Navision South Africa adopts two-pronged channel strategy

Accounting and business management solution provider Navision has adopted a two-pronged approach to its channel strategy. According to Navision South Africa managing director Keith Mullan, the company has begun targeting leading accounting firms, as well as resellers who deal in competitive products.

"The strategy has already begun to bear fruit and we expect all resellers appointed between now and the end of the year to be marketers of competitive products," he says, adding that no fewer than 20 resellers are expected to sign up before then.

Mullan admits that this approach is a new one for Navision, but says the decision to go this route was taken "because we have come to realise that our product is much better than we originally thought, when compared to what is on offer from our competitors. Consequently, we feel that this is going to be the easiest route to market for us."

Navision announced a third quarter turnover four times higher than that of the same period last year and Mullan says the company continues to win market share from its competitors. He attributes this success to the Navision resellers. "Most of our solution centres are large, international corporate companies, with established credentials in the marketplace. End-users know they only deal in reputable solutions and so are eager to do business with them. The fact that there are already more than 2 000 registered Navision users in SA is a clear indication of the growing confidence the market has in our product."

"The Navision suite is extremely competitive, both from a price and functionality perspective, and is very user-friendly," says Paul Henry, managing director of NSC Vari-Vision. "Additionally, users don`t have to buy the entire suite to derive all the benefits of the solution. They only need to invest in those modules that satisfy their immediate needs, and can purchase additional modules later as their business requirements change."

"Our clients have the assurance that high-level technical support is always available from Navision, owing to the backing they receive from Navision International," adds Manuela Saraiva, director of Information Technology Solutions.

Norman Zvenyika, managing director of Zimbabwe-based Pinsoft Management Consultants, echoes this sentiment. "We have access to a good support network from Navision SA, and are privileged to work with a family of professional NSCs, implementing and supporting a world- class product," he says. "The Navision solution offers comprehensive functionality for small to medium-sized organisations, together with quick implementation time. Additionally, it is user-friendly, easy and quick to customise, and comes at a reasonably pegged licence fee and low cost of ownership."

To ensure an ongoing high level of service and support, Navision has also embarked on an aggressive certification drive among its channel partners. "Unless resellers have at least five certified Navision specialists in their company, they won`t be able to qualify as a Navision Solution Centre, and draw all the benefits that go with the title," declares Mullan.

According to Mullan, Navision focuses on building long-term relationships with its customers. "Our objective is not to sell our customers a solution and then forget about them," he explains. "Instead, we want to be able to present them with ongoing enhancements to our products so that they can further improve their business. This is one of the reasons why 25% of our revenue is spent on research and development."

To this end, Mullan says Navision will be focussing much of its future attention on liaison with accounting firms. "They not only have a substantial influence over the end-user, but in their dealings with them develop an accurate picture of what they want from a business solution," he concludes.