I've got two customers who have signed up to it for Quickbooks. They're still working with 2008 even thought the 2010 version came out ages ago, when we rang last month we were told they would send out the updated discs in the next 10 weeks!!
Ross, I would highly recommend you leave the choice to your client rather than acting as a reseller (which is not your core business). You can make recommendations of course, but all this scheme does is add further ongoing costs to your clients.
Speaking for my own company we have a partner scheme and an affiliate scheme. The minimum commission is 30%. The beauty of schemes like this is you can pass that saving on to your client if you want to. They will thank you for this and you will not be seen to be trying to make a profit on the back of some recommendation.
I know from the many accountants I have talked to over the last couple of decades that whilst they are happy to recommend products, they are not too happy about the customer seeing them as profiteering from it. They are far more interested in the lifelong value of the client. And as I say, clients will see you as being more of a friend.
I would also add one more thing that I stick to rigidly and have found to be important for long term client relations: Only recommend what you have personally tried. That way your client will thank you for it :)
I am not a fan of banks getting involved in selling accounting/ bookkeeping software - your average bank employee has no understanding what they are seilling, and no interest in making sure that the customer ends up with the software that is right for their business. They should stay off our patch.
I'm a banking analyst and work with most of the large retail banks. To a large extent I agree with your statement about banks not getting involved in selling software.
However, to put the situation more into perspective, Banks are really not interested in selling software. The return for them is really not worth their time (in many cases the same can be said for personal accounts).
What they are doing is trying to offer the same or better offerings than their competitors. Keeping accountants happy ensures that one sends clients to that bank rather than the competition so trying to give that bit more is part of the business model.
Unfortunately between the management decisions in the ivory towers and the front line implementation things so often get lost in translation and some bank staff see the sales of software as the objective rather than customer relationship management.
At the end of the day the key is that banks love accountants as we are the unpaid sales people for the banks core business. They offer the products that they think will keep / gain our custom.
Where things get a little grey is where they offer the software deals directly to business customers as that is treading on accountants toes even though such was not their actual intention (that being CRM).
Anyway, just thought that I would do my bit for balancing the argument.
Welcome to the forum and very good point.
kind regards,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
So Sage are the only ones that make any money out of it all, which is a shame.
Bookkeepers and accountants are left to pick up the pieces if the business owner can't use the software properly - a situation that rarely provides them with value for their time.
A frustrating and stressful situation for business owner and advisor alike..
Thank you for the welcome by the way - I think this is going to be fun!
