Last week, Sage hosted their Sage Summit 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an engaged event that allowed accountants and small business owners to discuss their concerns, praises and more with Sage team members.
The Summit began with an opening keynote from Blair Crump, President of Sage. In Crump’s presentation, he had a heavy emphasis on Sage’s dedication to their customers and helping them achieve their goals. He discussed Sage’s focus on customer success – having the company invest heavily in the U.S. with technology, support centers and providing resources appropriately.
Nancy Harris, Managing Director of Sage North America, discussed Sage North America’s intentions on cloud and on-premise technology. While Harris noted that sixty-three percent of companies understand the importance of cloud technology, they are stressed about deploying it. She also mentioned that over fifty percent want a hybrid solution – not committing to one or the other. Sage’s ability to allow customers to choose what programs and solutions best fit their unique business needs is what their customers want. Harris emphasized that Sage’s goal is not to push their customers in a certain direction, but to help these businesses and firms grow at their comfort level while also helping them keep up with technology trends.
The major takeaway from opening keynotes, including one from Brian Solis, Principal Analyst at Altimeter Group, a Prophet Company, is that Sage is putting customers first in their technological advances and encourages them to push the boundaries. The accountant or small business owner needs to learn how to adapt, while doing it at their own pace so they can truly adapt, not struggle to keep up. And Sage is here to guide them through the process.
Sage Summit
Another topic discussed at Sage Summit was value pricing vs. value billing, or explaining the cost up-front. This means, accountants explaining to their clients from day one exactly the value these services hold, why it matters and giving the client all the information that they need to understand the value you hold as an accountant and advisor. This core difference in how you display your pricing makes a difference in the perception you have made on your potential client, showcasing your expertise and knowledge level that far surpasses your ability to use an accounting software. This strategy also helps set your client’s expectations, as well as your expectations of the client.
Training sessions included Tips and Tricks for Sage 100 Manufacturing, Becoming the Future Ready Accounting Professional, A Cloud-Connected Vision, The Connected Warehouse and Production Floor, Sage 300cloud: The Road Ahead, Gaining a Deeper Understanding of Your Business’ Data with Sage, and many more.
During Sage Summit, Sage released a new manufacturing module for Sage 100cloud and its annual Practice of Now Report. Keep up with us here at Insightful Accountant for more news surrounding Sage and the Sage Ecosystem.