Epicor Partners to Better Target SMBs

Epicor, makers of the Clientele CRM Suite, today announced that it has expanded its value added reseller (VAR) program to include those resellers with better CRM experience. "This announcement is part of our increasing emphasis on creating a strong VAR channel through which we can sell our CRM offering," says Greg Horton, director of marketing for the Clientele division of Epicor, of the company's Partners for Growth channel program. Horton says that the company is teaming with those companies dedicated to using Web services and the .NET framework to enhance CRM solutions. "We believe .Net and Web services is the right direction to take to enable customers to perform easier customization, create alternate user interfaces, and provide for more seamless integration of applications," Horton says. "Of course, it's not all magic," he adds. "Integration doesn't just happen, but is still a lot easier to integrate with than other frameworks that are too complex for smaller businesses to absorb." Epicor's VAR partners will customize the product to be more vertically specific, based on their particular area of expertise. "We have one reseller who has great experience in the educational market, Horton says. "They are taking Clientele, customizing it, and changing the terminology to create a version focused on the specialized needs of educational organizations. "We will also be looking to create our own vertically focused versions of Clientele, but plan to do so without stepping on our partners' toes," Horton says. According to Horton, intensive training programs, access to sales resources for pre- and postsupport on product demonstrations and implementations, as well as marketing tools and programs for lead generation, are a few of the resources available to Epicor partners through the program. Horton says that Epicor has signed more than 20 vendors to the Partners for Growth program, and will continue to seek resellers with specific CRM experience for future reselling deals.