Sage launches joint finance programme

The SageFinance Scheme is being launched at the Sage Expo partner event in Birmingham this week.

Under the scheme, Sage resellers will be able to offer a leasing service to customers who have previously been put off investing in new accounting infrastructure because of the need for a large initial cash injection.

The scheme can be used to fund Sage business software as well as any necessary hardware and related support services, explained Nigel Hudson, managing director of Sage’s new business division.

The scheme will also bring added business to channel partners, Hudson claimed.’Resellers can unlock additional potential for each account, especially the ability to sell upgrades to the customer during the period of the finance agreement,’ he said.

It will also help partners overcome objections on cost because customers are less likely to ask for discounts when using a finance scheme, Hudson said.Each application will have a 24-hour turnaround, and resellers can apply either by phone or via the Sage Web site, he added.

‘Syscap really understands the reseller channel and this is definitely the best model to provide maximum support for our channel partners,’ Hudson said.Philip White, sales director of Syscap said the scheme differed from others because it applied to all resellers rather than a select few.

‘Most traditional broad-based finance companies tend to neglect the smaller guy, but the Sage scheme is open to all resellers regardless of their size,’ he said, adding that Syscap is ‘delighted to be partnering with Sage.’

Chris Jones, senior analyst at Canalys.com agreed that the less distinction between resellers the better.

‘This does seem like a good idea. Resellers need to find as many revenue streams as they can in the current market,’ he said.

‘It is also a positive step that this is not an exclusive scheme with segregation of resellers, where only the largest partners qualify,’ Jones said.

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This article first appeared on vnunet.com