Strategic Offer or Cash Cow – Is your ERP system in a Dead End Street?

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2016 Will be the year in which the software-as-a-service model – simply put: the cloud – achieves its worldwide breakthrough for business software. But how will your software vendor respond to that? In this blog we’ve analysed the offerings of the larger ERP vendors for you and also provide you with tips for your own investigation.

According to Panorama Consulting, cloud computing is now well beyond the hype phase. The consultancy considers the purchase of a cloud-based ERP system to be just as normal as buying a car with 4 wheels. But how will your software vendor respond to this? Does your vendor have any cloud strategy at all? And if so, what does this strategy mean for the support of your current system and software versions? Not just today, but in the future as well. An analysis.

A rosy future is universally predicted for the market for cloud-based ERP solutions. A future so rosy that no serious vendor can afford to ignore this trend. This means that solution providers must make strategic choices. And the impact of those choices can be huge for your organisation! That’s why it’s now more important than ever to follow your vendor – even if you’re not yet using any ERP software from the cloud. Or even if you’re not even thinking actively about it yet! The burning question is: can you continue into the future without problems using your current system? Or should you be preparing seriously for the transition to another system?

Comparison with Y2K

In essence, for vendors, the transition to the cloud is quite similar to the year 2000 issues. Remember that? Everyone doubted whether traditional systems could function technically in the new century. All the vendors felt obliged to review their portfolio and make strategic choices. And that led to a huge restructuring of product offerings. The result was that many customers felt forced to switch to other systems much earlier than they had planned. With all of the attending financial and organisational consequences.

Strategic issues

It would appear that we are standing on the brink of a similar operation. Those vendors offering multiple and varying ERP solutions these days, in particular, must feel almost forced to rationalise their range for commercial reasons.

In addition, the vendors themselves must also answer a few critical questions:

  • Which of the current ERP systems are technically suitable for functioning in the public cloud as so-called “multi-tenant solutions”?
  • How large are the investments in these adaptations? And can those investments still be made profitable?
  • What should be done with the support and development of the traditional on-premise variants of the various ERP systems and system versions? What will this cost? And can those costs be justified from a commercial standpoint?

 

The position of the large ERP vendors

If we have a look at the large international ERP vendors, we see several of them offering multiple, often partially overlapping solutions at this moment. For example, Infor and Oracle’s many acquisitions have left them with a patchwork collection of ERP and CRM systems. A situation in which each solution also has multiple versions in use. Both companies require an actual alphabetic index in order to present their portfolios on their websites!

Some solution providers also make their traditional systems suitable for use in the cloud, as Microsoft does, for example. Still others, such as Sage and SAP, have developed entirely new systems for the cloud. For this group of vendors, particularly, the question arises about what the future of the “older” systems looks like. In vendor-speak: is your ERP solution one of the strategic systemsfor the future or can it better be labelled a cash cow? Often, the vendor’s website provides a first indication of this distinction. If your solution is not on the homepage, you have a good reason to worry. But if your solution is not mentioned on their website at all, you probably have a big issue!

Rough market analysis of ERP vendors

With my best interpretation, a first rough analysis of the websites of several leading ERP vendors reveals the following picture:

  • Infor provides and/or supports an impressive array of solutions. The Solutions page on their website boasts no less than 68 (!) different solutions in the domains of ERP, CRM, HCM, PLM, SCM and EFM. In several cases, it’s unclear exactly which of the solutions is being presented here. In any case, these include Infor LN (previously Baan), Infor LX, Infor M3 (previously Movex), Infor System21, Infor Pegasus, Infor Evolution and Infor SunSystems. From the website, it’s not immediately clear which solutions comprises the most strategic offering(s). But would really all 68 be of strategic value for Infor?
  • Microsoft supplies and/or supports four different ERP solutions: Dynamics AX, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics GP and Dynamics SOL. The two last are in use in the English speaking countries only; the first two worldwide. Dynamics AX is offered to larger (international) companies. Dynamics NAV, GP and SOL are the solutions for the small and medium sized companies. Dynamics AX, NAV and GP are cloud ready and appear to be strategically important for Microsoft.
  • Oracle provides and/or supports the Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle JD Edwards, Oracle Peoplesoft and Oracle Fusion Applications, among others. For Oracle JD Edwards there are even two solutions: World and EnterpriseOne. Here, Oracle Fusion Applications would appear to be the main strategic platform for the future. Although the company seems to be struggling for many years in bringing this solution to the market.
  • Sage supplies and/or supports an impressive series of ERP solutions. It starts with Sage Line 50, Line 100, Line 200 and Line 300. These are their traditional product lines. On top of that there is a series of cloud offerings called Sage One, Sage Live, Sage Impact and Sage X3. The last one seems to be the strategic Sage offering. But is X3 the cloud solution that really has a fit with all their existing customers?
  • SAP provides and/or supports SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business All-in-One, SAP Business ByDesign, SAP Business One, SAP ERP and SAP R/3. SAP positions Business One as a solution for small businesess. All-in-One and Business ByDesign for medium-size companies and S/4HANA for enterprise companies. Business ByDesign seemed to be their strategic cloud offering. However, after various attempts in bringing Business ByDesign to the market, last year it was ‘moved’ to their partner channel. It’s unclear what the impact of that move is.

 

What’s your situation?

For many customer companies, their ERP system is the business’s beating heart. And that makes sense. Because in our rapidly changing market, the availability of the right information at the right time is strategically important. So you probably can’t afford to settle for less than the very best. If you want to avoid surprises, it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on your vendor. And to gain a clear view in the short term of what your system’s future looks like. More specifically: the future of the system version you’re currently using. So that you know whether you need to take action. Organisations that have larded their systems with a significant dose of customisation, particularly, would appear to be treading on thin ice.

The implementation partners of these ERP vendors should raise similar questions. Are your investments in capabilities and knowledge of your solution still well spend? And if unfortunately your not on the right track – does your vendor offer a partner business model for their new cloud solution anyway?

Practical suggestions

Here are a few practical suggestions for your own investigation:

  • Follow your vendor’s website closely. Is your system still being actively promoted to new buyers? Or is it no longer mentioned at all?
  • Be sure to visit the next annual customer day and ask pointed questions there.
  • Ask your vendor for the most recent version of his company’s product roadmap in order to see the concrete future plans for your system and version.
  • Investigate whether your system is already available in the cloud. Or whether that will soon be available. But also determine how long your system will continue to be supported as a traditional on-premise version.
  • Ask your vendor for a written statement about the strategic value of (the version of) your solution in his portfolio.
  • Get acquainted with your vendor’s user group. They often have a better overview of the developments. And you can also spar there with comparable customers.

 

Support versus continued development

In your investigation, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the distinction betweensupport on the one hand and continued development on the other. Naturally, every vendor will want to support his existing systems for a certain amount of time. With such services as a help desk, training and consultancy. It’s also perfectly reasonable to expect that a given period will occur for all current systems during which new, error-resolving versions appear – so-called “bug fixing”. However, the question of whether your vendor will continue to develop (the version of) your solution is crucial. Development which not only resolves bugs in new versions, but in which new functionality also becomes available. In which new versions of the surrounding systems are supported, such as the Microsoft Office tools. And in which modern technologies, such as new devices, continue to be made accessible. Including near-future things like speech recognition and handwriting recognition. Development that closely follows rapidly changing trends in Social, Mobile, Big Data and the Internet of Things. And in which legal and regulatory changes that are relevant to you still are implemented in your system pro-actively and in a timely manner. If your ERP system is strategically important to your enterprise, then this last variant is the only one that will satisfy you (in the future), right?

The importance of transparency

For an ERP vendor, it’s not exactly simple to offer perfect transparency, of course. After all, huge numbers of customers are involved. Along with considerable financial interests. But considering the strategic importance of this issue as your enterprise faces the future, it’s only fair to expect complete transparency from your vendor! So that you know exactly where you stand. And where you’ll be in the coming years. This is also a perfect occasion for vendors to demonstrate how transparent and mature they actually are.

I’d love to hear your findings!

Partner Master Class presents at eXtremeCRM EMEA event in Warsaw!

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The majority of the Dynamics CRM partner community in the EMEA region will travel east next week to visit Warsaw and attend their annual partner event called eXtreme CRM2016. Dutch training and consultancy firm Partner Master Class will be in Warsaw as well. First of all to be the co-trainer in the Cloud SureStep workshop for Dynamics CRM business leaders. Secondly to play a role in various round tables. And lastly to deliver a series of three presentations.

Cloud SureStep for Dynamics CRM

At this event Microsoft introduces the successful Cloud SureStep program (aka Road2Repeatability) to the European Dynamics CRM partner channel. This program helps partners prepare to build a repeatable business around Dynamics CRM Online. Over the last 4 years this program has been delivered to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV and GP (ERP) partner channel. Partner Master Class was an important delivery partner in that process to hundreds of Dynamics ERP partners in over 25 countries worldwide.

Guus Krabbenborg will co-deliver the 1,5 day Leadership track in Warsaw on Sunday afternoon and Monday – just before the official start of the conference. Over 100 attendees have already registered for this interesting workshop and many other partners are waitlisted.

Check here for details.

After this conference Partner Master Class will follow-up with the delivery of the full Cloud SureStep program including the Sales and Marketing tracks in many subsidiaries across Europe, Middle-East and Africa.

Round Tables

Like last year eXtreme facilitates a so called Executive Exchange. That is a separate track purely focused on Dynamics CRM partner executives. On Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning two round tables are scheduled to discuss the impact of Cloud First, Mobile First for Dynamics CRM partners. Partner Master Class will contribute to these discussions.

Presentations

Guus Krabbenborg will deliver three different provoking business presentations at this conference.

This is how you implement Organizational Change successfully!

Good organizational change management is crucial for project success. Especially when you want to deliver Dynamics CRM OL solutions! This process starts at the strategic level of your customer’s organization. This session is all about implementing this organizational change in your projects.

Repeatability in Practice – Win more deals and grow faster in a Cloud First, Mobile First world!

This session gives you an overview of the Microsoft Cloud SureStep program that helps Dynamics CRM partners become more repeatable and successful. You’ll also hear first-handed experiences from a German CRM partner who already went down this road 2 years ago.

This is a co-session together with Dr. Manuela Schwarze, head of sales and business development of German KK IT Systems.

Which sales competencies bring success in a Cloud First, Mobile First world?

In today’s world customers buy in a different way. So we all need to adapt our sales strategies in order to stay relevant! But what does this mean for your current sales force? And what are the sales competencies you need to focus on to stay successful in today’s fast changing world?

Are you visiting eXtreme CRM EMEA yourself? Then do feel free to attend one of these sessions.

Top 7 Tips for Creating a Successful Newsletter

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Email marketing is a medium that has been pronounced dead many times, but the opposite is true. Email marketing is very much alive. Research shows that it is still the most successful form of marketing. ROI is high and many companies are still sending out newsletters. Create your own successful newsletter now. It’s easy with these top 7 tips.

Tip 1: determine your target audience

By determining your target audience first, you create an important framework, which determines what kind of content you need to create. So ask yourself: who is your target audience? What are they interested in? What information can you send them that could be helpful, interesting or maybe just entertaining?

Example:
Target group: customers with 50-100 employees
Vertical: construction companies
Contact: Finance Manager

Example of content:

  • Write a story about a successful conversation with a client.
  • A project has been completed and you want to share your most important learning points.
  • A new software update has been released. Explain what happened if you do not update the system.

Tip 2: determine your goal

What do you want to achieve by sending out a newsletter? Would you like your recipients to take action? Maybe request information, register for a webinar or read more on your website? Decide what you want to achieve with your newsletter before sending it. This will help you write a call-to-action and measure the success.

Your call-to-action

Your newsletter should contain at least one call-to-action. Keep it simple. Don’t confuse your recipients with too many options. Write you call-to-action as an imperative sentence.

Example goals and call-to-actions

Goal: create awareness for a new product / Call-to-action: read more
Goal: get in touch with customers / Call-to-action: contact me
Goal: sell a product / Call-to-action: buy now

Tip 3: write an attractive subject line

Spend some extra time on writing an attractive subject line. The subject line is the first thing your recipient will see. It’s the reason why he or she will or will not read your newsletter. You can also use a preheader, which is another sentence that will show when receiving a newsletter. The preheader can provide some extra information or contain a call-to-action.

Examples:

Questions:

  • Are you ready for…?
  • Do you have the right…?

Lists:

  • 5 Ways to …
  • 7 Steps to …

A bit of mystery:

  • The secret of…
  • What everybody’s talking about

Urgency:

  • Only one day left for this great offer!
  • Register now

Advice:

  • The best way to…
  • Examples of….

Tip 4: keep it short and simple

Keep your information short and simple. Your recipients don’t want to read lots of text. They want a text that’s short, well formulated and easy to scan through. The less phrases you need to convince your reader to click through, the better.

Tips for writing:

  • Keep your sentences active
  • Use paragraphs and titles
  • Talk benefits instead of features and functionalities
  • Be careful using jargon

Tip 5: measure your success

After you’ve sent your newsletter, it’s important to measure its success. This gives you important information that you can use to further improve your newsletters. You can see if your newsletter has been opened, if it has led to more visitors on your website or if people requested information or performed another action. With this information you can further improve your subject lines, the information you send and your call-to-actions.

There are different ways to measure the success of your newsletter. There’s the email marketing system you use. Most of them measure results like open rate, click rate, delivered and undelivered emails (bounces). You can also use Google Analytics. Google Analytics can tell how your newsletter has performed with regards to extra visitors to your website.

So set this up, you can add the following code to the link in your newsletter:

?Utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

So if, for example, your link is: www.name.com/gl/partner-service, after adding the code it will look like this:
www.name.com/gl/partner-service?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

To see the results, log in to Google Analytics and go to Acquisition > Source / Medium.

The results will look like this:

 

Don’t spam

Don’t spam people. Only send newsletters to people who are either a customer or who subscribed for your newsletter (opt in). If someone unsubscribes (opt out), honour that request. Legislation is strict and if you don’t want to get in trouble.

Tip 6: start simple

You don’t need a fancy email marketing tool to get started with email marketing and you don’t need to have knowledge of HTML. You can start by using your email client, such as Outlook or Gmail. If you do, remember to put your recipient’s email addresses in the BCC (!). You can also use MailChimp, which is a great email marketing tool and free up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month (2016).

Tip 7: start now

Newsletters are a great way to stay in touch with your (potential) customers. So don’t wait and start now! I hope with these tips you can set up a successful newsletter by yourself and if you need any more help, please contact QBS Marketing. Have fun!

The most overlooked cost item in ERP system selection

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During ERP system selection, the various costs and possible benefits are analyzed in considerable detail and then assessed for each vendor. Oddly enough, one important component is often completely missed during this process. Which one? The cost of the next ERP system!

The selection of a new ERP application is never done as a back-of-an-envelope exercise. After all, most organisations want to profit from the new tool for many years. Many prospective buyers tell us something like the following:
“From a bookkeeping standpoint, the investment’s term of depreciation is 5 years. But ideally we want to work with the new solution for 10 years or more”.

Anyone who wants to work with a system for that long must have a really good crystal ball. Because in 10 years’ time, a lot can change! What will the world look like in the year 2026? Which devices will we be working with then? How far will the technology be developed? And which parts of our future have yet even to be invented, developed and marketed? So there are plenty of questions, and from today’s vantage point we can only guess at the answers.

To get a handle on this challenge, it can be instructive to turn the clock back some 10 years. Can you remember the exact state of technology in 2006? No one had ever heard of tablets back then. Let alone the verb ‘swiping’! WhatsApp didn’t even exist at that point. Google was a relatively unknown company. And cloud technology was in its infancy. Perhaps this comparison provides you a bit of perspective into what we can expect in terms of new developments in the coming 10 years. But far more importantly – can you comprehend what all this means for your potential ERP suppliers? Consider the required competencies, for example; or the required R&D budgets, the availability of international sales channels or the necessary entrepreneurship and decisiveness, of course.

If you think about the future of ERP technology, you come to the conclusion that you are selecting more of an ERP concept these days than an ERP solution – a concept that is developing at a furious pace. And which must develop! Because vendors that fall behind or miss the boat at any time are quickly lost in this market. And the most painful bit: their clients are lost, too.

Companies that are considering new ERP solutions would do well to test their vendors’ degree of future-proofing rigorously. Do the vendors on your shortlist have any chance at all of surviving this rat race until 2026? Are they (sufficiently) profitable these days, for example? Do they have sufficient international scale? What is the size of their R&D budget? How innovative are they? And is a formal product roadmap available for the solution on offer?

By getting a good understanding of the prospective vendors’ commercial legitimacy during the selection process, you can prevent many unpleasant surprises in the future. However, if you fail to look to the future, then just make sure you include a huge sum in your budget for the next ERP system!

This blog was published on MSDynamicsWorld.com

NavAzure: “We are a small company with a great organisational support base”

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NavAzure is a newly established company, which currently one employee, Michael Francois Knudsen, who is the owner and CEO. NavAzure has only existed since April 2016 but is based on Michaels long experience with Microsoft Dynamics NAV. NavAzure is particularly skilled in municipal solutions.

“We have been partners with QBS since April 2016, and are very satisfied”, says Michael Francois Knudsen, who knew of QBS group from a previous job. “For a startup like NavAzure, the partnership with QBS group is ideal because we trough the partnership gain access to possibilities and knowledge that would otherwise require a large organization or great costs. Besides this, I find that with QBS group as organizational support, I have time to focus on business. Even though I have become part of a larger organization, I can still claim ownership of my business”, Michael enthusiastically explains.

Knowledge of licenses at your fingertips

Michael likes the fact that it so easy to gain knowledge on many areas such as licenses. “I needed to clarify some questions regarding licenses and was very pleased that I could through QBS group, swiftly and with ease could solve the issues. It was very satisfying to be able to give my customer a quick answer. It was great for me not having to spend time on tasks like this. If it had just been me, I would not have had the same pull and could not have found the information that quickly.”

I have become more skilled professionally

Even though Michael has comprehensive experience, he still finds a need for further development of his skills. “I have used my partnership with QBS group to educate myself through training. I definitely feel I have gained better experience and am more professionally skilled. Besides that, it is a great benefit that Quattros and gained bonus makes it easy and attractive to use training and other services”, says Michael. “Furthermore I can use QBS group to e.g. generate leads and to be visible online. That gives me time to focus on my skills with the customers.”

Part of a greater network

“It is important to me, that I through QBS become part of a greater network, where partners can meet each other and share experience, knowledge and assist one another with tasks. It is great getting together face to face, so we keep each other in mind if we come across tasks or knowledge that would be relevant to other partners”, says Michael.

“It also benefits the customers. In the network of partners and at QBS we can use the different skills and resources of each other so no task is too big. We gain a support system of skilled and experienced resources, which ensures the customer that when dealing with a QBS partner there is – with nearly 60 QBS partners in Denmark, always someone who can help with the customer’s solution. For me it is not important to own the resource the customer needs when I have a vast support team around me with some of the most skilled people in the field.”

Access to support

“To me it is important to know that I have access to support daily. In that case I know that no matter what challenge I encounter, I will be able to get help and do not have to spend time chasing information on a certain area like Dynamics NAV and Microsoft,” Michael Francois Knudsen concludes.

Do you want to become a QBS group partner?

Eduard Dell appointed as Area Lead DACH

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Following the market entry of QBS group as Microsoft Dynamics SMB Distributor for Germany, we announce the appointment Eduard Dell (42) as Area Lead for the DACH Region per May 1st 2016. In his role Dell will lead the QBS activities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Eduard Dell looks back on many years of management experience in the IT solutions business and the Dynamics partner channel. Dell has more than 15 year experience at Microsoft Germany, where he held various positions, holding responsibility for the growth of the ERP and CRM business. In his latest position as Partner Sales Manager, he was responsible for the SME business for Dynamics NAV and CRM, with a significant focus on the cloud transformation of the partner offerings. He brings a wealth of experience in the area of developing successful business for both Microsoft and partners.

“We are in times of great market changes that provide enormous challenges to our partners. I am therefore delighted that the proven QBS Partner Services and Support will now also become available to the Dynamics partners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We will expand our team and further develop our services to further improve the support to our partners in the DACH region, leading to more business opportunities and an improved profitability. Our goal is building a strong QBS community which will serve as the foundation for the future success for all involved” said Eduard Dell.

Nelson Tavares de Silva, VP Channels at QBS group: “We are really delighted to welcome Eduard to QBS group. With his vast Microsoft experience, drive and passion we feel a big milestone has been set to support the long term SMB distributor business success in the DACH region. We trust that all German Microsoft partners see this as a positive signal and recognize that QBS group is making significant investments in people, local German services and repeatable cloud solutions like OneBizz into the DACH region, so we can start to “divide tasks and double the partner success”.

Free NAV Webinars by To-Increase

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Our ISV partner To-Increase will host a series of free NAV webinars.

n these webinars you’ll learn how To-Increase’s large portfolio of ISV solutions, such as NAV Anywhere en Quality Management, can help you grow your business and serve your customers even better.

Go to To-Increase NAV webinars

Make Money Using ISV Solutions

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Nowadays, as a Microsoft Dynamics partner you can’t do without Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions. We understand that you can’t automate all of your customer’s business processes by yourself. Now you don’t have to because there are lots of ISV solutions available that can help grow your business and make you money!

What are ISV solutions?

ISV solutions are additional software with which you can extend the standard functionalities of Microsoft Dynamics. There are horizontal ISV solutions, which can be used by companies in different industries. For example solutions for integration and e-commerce. Then there are vertical solutions, designed for companies in specific industries which automate industry specific processes.

There are four ways to make money with ISV solutions.

Implement ISV solutions

First of all, you can implement ISV solutions with your own customers. That way you get paid for doing the implementation. You also make money on selling the solution, which is usually a percentage of the purchase price. You receive a percentage of the annual maintenance fee from the ISV partner, which comes back every year.

Ka-Ching! (Can you hear that cash register already?)

Become an ISV partner

The second way in which you can make money is to become an ISV partner yourself. You get paid for selling your solution and for maintenance. Of course, a small percentage of that goes to the partners who have sold and implemented your solution but most of it goes to you. To become an ISV partner you need to register your solution with Microsoft and get CfMD certified.

Work with a competence center

The third way in which you can make money with ISV solutions is by working with a competence center. A competence center is a Microsoft Dynamics partner who helps other partners with the implementation of an ISV solution. They also deliver additional services such as support and pre sales. You can work with a competence center if you want to offer your customer a certain ISV solution but you don’t have the knowledge to implement it yourself.

Working with a competence center can help you make money more indirectly than the other options we mentioned. It will save you money, because you don’t have to invest in training. Your customer’s can rely on you to automate all of their business processes. You are their ‘trusted advisor’ when it comes to business software and they’ll remain loyal. Which ultimately will lead to more revenue because the next time they need a solution, you’re the one they’ll call!

Become a competence center

The fourth and final way to make money with ISV solutions is to become a competence center yourself. This is especially interesting if you have specific knowledge of an ISV solution which other partners don’t have. As a competence center you can help other partners with the implementation of an ISV solution with their customers. You make money for implementation, selling licenses, support and additional services.

We can help!

So don’t be shy about using ISV solutions, they are a great way to make money. Contact Sven Noomen if you’re looking for the right ISV solution for your customer or go to our marketplace for an overview of all ISV solutions from QBS group partners.

Without the help from QBS group we wouldn’t have succeeded.

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Blisss is a Dutch reseller of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. They have been working with Microsoft Dynamics NAV since 2008. Besides NAV they also build apps. Bliss is a fast growing company and employs a lot of young people.

An ‘in between’ party

Dirko Wijers, founder and owner of Blisss, decided to join QBS group soon after the establishment of QBS group in 2013. He explains why: “Microsoft is a very big company, and that makes the relationship with Microsoft very distant. Especially for small and medium sized partners. For them it’s often hard to cooperate with Microsoft and to find the right information and help. That’s why, as a small and medium sized business, you need an organization that’s in between. That supports you in all areas that are important for your business. Marketing, training, licensing, sharing knowledge with other partners, you can’t do it all by yourself. QBS group can support you with that, they are pragmatic and enterprising.”

Support by Partner Care

Dirko is very pleased with the support service of QBS group. Dirko: “I have good experience with Partner Care & Licensing. The lines are short, they help you quickly and they sort things out for you. The contact’s personal, you know their names. They have very good knowledge of licensing and they helped me very well with a licensing issue I had. That issue was that we were still using a former SPLA licensing model, because we have been working in the cloud for a long time. We needed to transfer to a newer model and with their help we managed to do it in three days. I’m convinced that without them we still wouldn’t have succeeded.”

Online traceability

Dirko regularly uses the services of QBS group: “We have participated in training courses and won clients through lead generation. Soon we will start with online marketing through QBS group. I find online traceability important. Because I think that a potential customer who approaches you himself, has more interest in your product than a customer gets approached by you, for example by cold calling. And the chances of you winning over this potential customer are much higher. That’s why I want to continue to improve our online visibility and QBS group can help us with that with their online marketing services. ”

Feeling of community

Dirko also would like to see Microsoft Dynamics partners work together: “You used to have a community of Microsoft Dynamics partners who worked together and shared knowledge. That is something I believe in. We are not competitors, but we pursue a common goal which is that Microsoft Dynamics NAV will be the most widely used ERP system in the Netherlands. I think QBS group brings back the old feeling of community. For example with an event like QBShare where partners can meet. But also by collectively buying services, which is cheaper than doing it by yourself. There is only one who does that and can and it’s QBS group. “

QBS group acquires Master VAR activities of Konica Minolta IT Solutions GmbH

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QBS group expands her activities to Germany and now represents the largest global Microsoft Dynamics Partner network with close to 300 Microsoft Dynamics partners in 14 countries

Leusden/Munich, January 2016

Quattro Business Solutions (QBS group), Microsoft and Konica Minolta IT Solutions GmbH have reached an agreement, under which QBS group takes over all Microsoft Dynamics Master VAR activities of Konica Minolta IT Solutions GmbH.

QBS DACH will be the new organisation taking care of the activities related to the role of QBS group as Distributor for Microsoft Dynamics in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

This step means an acceleration in the QBS DACH investments in people and local (German language) partner services, that will directly benefit the current 50 QBS partners and will strengthen the QBS community. Next to this it enables QBS DACH to scale up and welcome and support more Microsoft Dynamics partners from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Based upon the planned growth of QBS DACH and other regions, QBS group will support over 400 Microsoft Dynamics Partners and ISV Partners by the end of 2016, indirectly supporting more than 40.000 Microsoft Dynamics customers.

Joop van Voorthuijsen, CEO of QBS group: “I am very proud that we have reached this agreement and now also support many partners in Germany. In less than three years we have grown our organisation to now supporting close to 300 Microsoft Dynamics partners in 14 countries. This is a great achievement and I am proud of what our team has achieved. Recent information from Microsoft shows that on average QBS partners outperform non-QBS partners, underlining the success of our network. With the addition of QBS Germany as part of QBS DACH to QBS group, we have an even stronger foundation for future success for all stakeholders; customers, partners, QBS group and Microsoft.”

Thomas Kombrecht, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Microsoft Germany: “The goal of Microsoft is to consistently continue the two-tier distribution model for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV channel, which was already implemented in many other European countries. It should also be ensured that the service offering to the partners in the various countries is uniform. QBS group doesn’t interact directly with end customers and is ideally positioned to support partners in the Microsoft Dynamics area.”

Cloud SureStep Content Now on the DLP!

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Cloud SureStep courses are now available on the Microsoft Dynamics Learning Portal (DLP).

Cloud SureStep is a training program which has been designed to help partners in their journey to the cloud. You will be able to learn all about the ‘why cloud’ with content suitable for CxO level, Sales management, Marketing and Solutions.

QBS group partners with an Advanced and Extended Service Level Agreement have access to the DLP. More about our service Levels

Are you ready for the Cloud?

QBS can help you capitalize on the cloud with the following services and offerings:

  • Marketing & Lead Generation
  • Cloud SureStep training and certification
  • Cloud Azure deployment
  • Licensing questions
  • OneBizz Partner Program

Have a look on our website for more information about our Partner Services or ask your local Partner Account Manager.

To the Dynamics Learning Portal for Cloud SureStep

QBS group partners Rainbow Solutions and Quadira join forces

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Rainbow Solutions has started a full partnership with Quadira to offer and support Quadira’s Advanced-Forms® Output Management to their customers.

Advanced-Forms® is the Output Management solution for the easy design, enrichment, distribution and digital archiving of any document. Advanced-Forms® seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Dynamics software and is Microsoft certified (CfMD) for NAV2013, NAV2015, NAV2016 and AX2012. This has made Rainbow Solutions decide to add Advanced-Forms® as ISV solution for NAV to their NaviTrans solution. Rainbow will implement this total solution at their new customer Mooy Logistics.

Hajo Kanters, founder and CEO at Quadira: “Advanced-Forms® is the state of the art output management solution which we have developed based on a clear requirement of customers in several branches, such as the Dynamics NAV community. Many of those customers are looking for a solution with which they can easily create documents, add extra data to those documents and distribute them automatically in an digital format. Normally this can only be done through customization by specialists from the ERP partners. We noticed that among the Dynamics partners, such as Rainbow Solutions, there is a strong demand to minimize these activities as much as possible, so that they can focus on the ERP implementation itself. This has already been successfully revealed at several Rainbow Solutions customers. That is why Rainbow and we have decided to do this installation at Mooy Logistics together, in a partnership”.

Wim Korte, CEO at Rainbow Solutions: “We see a clear requirement in the Dynamics NAV market for solutions where users can easily digitize and automate the outgoing document process flow. Advanced-Forms® has already proven itself for several years now with a solid and highly skilled Quadira organisation”. ”We therefore have decided to include Advanced-Forms® in our total product portfolio and our total solution which we are now going to implement at our new customer Mooy Logistics”. “We are very enthusiastic about all the options and features that Advanced-Forms® offers and we look forward to a long term partnership. Quadira will fully train and certify our people, so that we can implement and support Advanced-Forms® by ourselves”.

More about Rainbow Solutions on our partnerpage

More about Quadira on our partnerpage

Creative Ways of Dealing with Your Capacity Problem

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A lot of Microsoft Dynamics partners are dealing with a capacity problem. Qualified and experienced specialists are scarce. Partners could do more business if they’d approach this problem more creatively. They could outsource to third parties, train juniors and make temporary use of resources from other partners.

As a Partner Account Manager I often talk to partners who are looking for experienced professionals. There’s a huge demand for technical consultants, functional consultants and developers. A problem so severe that partners sometimes even have to turn down projects. Or delay the acquisition of new projects. All of which have a negative effect on sales.

Not only is it hard to find the right people, but it’s also very costly. Recruitment agencies charge high fees. Specialists’ salaries are high. And it takes time and therefore money to get new people up-and-running in their new job. And just when your new specialist is finally billable, one of your own people receives a better offer and leaves. Meaning you have to start your search all over again.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is a great solution for partners. There are a lot of specialised third parties available that can help you with tasks like upgrading and development. They can also do performance optimisation and even make functional designs. These parties, often abroad, are incredibly experienced and charge favourable rates, which are big advantages. Partners using subcontractors for those tasks in general work more effective and efficient and they are able to sell and implement more projects.

Juniors

Another solution is the use of juniors. Partners are often looking for highly experienced seniors to do all the work, but much of the work can be done by juniors as well. In projects I generally see seniors involved, maybe a few mid-level consultants. But no juniors. Assign at least one junior to every one of your projects. Get them involved. That way your more qualified staff have their hands free to do other work.

Getting juniors involved also helps to solve the problem in general. Because by doing so, juniors gain experience and have the chance to someday be seniors themselves. Especially if you offer them training and coach them on the job. In the long term that leads to more qualified specialists and a bigger pond to fish in. Juniors also will give a fresh view and new ideas in to your team, they aren’t spoiled with history.

Seniors should function more as a mentor or coach. These people are too scarce to do all the work by themselves. And by solely relying on them, you’re creating your own problem.

Resources from other partners

And last, but not least, you can also make temporary use of resources from other specialised partners. Customers are expecting more and more integrated business solutions. For partners it will be difficult to have enough capacity for all specialisms themselves. Pro-actively sharing (specialised) resources is an upcoming trend which partners should join.

So yes, qualified staff is hard to find. A problem which leads to extra costs and missed opportunities but let’s deal with it more creatively so not to stop us from achieving our ambitions.

Do you need more information or do you have any questions? I’m here to help so please let me know!

Mobile friendly website for QBS group

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Our website is now easily accessible for users of mobile telephones.

In November 2015 QBS group moved their website to an ‘adaptive’ design. This means that the website is easily accessible by using a mobile telephone. On the advice of Sander van Leeuwen, online marketer with QBS group, it was a necessary step. Sander: “Over the last two years, we have seen a considerable increase in the number of visitors to our website through mobile telephones. In order to provide our website visitors with a good user experience, we decided to optimise our website for mobile usage.”

An efficient approach

The project started in the summer of 2015 and was approached efficiently. Sander: “The complete website of QBS group consists of over 1200 pages in 10 different languages. So it would be a lot of work to build a complete new website, which wasn’t necessary as all we wanted was a website that was easily accessible for visitors with mobile phones. So we decided to ‘reuse’ the old website as much as possible. As far as content is concerned, the website stayed pretty much the same. The only thing that was ‘freshened up’ was the website’s look and feel.”

An adaptive website

The website of QBS group is now an ‘adaptive’ website which is more than just a ‘responsive’ website. Sander: “A ‘responsive’ website means that the content of the website stays the same on every device. An ‘adaptive’ website, however, shows different content on different devices. For example certain images are not shown on mobile devices. Also tables that are not suitable for mobile devices are not shown.”

It has only just begun

QBS group’s adaptive website went live successfully, but that doesn’t mean the work is over. Sander: “It has only just begun. Releasing a new website means the start of a new phase. We are now going to see how the mobile version of our website is being used and how we can improve this. For example, if we see that more people register for events on the mobile version of our website than on the desktop version, we can choose to move the link for registering higher up the page on the mobile version. And in that way increase registrations.”

Marketing partners

The new website was made possible by QBS marketing partners Spankracht and Maxdoro. Sander: “Spankracht took care of the new ‘look and feel’ and Maxdoro was responsible for coding. I’d like to say thanks to both partners for their hard work. They’ve done a great job.”

See our mobile version

Interested in seeing how the mobile version of our website looks? Take a peek on your mobile phone or just make your browser window smaller and experience the difference.

Would you like your website to be adaptive too?

Do you need your website to responsive or adaptive? Not sure whether it’s necessary for mobile access to your website? Need help to review the possibilities? Then please contact us for our advice.

Mobile friendly website for QBS group

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Our website is now easily accessible for users of mobile telephones.

In November 2015 QBS group moved their website to an ‘adaptive’ design. This means that the website is easily accessible by using a mobile telephone. On the advice of Sander van Leeuwen, online marketer with QBS group, it was a necessary step. Sander: “Over the last two years, we have seen a considerable increase in the number of visitors to our website through mobile telephones. In order to provide our website visitors with a good user experience, we decided to optimise our website for mobile usage.”

An efficient approach

The project started in the summer of 2015 and was approached efficiently. Sander: “The complete website of QBS group consists of over 1200 pages in 10 different languages. So it would be a lot of work to build a complete new website, which wasn’t necessary as all we wanted was a website that was easily accessible for visitors with mobile phones. So we decided to ‘reuse’ the old website as much as possible. As far as content is concerned, the website stayed pretty much the same. The only thing that was ‘freshened up’ was the website’s look and feel.”

An adaptive website

The website of QBS group is now an ‘adaptive’ website which is more than just a ‘responsive’ website. Sander: “A ‘responsive’ website means that the content of the website stays the same on every device. An ‘adaptive’ website, however, shows different content on different devices. For example certain images are not shown on mobile devices. Also tables that are not suitable for mobile devices are not shown.”

It has only just begun

QBS group’s adaptive website went live successfully, but that doesn’t mean the work is over. Sander: “It has only just begun. Releasing a new website means the start of a new phase. We are now going to see how the mobile version of our website is being used and how we can improve this. For example, if we see that more people register for events on the mobile version of our website than on the desktop version, we can choose to move the link for registering higher up the page on the mobile version. And in that way increase registrations.”

Marketing partners

The new website was made possible by QBS marketing partners Spankracht and Maxdoro. Sander: “Spankracht took care of the new ‘look and feel’ and Maxdoro was responsible for coding. I’d like to say thanks to both partners for their hard work. They’ve done a great job.”

See our mobile version

Interested in seeing how the mobile version of our website looks? Take a peek on your mobile phone or just make your browser window smaller and experience the difference.

Would you like your website to be adaptive too?

Do you need your website to responsive or adaptive? Not sure whether it’s necessary for mobile access to your website? Need help to review the possibilities? Then please contact us for our advice.

Why every Dynamics ERP partner should embrace Dynamics CRM

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We live in a world where the customer is our new CEO! Where companies can only grow if they are attractive for new customers. And at the same time deliver outstanding services to their existing customers. So if your customers are your biggest asset, it is smart to pay maximum attention to this asset. And to do everything you can to make them happy. And keep them satisfied.

Traditionally companies started their process automation with things like accounting, order management and warehousing in an ERP system like Dynamics ERP. Sales and marketing processes were scheduled for a later stage of the implementation. Any then often these processes were covered with the CRM module of Dynamics NAV, AX, GP or SOL. For obvious reasons! It was easy to implement. Offered great integration. And was good for an acceptable TCO value. Many sales departments however felt this as a compromise. And not without reasons! ERP is built around the structured order, creation and delivery processes. Where in CRM the unstructured (potential) customer is the central point. So that’s two completely different angles!

The Microsoft strategy

For many years Microsoft’s predecessors Navision, Damgaard and Great Plains developed CRM functionality into their ERP offerings. But a few years ago Microsoft decided to change that strategy. Since then the company puts all her development efforts regarding the CRM domain in the Dynamics CRM product. And not in the CRM modules of Dynamics NAV, GP, SOL and AX anymore. Today there’s really no indication that this strategy will chance.

Your customer needs

Where the development of the CRM module in the several Dynamics ERP solutions slowed down, the buying behavior of prospective customers changed in an unbelievable past over the last few years! And is still changing. The impact of more powerful customers and significant changing buying behavior is that companies can only survive with the best possible tools for sales, marketing, service and social. And unfortunately that’s not the CRM module of Dynamics ERP anymore!

If you ignore this….

In the next 3 to 5 years all current Dynamics ERP customers will buy a professional CRM system. If you’re lucky they will buy Microsoft Dynamics CRM. But if you’re unlucky they will buy something else. Like Salesforce.com. That’s none of your (ERP) business, you think? Well, you’ll be surprised! Today Salesforce.com is well known for their strong CRM offering. But they also have a development platform called SalesForce 1. And today they are able to also deliver an ERP system, called Financialforce. What will happen if your ancient NAV version 3.70 user or AX version 3.0 user with loads of customizations will see today’s version of FinancialForce? Please check this video here: http://www.financialforce.com/

The entrance of SFDC in your Dynamics ERP customer base will work as a Trojan horse. Over time they will also steal your NAV, GP, SOL or AX customer. And you’ll end up with nothing….

Cost versus value

Using the CRM module of Dynamics NAV is of course a cheaper solution than implementing Dynamics CRM as well. So is walking to your customers and leave your car at home. But most companies don’t buy ERP and CRM solutions with the goal to limit the costs. They acquire these systems to become more effective. So they focus on the value! And like it or not – the sales and marketing people at your customers and prospects will find more value in Dynamics CRM than in the CRM module of your Dynamics ERP solution.

Scenarios

So Dynamics ERP partners that want to protect their existing customer base and find new customers more easily have to add Dynamics CRM to their value proposition. Here I see two possible scenarios. Either you will market, sell, deliver and support Dynamics CRM yourself. Or you go for a partnering model. For smaller ERP partners it will probably be smarter to co-operate with an existing Dynamics CRM partner. At WPC 2014 Microsoft reported that already 28 of the top-50 Dynamics ERP partners worldwide have built up substantial Dynamics CRM units. You can find CRM partners open for this kind of co-operation through your Microsoft contacts of via your local Master VAR.

The cost of this is…

Building your own CRM practice demands for an investment. That’s why a co-operation model might be an interesting alternative. Both options demands for a time and money investment. But at the end the cost of ignoring all this and do nothing will cost you more! And this is probably going to be more expensive every day you wait longer….

Should you, as a Dynamics NAV ERP partner, need any support on this, please contact us.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 Feature Comparison

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When it comes to upgrading your clients to the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV are you able to provide them detail about the differences between each version? This page may help.

When it comes to upgrading your clients to the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV it can feel like you are ‘hitting your head against a brick wall’. Convincing them that moving to NAV 2015 will be more beneficial to their business than sticking with their current version can take a lot of effort.

I imaging you have advised your client that keeping their solution up-to-date is essential to the future of their business. Taking advantage of the new available functionality and enhanced capabilities in the recent releases can also boost productivity, reduce costs, and improve customer service. But it would help to understand the functionality they have in their existing version and how migrating could help them.

However, unless you are a veteran of Microsoft Dynamics NAV it is unlikely you will know the feature variations of each version. So how can you possibly give them the right advice and convince them they need to migrate?

Well, Microsoft have come up with a very handy ‘Feature Comparison Tool’ which compares all versions of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, from version 4.0 to the latest version; NAV 2015. The tool allows you to compare all previous versions of Microsoft Dynamics NAV with the latest incarnation NAV 2015, to see how the new version differs from your current solution. The capabilities that are highlighted are all based on core product functionality that has been developed by Microsoft Dynamics.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 Feature Comparison Tool

If you are a current or potential Microsoft Dynamics NAV user and need to discuss any software requirements then please reference to our product site ERP Central for more information.

How to survive Mobilegeddon?

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On the 21st of April 2015, Google released a major update that might have a huge impact on the mobile visibility of your website. This update has now been renamed in ‘Mobilegeddon’. If your website receives a lot of mobile search traffic via Google search and your site is not suitable for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, this search traffic could decrease.

What is a mobile friendly website?

Your website is ‘mobile friendly’, when your pages are easy to read and easy to navigate, without a need to zoom in or to flip your device.

How important are these visitors who visit your site via a mobile device?

Of course, as owner of the website, you are the only one who can give the right answer. But there is a clear trend that mobile usage is substantially growing.

In the Netherlands there are as many smartphone as laptop users and the number of people with a tablet equals the number of people with a desktop computer. In the United States 94% of the people search via the smartphone. And 77% of all mobile searches is carried out at home or at work, thus in places where probably also desktop computers are present.

Google rates ‘mobile’ so important, that ‘mobile friendly’ is now included in the search results.

What should you do now?

Step 1 Test your website on mobile friendliness

If you want to be sure your website is mobile friendly, check your site with the mobile-friendly test of Google.

Step 2 Determine the impact of the “Mobilegeddon” update on your mobile traffic.

If your website doesn’t pass this test, determine how big the impact is on the number of visitors to your website.

Google Analytics lets you see the impact of organic search traffic via mobile devices in the period before and after the 21st of April. Now you can determine if this impact justifies an investment in for example a responsive website.

NOTE: If you want to know how to generate this insight via Google Analytics, contact QBS group.

Step 3: Make your website mobile friendly

If you decide that you should invest in a mobile friendly website, you can choose from four strategies, depending on your budget and degree of urgency:

  1. Convert your existing desktop website into a responsive version.
  2. Launch a mobile site next to your existing desktop website.
  3. Replace your existing website entirely with a new, sustainable, adaptive or responsive website.
  4. Make your most important pages responsive first.

Decide how your organisation and your visitors experience a mobile site.
Do they see mobile as an extension of the regular website or is mobile an important starting point?
Is it all about sales and conversion or do you just want to inform your visitors?

Probably, you are already informed about this by your web builder and maybe you have already received several offers for the development of a new website.

Important in determining the right choices, decide what you want to achieve with your mobile site. What is your primary goal and how will this mobile website contribute to achieving this goal?

 

What Dynamics NAV Partners can expect from Directions EMEA

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In the first week of October you can find the European Microsoft Dynamics NAV partners heading North East. They’ll travel to the city of Poznan in Poland – this year’s location for the DIRECTIONS EMEA event.

DIRECTIONS is an event for Dynamics NAV partners, organized by Dynamics NAV partners. Traditionally this event was focused on the technical and functional roles in a partner organization. Over the last few years however this focus shifted to cover also the more business related topics and roles.

There are two editions of DIRECTIONS: one for the US and one for Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA). The US edition took place in San Diego in the second week of September.

This year the organization committee expects a large attendance at the EMEA edition. May be even an all-time high! For that reason they picked a much larger location. Last year’s edition in Vienna was sold out quite fast and a number of partners ended up on the waiting list.

What can Microsoft Dynamics NAV partners expect from this year’s event?

  • The introduction of Dynamics NAV 2015. DIRECTIONS is the platform where Microsoft releases the new version of Dynamics NAV, called Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015. Of course partners can expect a large number of deep dive session regarding new functionalities, the availability on new devices and upgrade strategies.
  • IN and ON. At DIRECTIONS 2013 Microsoft announced the slogan IN and ON. IN Office365 and ON Azure. This new slogan was and still is a nice reminder for partners that Dynamics NAV is not a stand-alone solution anymore! Over time Microsoft wants her partners to sell and deliver integrated solutions, rather than point solutions. After all the famous Microsoft stack is the most compelling reason for prospects to choose Microsoft over any other competitor.
  • A Business Solution from Microsoft. As the next step after IN and ON we can expect the introduction of BSfM. That’s the new acronym for a Business Solution from Microsoft. This expression was announced at the Worldwide Partner Conference last July in Washington. BSfM goes beyond IN and ON since it also includes solutions like Dynamics CRM and Power BI. It will be interesting to hear Microsoft’s strategies on the transformation of her partner channel from just Dynamics NAV to BSfM solutions.
  • R2R, GR2R and RAMP. Two years ago Microsoft started a new project in her NAV and GP channels called Road to Repeatability (R2R). This project focuses on methodologies of selling and delivering high volumes of new customers in a very efficient way. Last year the company designed a short edition of this program called R2R RAMP. But again, only meant for a selected group of partners. This autumn however the RAMP program will be offered to the NAV partners all over the world at four main NAV events in the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific. In short the R2R approach is a shift from Projects to Products. From complex, expensive and long lasting customized projects to a standardized approach based on a standard solution, a faster sales cycle and a short delivery process. Could be cloud based, could be on premise.
  • The RAMP Leadership track in Poznan. At this DIRECTIONS event NAV partners can attend the Leadership track of the RAMP program. It’ll give them insights in the changing buying behaviour of modern prospects and the most efficient way for a partner to react. On top of that comes a high-level overview of the impact on the different domains in a partner company, such as Sales and Marketing but also Delivery and Support. The separate in-depth Sales and Marketing tracks can be attended after DIRECTIONS since Microsoft is busy offering these courses in many countries throughout Europe.
  • New growth aspirations for Dynamics NAV. Earlier this year Microsoft disclosed that Dynamics NAV crossed the magic barrier of 100.000 midsized NAV customers worldwide. The official number was an impressive 102.000 with a growth of 8.000 customers over the last 12 months! We expect Microsoft to announce the next milestone in this growth path. But also when this milestone should be achieved. And what partners can do to contribute to this ongoing growth. We expect that the R2R way of thinking needs to contribute to the ongoing (and even faster) growth of Dynamics NAV in the worldwide marketplace.

Partner Master Class, a sister company of QBS group, is a Microsoft certified R2R training company. PMC delivers these training courses throughout Europe since the start of the program two years ago.

Your benefits?

Only RAMP certified partners get access to the Microsoft Dynamics subscription pricelist and get an interesting discount on Azure pricing. That’s interesting of course. But much more important is probably the fact that this program prepares partners to be successful in the new era of subscription pricing, packaged solutions, faster delivery and growth in volume.

Interested?

Are you interested in joining these programs? Feel free to contact us and/or schedule a meeting with us in Poznan. You can contact us at info@qbsgroup.com

See you in Poznan!

How Buyers Buy… and four ways Marketing can help them choose you

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This time I wanted to share an interesting article from Marketing Profs with you, which is based on a survey by Mike Schultz and John Doerr. The article is called “How Buyers Buy… and four ways Marketing can help them choose you”

How Buyers Buy… and four ways Marketing can help them choose you

With the Internet, the Great Recession, and intensification of competition in many industries, the way buyers buy has changed. Buyers are busier, they have more choices, and they are better informed than ever.

So what are the companies that are bringing in new customers and growing their accounts doing that’s different?

To find out, bestselling authors and world-renowned sales experts Mike Schultz and John Doerr went to the source: buyers themselves. They surveyed over 700 B2B buyers responsible for $3.1 billion in annual purchases. They wanted to know what the winners of actual sales opportunities are doing that’s different from what others are doing and published the results in Insight Selling: Surprising Research on What Sales Winners Do Differently.

Seven factors rose to the top as those that most separate winners from second-place finishers. These factors are displayed in the image on the right.

 

Although those factors directly relate to what the seller did during the sales process, there are four core ways Marketing can help support Sales to do those things.

1. Connect buyer needs and your company’s solutions

“Listened to me” and “understood my needs” were the No. 4 and No. 5 factors, respectively, among those that most separated the winners from the rest. Factor No. 7 was “crafted a compelling solution.” It’s often Marketing’s role to understand buyer needs and develop materials and insights that hit on buyer hot buttons. Most companies, however, leave it up to individual sellers to come up with all the ways to match needs to solutions.

At the same time, Marketing tends to have reams of data for how their offerings benefit the customer. Marketing can and should create playbooks—graphs, charts, grids, and so on—that show how specific buyer needs match up to company products and services as solutions.

To make it relevant for sellers, marketers should collaborate with sales leaders to come up with questions that sellers can ask to uncover needs across different categories. By asking those questions, sellers demonstrate that they are listening to buyers, at the same time uncovering a broader set of buyer needs.

This kind of tool—and appropriate training on how to use it—can have a major impact on sellers’ consistently connecting the dots between needs and solutions.

2. Educate buyers with new ideas and perspectives

Of the 42 factors we studied, the No. 1 factor that separated winners from second-place finishers was that sellers educated buyers with new ideas and perspectives. In marketing lingo, we’re talking about content marketing. It’s never too early to start educating buyers via valuable content on your website and blog.

Later in the sales process, companies often leave it up to sellers to figure how to educate buyers on their own. But it’s marketers who are masters of storytelling, crafters of the best PowerPoint slides, and producers of insightful content such as whitepapers, videos, research, articles, webinars, and the rest.

The more Marketing supports sellers to provide and introduce those new ideas and perspectives proactively to buyers, the more sellers will sell and the happier everyone will be.

3. Persuade buyers they will achieve worthwhile results

“Persuaded me we would achieve results” was the No. 3 factor among those that most separated sales winners from second-place finishers. That statement has two important parts: (1) results and (2) some reason buyers believed they could achieve them.

This is truly an area in which Marketing can shine by producing… Case studies that demonstrate how results were achieved with clients Testimonials—text and video—featuring buyers and their experiences and results Research and trend data to support that the new idea, whatever it is, is the wave of the future, and that those companies employing said strategy will succeed in the new business environment Presentation decks to help sellers explain new ideas and showcase the return-on-investment case

These kinds of marketing pieces not only help buyers see what results are possible but also build a buyer’s desire to achieve those results.

Brand awareness and perception also play a key role here. The stronger a company’s brand, the more likely buyers will believe that similar results are within their reach.

4. Collaborate with buyers

The No. 2 factor among those that most separated winners from second-place finishers was “collaborated with me.” Marketing is often instrumental in creating platforms for its customer base and market for interacting with the company.

Platforms can be as simple as running online and offline events, or as involved as creating robust online communities. Either way, Marketing can create the perception, and provide the platform, for the company to be collaborative and customer-focused

 

This Blog was originally posted by Marketing Profs