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Resellers'
Perspective
Over the course of three days, from
May 17th to 19th, I had the opportunity to talk with several resellers of
Exact's Macola products. I talked with members of the
President's Council (larger organizations), sole proprietors, and some
medium sized resellers.
A summary of my findings :
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The resellers are very
knowledgeable about the manufacturing and distribution market
place. (I found it surprising that distribution was such a
big part of total sales - 27% of more than 6500 customers)
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Most resellers have been involved
with the Macola product for more than 7 years. Many had more
than 10 years of history with the company.
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Recent years have been tough for
all resellers, regardless of their location in the U.S.
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This product release is the
opportunity to regain the enthusiasm of the channel members.
Many have high expectations for the Macola ES product.
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Most welcome the addition of 15
regional sales offices - and see this as an opportunity to gain new
visibility and traction in their market.
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Most represent only a single
product - Macola Progression.
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One reseller stated that he
"had been trying to get Macola to go vertical for more than 5
years." This was in response to Carlton's luncheon
speech where he described the benefits of a vertical focus.
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One top reseller said that with
Macola ES “they (Exact) put their money where their mouth is.” The
product “doesn’t bring new functionality but look and feel and
back end changes have been made.”
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This
product will allow one reseller
to move upstream to a larger client base – from 10-20 users to
40/50/100 user implementations. “It takes deep pockets to keep
a product current. Macola did a great job with what it had.”
The acquisition represents a much greater investment in the product.
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