Sage News and Discussion

The latest Sage partner newsletter is out and as usual Sage buries the important news deep within the links and sub links. The biggest news I found. 1. AccuPOS is no longer an endorsed solution. I have a hard time thinking that Ship Linc won't be next (is that getting any traction??). Really this does not provide me with the warm fuzzies that the term ""Endorsed Solution"" means anything other than a vendor paid a great deal of money to Sage. To me it now does not mean the product is strategic, etc. http://cdn.na.sage.com/sagemail/SageMail/AccuPOS%20Termination%20PARTNER%20Comm.pdf Here's the email newsletter: http://cdn.na.sage.com/sagemail/SageMail/Sage_Channel_News_0913_Product.html

Except that ShipLinc is now working with X3, so that will no doubt breathe new life into it. I'm continuing to be told (by endorsed and other solution partners, not Sage) that the ""Endorsed Solution"" will no longer be in place, although this news about AccuPOS implies that others will continue. I expect that if they are killing the Endorsed program, we'll hear about it right around October 7th, retroactive to October 1st, just like the release of promotions each quarter. This is most likely because there aren't enough staff to put the documents together to post.

I think John has it: if doesn't help sell X3 or Sage 50, they will not be emphasized.

Now that subscription licensing has become more appealing to many customers, they are hesitant to take on endorsed solutions that do not have a subscription option. In meeting with Nicole and Paul of Fisher Technology last week, I was pleased to find out TaskCentre may be licensed on subscription.

@JohnHoyt I'm not sure where I heard this but I thought it was somewhere at Summit -- that you're basically correct and Sage is re-doing the Endorsed Solution program. I forget the details. To me this is just more erosion of trust and with each successive zig zag the channel partners are less and less likely to recommend a solution that doesn't have the opportunity to sell dozens.

I wonder what the vendors themselves think of all this? Is it making them less interested in playing?

When it comes to leads both vendors and VARS tend to do anything to get them. I suspect this will continue.

@MoiraGoggin discussed this with Altec's Brandt Morrell, and he welcomes this. They can deal directly with the channel, making more attactive deals with us, and Altec doesn't have to pay Sage, which currently is a huge chunk.

I lean toward John and Moira's thinking on this. It's a lot easier for an established ERP accessory firm to generate leads than it was 10 yrs ago. Again Sage's tax is apparently ""too damn high!

Did anyone else get notice from Sage about the AccuPOS relationship ending?

No notice. I would have thought those of us that have installations would get a specific communication. We have two customers using AccuPOS, only one active.

I have one customer using AccuPOS and to my knowledge did not receive any notice.

The way I heard it was that the Friday before Summit started they asked the Endorsed Solution providers to meet and announced the program would be stopping. Evidently that was a hastily put together meeting necessitated by an announcement that was to be made during Summit. The thinking, perhaps, that they needed to let the Endorsed Solutions personnel known about the change prior to the Summit announcement. Most welcomed the change, as @JohnHoyt mentioned since they will be able to deal direct with BPs, not pay large sums to Sage and hopefully pass on the margin benefits to us.

I didn't receive any notice but I am walking into an upgrade planning meeting for an AccuPOS install in about two hours ... getting this news is another reason to love 90 Minds.

Just in via LinkedIn: ""Many of you received from Sage an announcement along with your September newsletters regarding the October 1, 2013 dissolution of any ""Endorsed"" relationship between Sage and AccuPOS Point of Sale. While this change will certainly affect us, I believe the end result will be entirely positive. Allow me first to affirm that AccuPOS remains 100% committed to offering industry-leading Point of Sale integration for both new and prior versions of Sage 100 ERP, as well as with Sage Payment Solutions (SPS). The decision to terminate our official Sage Endorsement was motivated mainly by lowering the price. Many of you communicated to me privately over the past couple of years that the prices set by Sage for AccuPOS were cost-prohibitive to your clients. I firmly believe this change, which will allow AccuPOS to offer the same, web-advertised pricing to all users and prospects regardless of accounting integration, will benefit all of our collective businesses in the long run. There will be some fallout. Sage cannot process new AccuPOS orders after October 1, meaning prices will indeed decrease but at the expense of your Sage tier credit and margins. I will be emailing every one of you with whom I have had direct contact during the next few days. Additionally I will monitor this LinkedIn Group to respond to any questions that are posted here. I do hope that passing on lower prices to your clients will be viewed positively, but I also welcome any direct feedback at 800-906-5010 x122. Thank you all very much, I look forward to your replies, Sincerely, Joe Pergola, VP of Sales AccuPOS Point of Sale

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=274191229&gid=1644357&commentID=-1&trk=view_disc&fromEmail=&ut=376bVmS1G1OBU1

I must have missed this, it was news to me so thanks @WayneSchulz for posting.

Sage is sending around another link. I think this is geared toward Sage customers. No idea why Sage have not notified the channel in a more straightforward way than to bury the announcement in a sub-page of the newsletter.