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Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

  • 1.  Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-12-2019 16:14

    Enterprise Software Podcast event wrap-up of Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 has just been released.

    http://www.enterprisesoftwarepodcast.com/enterprise-software-podcast-106-jedi-judgment-and-intacct-advantage/

    I was there for the first time and it was a little surprising to see that Sage can host a conference where attendance is likely above what they released ( 3,500 ) as an estimate. When was the last time you saw lines into the hall for sessions? 



    Sage Intacct leadership baton was effectively passed from Rob Reid to Marc Linden. Reid didn't retire but he has taken on some type of chairman role -- you know, like when people are getting ready to retire... 


    This lunch sign is probably the best summary of the typical uses and users of Sage Intacct. Notice the lack of wholesale distribution. They've been promising distribution is coming "any day now". My guess is that long-term Sage will use X3 as their distribution package and Intacct for the uses noted on the sign. There are definitely third party solutions for distribution which integrate into Intacct( ScanForce being one) however I didn't hear distribution discussed from the podium once. 


    Here's a summary slide from the keynote. This was a conference heavily attended by CFOs and accounting professionals. Intacct's goal is to move toward making the monthly close seamless using AI and a variety of other features from the solution. The last user count I have seen is 11,000 from when Sage bought Intacct two years ago. This has undoubtedly risen since but no updated count was given at the event.


    I won over $160 on the second night. I didn't play again the whole time there ( which, BTW,  is the only way to win at the casino).


    The final night event was at one of the clubs in Caesar's Palace ( not the REAL Caesar's Palace ... they get asked that a lot ). I had six egg rolls and walked back to the hotel.

    Summary: 
    This was a well-attended conference. I talked to lots of customers and consultants. Nobody had anything significantly bad to say about Intacct. Aside from the money consultants make from implementing Intacct initially I'm unsure how strong a recurring consulting revenue stream this product throws off. Granted, you do earn commissions from Intacct but ideally, I'd like to develop my own standalone revenue stream not dependent on any publisher.

    Some of the excitement here is likely because of the ongoing improvements that Sage is putting into the product as well as the overall cloud buzz. AI was another hot topic throughout the show with Sage talking about starting up a new SAIL ( Sage Artificial Intelligence Labs ) to introduce AI into Intacct and presumably many of Sage's other products.

    In short, if you're thinking of taking on Sage Intacct, have a look at the photo of the lunch table topics I posted above. If those topics are niches or areas that you think you would enjoy working with - then Intacct is probably for you.

    Is Intacct going to be a step up for Sage 100 distribution customers? Maybe someday but it doesn't seem like it's trying to be.

    Listen to the entire podcast here: 

    http://www.enterprisesoftwarepodcast.com/enterprise-software-podcast-106-jedi-judgment-and-intacct-advantage/


    ------------------------------
    Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-12-2019 17:37
    Thank you for the great write-up.

    ------------------------------
    Myron Stevenson
    Consultant
    Clearis Consulting, Inc
    Duluth, MN
    218-525-6720
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-12-2019 17:42

    Thanks, Wayne!  Was there any word if Sage is allowing folks who carry Acumatica (or a competing SaaS product) to sign up for Intaact?  If Taylor is still making the rules, then I'm sure that answer is still a "No".  But – just wondering if you know if anyone asked that question...

     

    Sue Bennett | President

    P. 503 620 3484 | F. 503 620 2765

    12559 SW 69th Ave | Portland, OR  97223

    sue@benpor.com   www.benpor.com
    Bennett/Porter Blogs | facebook | twitter

    image001.png@01D58B13.891A0140

     

     

     

     



    ------Original Message------


    Enterprise Software Podcast event wrap-up of Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 has just been released.

    http://www.enterprisesoftwarepodcast.com/enterprise-software-podcast-106-jedi-judgment-and-intacct-advantage/

    I was there for the first time and it was a little surprising to see that Sage can host a conference where attendance is likely above what they released ( 3,500 ) as an estimate. When was the last time you saw lines into the hall for sessions? 



    Sage Intacct leadership baton was effectively passed from Rob Reid to Marc Linden. Reid didn't retire but he has taken on some type of chairman role -- you know, like when people are getting ready to retire... 


    This lunch sign is probably the best summary of the typical uses and users of Sage Intacct. Notice the lack of wholesale distribution. They've been promising distribution is coming "any day now". My guess is that long-term Sage will use X3 as their distribution package and Intacct for the uses noted on the sign. There are definitely third party solutions for distribution which integrate into Intacct( ScanForce being one) however I didn't hear distribution discussed from the podium once. 


    Here's a summary slide from the keynote. This was a conference heavily attended by CFOs and accounting professionals. Intacct's goal is to move toward making the monthly close seamless using AI and a variety of other features from the solution. The last user count I have seen is 11,000 from when Sage bought Intacct two years ago. This has undoubtedly risen since but no updated count was given at the event.


    I won over $160 on the second night. I didn't play again the whole time there ( which, BTW,  is the only way to win at the casino).


    The final night event was at one of the clubs in Caesar's Palace ( not the REAL Caesar's Palace ... they get asked that a lot ). I had six egg rolls and walked back to the hotel.

    Summary: 
    This was a well-attended conference. I talked to lots of customers and consultants. Nobody had anything significantly bad to say about Intacct. Aside from the money consultants make from implementing Intacct initially I'm unsure how strong a recurring consulting revenue stream this product throws off. Granted, you do earn commissions from Intacct but ideally, I'd like to develop my own standalone revenue stream not dependent on any publisher.

    Some of the excitement here is likely because of the ongoing improvements that Sage is putting into the product as well as the overall cloud buzz. AI was another hot topic throughout the show with Sage talking about starting up a new SAIL ( Sage Artificial Intelligence Labs ) to introduce AI into Intacct and presumably many of Sage's other products.

    In short, if you're thinking of taking on Sage Intacct, have a look at the photo of the lunch table topics I posted above. If those topics are niches or areas that you think you would enjoy working with - then Intacct is probably for you.

    Is Intacct going to be a step up for Sage 100 distribution customers? Maybe someday but it doesn't seem like it's trying to be.

    Listen to the entire podcast here: 

    http://www.enterprisesoftwarepodcast.com/enterprise-software-podcast-106-jedi-judgment-and-intacct-advantage/


    ------------------------------
    Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
    ------------------------------


  • 4.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-12-2019 17:53
    Sue,

    I know of at least one ITA member who signed up as a new Intacct reseller in the past few months who is and has been a NetSuite reseller for over 5 years.  I doubt that Taylor has changed his mind about resellers in his channel carrying multiple cloud-based products but there does seem to be some movement.

    I talked with another Intacct reseller who also carries GP and Dynamics 365. This firm was on the Intacct Presidents Circle list for 2019.

    ------------------------------
    Shawn Slavin
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-12-2019 17:56

    Thanks, Shawn.  I did hear of a couple of very large resellers that the "no competing products rule" was waived for, but when we asked about it as recently as the beginning of this year, the answer was "We would LOVE to have you as a partner, and to that end we'll give you 90 days to dissolve or sell your Acumatica practice."  Not gonna happen!

     

    Sue Bennett | President

    P. 503 620 3484 | F. 503 620 2765

    12559 SW 69th Ave | Portland, OR  97223

    sue@benpor.com   www.benpor.com
    Bennett/Porter Blogs | facebook | twitter

    image001.png@01D58B13.891A0140

     

     

     

     



    ------Original Message------

    Sue,

    I know of at least one ITA member who signed up as a new Intacct reseller in the past few months who is and has been a NetSuite reseller for over 5 years.  I doubt that Taylor has changed his mind about resellers in his channel carrying multiple cloud-based products but there does seem to be some movement.

    I talked with another Intacct reseller who also carries GP and Dynamics 365. This firm was on the Intacct Presidents Circle list for 2019.

    ------------------------------
    Shawn Slavin
    ------------------------------


  • 6.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-12-2019 17:59
    Sue,

    They could very possibly have a 'Mad-on' for Acumatica. 

    The Netsuite reseller I spoke of isn't a Blythco, and rkl, or a Net@Work but their annual revenue is 2 to 3 times what we did at CS3.  I'm sure they are on Bob Scott's VAR Stars and Top 100 resellers.

    ------------------------------
    Shawn Slavin
    CS3 Technology
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-13-2019 06:05
    Edited by Wayne Schulz 11-13-2019 08:59
    I don’t know whether Intacct regularly allows partners to carry competing products. I have consistently heard from multiple partners and the media that Intacct expects you to dedicate resources and sell.

    Partners who aren’t meeting sales expectations are reportedly counseled up or out. This seems to happen over time.

    I’m convinced that to be successful selling Intacct a partner should have a strong desire/interest/niche toward one of the markets/uses outlined on Intacct’s lunch banner.

    Enrolling with Intacct primarily as a place to upsell/migrate large numbers of Sage 100 existing users doesn’t seem to be a viable long term strategy.



    ---------------------------------
    Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
    ---------------------------------



    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-13-2019 09:15
    Agreed Wayne.

    They definitely want resellers who are going to bring in net new customers. To do that requires a mind shift in how to sell subscription-based software. It also demands you bundling and deliver services in a subscription model as well.

    Intacct, Acumatica, and NetSuite all want a dedicated team of sales and consulting staff for their products. That makes sense if you get to the volume of sales they want you to do. If you are closing 12 or more new deals a year, that takes more than one, part-time consultant and a part-time salesperson.

    ------------------------------
    Shawn Slavin

    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-13-2019 10:44

    We started our business all those many moons ago, with accounting firm referrals.  And we still have quite a few of those original clients, using just the Financial modules of Sage 100.  Since we still have the relationships with so many CPA firms, and since some of those CPA firms want their clients to move to Intaact (most likely because of the AICPA endorsement), I really wanted to sign up for Intaact to keep those clients.  I've heard from a lot of the clients that since we know their business, they really want to stay with us even if they are being advised to move to Intaact.  It seemed like the perfect solution to me to be able to sell Intaact and help those clients move their accounting over, but alas, it doesn't appear Sage has the same viewpoint.  So for us, it is not a case of converting Sage 100 clients to Intaact so much as it is a case of wanting to keep the client relationship. Plus, Intaact has the name recognition in the marketplace (regardless of whether or not it might be the "best" product or not) and it would ease the mind of many of our CPA referrals if we could offer Intaact.

     

     

    Sue Bennett | President

    P. 503 620 3484 | F. 503 620 2765

    12559 SW 69th Ave | Portland, OR  97223

    sue@benpor.com   www.benpor.com
    Bennett/Porter Blogs | facebook | twitter

    image001.png@01D58B13.891A0140

     

     

     

     



    ------Original Message------

    I don’t know whether Intacct regularly allows partners to carry competing products. I have consistently heard from multiple partners and the media that Intacct expects you to dedicate resources and sell.

    Partners who aren’t meeting sales expectations are reportedly counseled up or out. This seems to happen over time.

    I’m convinced that to be successful selling Intacct a partner should have a strong desire/interest/niche toward one of the markets/uses outlined on Intacct’s lunch banner.

    Enrolling with Intacct primarily as a place to upsell/migrate large numbers of Sage 100 existing users doesn’t seem to be a viable long term strategy.



    ---------------------------------
    Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
    ---------------------------------



    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-13-2019 18:24
    $160+ question
    Are you signing up for Intacct @Wayne Schulz ?
    ​

    ------------------------------
    Moira Goggin
    Executive Director
    90 Minds, Inc.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-13-2019 19:28
    No, I'm not planning to join as a var. I love the market this is aimed at because as a CPA I don't feel I need to learn any industry specifics. However, to really succeed in this space you need a dedicated team and I'm not looking to ramp up a team and am uncertain I could make enough recurring revenue just on consulting to make a run at this.

    ------------------------------
    Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-14-2019 08:42
    @Sue Bennett I would recommend finding a strong current Intacct VAR that you can partner with​ and that will help you be successful in the Intacct arena.  As Wayne and others mentioned, unless you want to dedicate a sales team to Intacct it will be hard to maintain a VAR status.  The tricky part is that any CPA firm that is an Intacct VAR has already registered their clients as Intacct leads and Intacct, for the most part, will not let you sell to them.  Whoever registers the lead is the only firm allowed to sell to that prospect so it is quite different from the Sage 100 arena.

    ------------------------------
    Steve Engmann, MBA, CMA
    Competitive Strategies, Inc.
    Appleton, WI
    920-993-1077
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-14-2019 10:20
    Steve has a very good point regarding lead registration. Prior to attending Intacct Advantage, I had spoken to a few current Intacct partners and deal registration is something that almost always comes up in discussions. It doesn't seem like registering a lead in your name makes it 100% that the user cannot purchase from someone else but Intacct appears to be very conscious of the way the leads flow. The wild wild west ways of prospects contacting 3 or 4 Sage 100 partners online to get a low price doesn't seem as likely to happen in the Intacct market space.

    Intacct also has a direct sales team so partners are quick to register leads to avoid getting too far into the discovery phase and discovering that the prospect is calling around to multiple VARS or has already started working directly with Intacct.

    ------------------------------
    Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-14-2019 10:56

    Thanks, @Steve Engmann!

     

    Sue Bennett | President

    P. 503 620 3484 | F. 503 620 2765

    12559 SW 69th Ave | Portland, OR  97223

    sue@benpor.com   www.benpor.com
    Bennett/Porter Blogs | facebook | twitter

    image001.png@01D58B13.891A0140

     

     

     

     



    ------Original Message------

    @Sue Bennett I would recommend finding a strong current Intacct VAR that you can partner with​ and that will help you be successful in the Intacct arena.  As Wayne and others mentioned, unless you want to dedicate a sales team to Intacct it will be hard to maintain a VAR status.  The tricky part is that any CPA firm that is an Intacct VAR has already registered their clients as Intacct leads and Intacct, for the most part, will not let you sell to them.  Whoever registers the lead is the only firm allowed to sell to that prospect so it is quite different from the Sage 100 arena.

    ------------------------------
    Steve Engmann, MBA, CMA
    Competitive Strategies, Inc.
    Appleton, WI
    920-993-1077
    ------------------------------


  • 15.  RE: Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 Wrap-up ( Podcast )

    Posted 11-18-2019 16:54
    Great write-up and congrats on the $$$.

    ------------------------------
    Peter Wolf
    Azamba Consulting Group
    ------------------------------



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