Johannesburg, 06 Dec 2011
As 2011 draws to a close, businesses around the country are gearing up to meet the new year head-on. While this year provided many companies with challenging business conditions, it also offered growth opportunities for those that were able to think on their feet. Phoenix Software hit the ground running in 2011, and its solid growth is set to continue into 2012.
The specialist distributor has seen a steady increase in both customers and vendors over the past two years, and has used its increasing revenue to build the company. This is the result of careful strategic planning and implementation, explains the company's CEO, Simon Campbell-Young.
Phoenix Software has been successful in supplying solutions and products to retailers, resellers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). While ensuring that its fundamentals are always sound, the company has steadily increased its portfolio, offering a wider range to its customers.
The company intends to keep this momentum growing, building on its successful initiatives and establishing new ones in order to achieve its R200 million revenue target at the end of next year. “We have taken the first steps in the creation of a solid growth platform in a very dynamic market. Our success proves that we are approaching it in the right way, and we will continue to acquire new products that meet our quality standards and fit into our business. Our strategy will continue to centre on highly reliable service and excellent products, allowing our customers to benefit from a wider range of products, improved services and greater proximity,” Campbell-Young says.
One of the biggest focus areas for Phoenix Software remains its channel development. The company exceeded its recent distribution growth plans by adding 800 new resellers to its network. "Our resellers are strategically located throughout South Africa and are the catalyst to the success of our company," says Campbell-Young. “Starting from a very small reseller base, today we have a strong channel of 3 000 loyal reseller partners.”
He explains that the company's business model has been a key factor to its success. The organisation invests heavily in hiring and upskilling the sales, marketing and support staff necessary to ensure Phoenix Software's resellers get the best service. “These resources are extended to resellers to help them prosper. We pride ourselves on the fact that we don't just shift boxes, but provide all the support resellers need to make sales.” In addition to the usual partner benefits, Phoenix Software's resellers also get reseller specific, customised training for the company's vendor products, end-user and channel partner onsite training and demonstrations, and pre-sales consulting, scoping and advice.
In addition, the company has embraced technology to further simplify the lives of its resellers. Using its ESD (electronic software delivery) expertise, Phoenix Software created a localised vendor portal to provide comprehensive information and content on the vendor's technology and products, as well as fully localised service using localised currency requirements. This is in addition to all of the existing benefits customers would have been provided on the vendor's international site. For example, Campbell-Young points out, South African resellers will no longer have exchange issues, and by using their local credit cards on the site, will still be able to make use of all the rewards offered them by their credit providers.
“This is a continuation of our strategic expansion plan that is catapulting Phoenix Software into the distribution major leagues,” Campbell-Young concludes.
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