Maximizer Software, a Vancouver-based CRM (customer relationship manager) vendor, is focusing more on the SMB market and growing its channel base this year, the company’s director of marketing, Bob Neudecker says.
In addition to its headquarters in Vancouver, the company also has regional offices in the United Kingdom, Australia and Hong Kong. Today, the company has more than 120,000 global customers, and a channel network spanning the globe.
While roughly 40 to 50 per cent of Maximizer Software’s overall business goes through partners, Neudecker said the company is working to increase this by using a new sales model that focuses more on the channel.
“This year, we’re looking to grow our channel base as well as clean up what we already have and work on getting more out of it,” he said. “Were putting more emphasis on the channel and utilizing the partners that are already out there because we realize that partners are our feet on the street and they help us get to (customers) that we otherwise couldn’t get to.”
Being a privately-held company, Neudecker couldn’t disclose the number of channel partners the company currently has, other than to say Maximizer’s channel strategy is a global one.
Currently, the company is in version 11 of its Maximizer CRM software solution, Neudecker said. The solution is made up of three main core modules which include marketing, sales and customer service and support, he explained.
“With Maximizer CRM, businesses can report on everything from marketing leads that come in through a Web site, to sales opportunities that are created from leads, customer service support tickets, and more,” Neudecker said.
Neudecker said that prior to its version 11 release of the product, the company had a separate Maximizer CRM offering for mobile devices, desktop products and the Web. Now with its latest version, Neudecker said customers can benefit from having an “all-access” license, where they receive Web, mobile and desktop capabilities, all in a single product.
“Maximizer CRM version 11 is all about mobilizing your workforce,” Neudecker explained. “We’re looking at how organizations work and we want anyone in the organization to be able to access the complete CRM database in real-time in a way that fits into their work and personal life, especially with the popularity of the BlackBerry device.”
Currently, there are two versions (depending on the number of users) of Maximizer CRM — Group and Enterprise editions — priced at $699 and $899, respectively. The company is also working to release an Entrepreneur edition of the solution sometime this summer, Neudecker said. Partners can earn margins in the double digit range on these products, which is a “fairly lucrative opportunity for the channel,” he added.
Particularly in Canada, Neudecker said Maximizer Software will focus its efforts more on engaging with its existing customers and partners this year.
“We’re pushing more of a solutions-sell now with our partners,” he said. “In the Canadian market, we want to get more out of existing customers, whether it’s through add-on licenses or additional services, or even using what they already have in the product and better utilizing it. We’re using Webinars and seminars to really focus on re-engaging with our existing customers and we’re nurturing leads to help get new customers into the mix to get more revenue.”
Follow Maxine Cheung on Twitter: @MaxineCheungCDN.
