-->

Sage Keeps the Economy in Mind

DENVER — Is it possible to be a champion in today's economic climate? As news of bailouts, cutbacks, and layoffs fill the headlines this week, the 2008 Sage Summit here in Denver seems to insist on positivity. In fact, the business management software provider's president, Doug Meyer, took special note of this apparent contradiction, telling attendees that, although attendance at the customer conference is slightly down compared to last year, there seems to be an aura of friendliness floating through the Colorado Convention Center.

Despite depressing economic news, Tuesday's keynote presentation was all about finding triumph in tough times. Meyer told the crowd that now is the time to "look deeply at ourselves, look at our business and organizations, and find nuggets that brought us success." In times like these, Meyer, said, people are looking for reassurance in -- and trying to keep intact -- the cornerstones of their businesses, all of which Sage helps in providing: accounting, customer management, asset management, and people management. He went on to introduce a public figure who knows a thing or two about fighting for success.

Bruce Jenner, the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion, took the stage to share the riveting story behind his Olympic achievements. "Whether competing at the Olympic level or starting your own business, the journey is the same," Jenner told attendees. It all boils down to competition, he said -- most of all, competition within yourselves. In times when the future is uncertain, it's important to grasp what's important to you, he said. "Make concrete, gut-wrenching decisions about what you want," Jenner advised the audience.

In addition to Jenner's inspiring keynote, the Sage executive team announced something new to the conference this year -- the company's first-ever customer awards. Sage recognized 13 clients in the areas of best innovation, rookie of the year, best end-to-end deployment, best use of customization, community stewardship, best use of multiple Sage Software products/services, and lifetime achievement.

Denis Pombriant, founder and managing principal of CRM consultancy Beagle Research, served as a judge for the inaugural awards. Pombriant says that, in sifting through customer submissions, it became evident that Sage CRM customers often start with other Sage products before adopting the company's SageCRM, SalesLogix, or Act! by Sage. "For many, CRM is only a small part of what they do," Pombriant says. "Once companies are established with [enterprise resource planning] and accounting, they need to naturally look at CRM." And that seems to be the case with the majority of Sage customers.

Pombriant singles out one of this year's winners as a true champion: Rex Moore Electrical Contractors and Engineers of Sacramento, Calif., won a lifetime achievement award for more than 10 years with Sage products. The company is in its third generation of business and has grown organically over time, successfully tackling automation and bringing its business into the Web 2.0 world. 

News relevant to the customer relationship management industry is posted several times a day on destinationCRM.com, in addition to the news section Insight that appears every month in the pages of CRM magazine. You may leave a public comment regarding this article by clicking on "Comments" at the top; to contact the editors, please email editor@destinationCRM.com.

CRM Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues

Related Articles

Sage Shows New Movement on Old Promises

Sage Act! Mobile Live and Sage CRM version 7.0 offer customers mobility and usability.

Sage Sends SalesLogix to the Cloud

Sage Insights '10: After months of readying partners, Sage announces the June availability of SalesLogix for the Cloud.

Sage Sells Solutions, Not Products

Sage Insights '10: Company executives convey Sage's commitment to customer experience and to uniting the brand's business solutions.

Sage Answers the "So What" Question about Software Trends

Sage Summit '09: Company executives describe the response to key industry trends, such as social media, cloud computing, and globalization.

Sage Expands Its Social and Cloud Computing Plans

Sage Insights '09: Executives revisit the Sage CRM 2010 roadmap with insight into what CRM users want -- and are ready for.

Sage Sketches Out Future Strategies: Branding, Social CRM, Integration, and Mobility

Sage Insights '09: Executives outline the future for Act! by Sage, SalesLogix, and Sage CRM products, and discuss the company's "transformational year."

Sage Adds a Little Spice to Its Roadmap

Sage Summit '08: Sage CRM General Manager David van Toor fields questions on social CRM, the recession, and collaborative communities.

Sage Applies Logic to User Adoption

SalesLogix version 7.5 offers extended Web access and customization features.

Filling Out the Spice Rack

Sage Insights '08: A roundup of announcements from last week's partner conference.

The Second Coming of Web 2.0

"Web 2.0" has been the subject of much buzz -- especially in CRM. What's beyond that buzz, and how can you make it work for you?

Swenson Clears the Cobwebs for Sage

Sage Insights '08: The new CEO discusses her observations of the company, and outlines goals and aspirations for the coming year.

Sage's New New Global Strategy

Sage Software's latest CRM shift promises one step up in mobility and another toward integration.

ACT! Enacts an Online Community

Riding the Web 2.0 wave, the Sage Software unit provides a place for users and experts to interact.

Sage Dismisses CEO

Facing challenges, the venerable midmarket vendor beheads its North American operations.

Sage Takes a Vertical Leap

Sage Software's second vertically focused app targets financial services with a new contact/customer management solution.

Sharpened Logic and Analysis for Sage

The vendor announces an improved, expanded version of its popular SalesLogix midmarket suite (and an analytics and reporting package) at its Insights convention.

Sage Unveils a New Taste of CRM

SageCRM 6 includes new training and search tools, along with a customizable suite of features for administrators, giving SMBs what enterprises are used to.

Sage Act!s on Customer Feedback

Act! by Sage 2009 keys in on user requests, aiming to improve their experience.

Buyer's Guide Companies Mentioned