90 Minds Community

Sage Channel News email is out http://cdn.na.sage.com/sagemail/SageMail/Sage_Channel_News_071715_Front_Page.html

A very nice message with words. He is new and we need to give him the benefit of the doubt, but what Sage partners will need so see is action. It is hard to look forward and forget the past when the relationship has been painful, filled with disrespect for the role of the partner, and has been anything but effective.

Agree @GaryFeldman - it seems that this alludes somewhat to the past transgressions to partners, however I do not see an allusion to an apology in what is written.

Money talks, BS walks. Will wait for his actions to speak louder than his words.

Apologies must be specific to be effective. It's an emotional thing. We'll never get that from Sage. But it would help tremendously if he would be specific about the details of the policies they've changed going forward. If he can't figure out how to do that, he is a waste of time.

Pascal displayed the stereotype of what Americans have been told the French are like. In my experience they are not actually that way, and he is the first one I have ever met like that. I am willing to write off the last few years of his ""reign of terror"" as an anomaly that will hopefully not occur again. Still, it would be appropriate for the current executives to acknowledge it for what it was and apologize. Perhaps Stephen and Jodi will do that jointly at Partner Success Day.

OK, we are on a support call with a customer trying to get direct deposit installed. Come to find that they do not own the module (as they thought they did) and were past due on maintenance (which we do not collect anymore). So they get sales on the phone and they are paying direct by credit card. I quickly send an e-mail to our channel manager and ask if we will get compensated. I get back ""Hard to say. It depends who you spoke to. Usually, with direct sales the partner does not get credit unless it was prearranged. "" A lovely answer which prompts this response to Channel Manager (name left off purposefully) and Rich: We are on a three way call with sales, and if we are not compensated, then I think Rich Spring needs to see how it is not effective, constructive or respectful to the partner community. Hello Rich: I hate to introduce myself in this manner, but the partner community is clearly interested in seeing a true partnering atmosphere at Sage. I appreciated the tone of the communication sent, but a few years of disrespectful action and hollow words has eroded the partner-publisher relationship. The formerly fiercely loyal channel is eager for change in action.

Too direct?

Nah....

No pain, no gain. All partner messages should deservedly sting in the hopes of resonating.

I will believe in actual change when I see an announcement that says: ""We realize the following policies instituted over the past few years were detrimental to our partners and our relationship. We recognize that a shareholders' first business plan is a recipe for long term failure, and only by putting our customers (of which our partners are a subset) first can we attain long term profitability. We are therefore making the following changes effective immediately:"" followed by a list. Holding my breath I am not...

Update: my usually unhelpful account manager got the information that we were not going to be compensated and is taking it up with the sales manager to 'try and get' our compensation. Rich has been copied on all correspondence.