Last year, I decided to buy a Sage 100 license for my firm's use.
You may ask, ..' Why spend the money if a reference copy is free?' First, I was tired of not having auto-bank reconciliations and of being (possibly) blocked from other features under a reference license. It always frustrated me - many of the features we need to implement for customers are unavailable for testing or demo purposes with the reference license.
I was tired of it. It had to change.
It actually took several weeks to purchase a license. I first tried to buy it from a consultant I knew, hoping the sales would help, even though she was/is already wildly successful. No go, she and I are fellow DSD partner offices, and now I was on their radar. I got a call from DSD asking what I was up to. Why was I trying to buy Sage 100? There was quite a chain of emails. It almost felt like I'd committed a crime; how dare I become a customer!
After explaining the reason, it soothed their concerns; they said it made sense, and finally, I was able to buy Sage 100 as an end user.
It was liberating! The splash screen no longer proclaimed, "Not for Resale." I could set up ANY feature I wanted! I was an end-user, a customer for life! Conversion done, it was all quiet and peaceful.
We know that Sage sends a lot of communication to end users.
There is a lot of upselling, cross-selling, and marketing.
There is advice, counter-advice, and Sage acting as a guide and guardian of the vast, cruel jungle of ERP options, features, and integrations. Sage the guiding light for you, the customer, the end-user.
I do not recall any communications referring me to my reseller or consultant; they did mention Sage Community or Sage University. It was mostly "Come to Sage…we'll show you the way."
Sometimes I would receive the same emails twice – I'm guessing that Sage's system still has two or more email contact lists, and that's why I'd receive duplicates, one as reseller/consultant and another as end-user.
Nice when I got two, verse when I got only one, the end-user one. I digress…
So, it's renewal time.
They sent an email to confirm payment methods and renewal dates. And, to schedule an Account Review with my Customer Account Manager, covering
• Review usage/adoption highlights and recent accomplishments
• Discuss priorities, upcoming initiatives, and budget planning
• Identify opportunities to optimize your current setup
• Share relevant product updates and best practices
• Confirm whether you'd like any support or training (reporting, automation/ACH, integrations, user permissions)
I hesitated…should I? I thought about it, felt bad, I likely already knew most of the 'review' points, and more to the point, what does and does not work as advertised.
Yeah…that didn't stop me, too long. I scheduled a time.
I'll follow up with Part Two after I've been reviewed.
Don't forget…What happens in 90 Minds stays in 90 Minds.
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Moira Goggin
Chismet Consulting Corp.
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