01-2025 01:10

    I will say ditto on Brian's response.  We especially need the Sage Engineers in attendance.  Sage continues to kick their self's promoting Intacct and ignoring Sage 100, their bread and butter.



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    [Michele] [Herzog] [CPA,CITP, CGMA]
    [Overland Park] [KS]
    [816-520-1365]
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 02-03-2025 14:31

    HI everyone - Thank you for the feedback. 

    I have relayed much of this to Sage and you will see some updates as we go along. They are listening and pivoting where they can based on these conversations.  I believe much of the initial confusion was just a change in employees (which they are still adjusting to).  Elise will have all hands on deck as back up and more of the engineering team will attend and participate now as well.   They are even asking for additional tickets at this point.  Good signs. 

    Side note:  Mike Ritchie is on a month long PTO Vaca which is the only reason he is not attending. 

     We also will have both Andy Reid and Rob Sinfield as Keynotes as well:

      https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsinfield/



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    Anne Sawyer
    Executive Director
    90 Minds Inc.
    Sunset Beach CA
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  • 7.  RE: Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 02-05-2025 12:19

    THanks for the update, Anne.  Glad to see Mike Ritchie has a very good reason for not attending.



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    Brian Kelly
    Accounting Systems, Inc. (ASI)
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Quick Request - Need Immediate Feedback on MOTM Sage sessions

    Posted 02-05-2025 11:27

    Sorry for the late response, this week has been a doozy after getting back from PTO and having the world go crazy at the same time. Great input from everyone and can't agree more that Sage needs to step in the presenter area. Having a someone new or unfamiliar speak will add fuel to the fire that Sage 100 is not on their priority list. 



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    Tina Meacham
    RKL eSolutions, LLC
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