Accelerating your Revenue Growth

One of the keys to international sales success is to understand how to recruit, support, motivate and manage the relationship with partners in each country market. The York Group's network of local and international channel experts excel in these tasks, as demonstrated by the experience of Blue Ocean Software, now known as Numara Software, a leading vendor of help desk and asset management software.

Based in Tampa , Florida , the company had become a major player in the U.S. market by using an aggressive direct marketing program to build product awareness. At the same time a network of 15 international resellers had been established, but the revenues they generated amounted to less than 10% of Blue Ocean 's overall total, far from meeting expectations.

The York Group was asked to review the existing channel partners and then develop a detailed international channel development plan that could be used as a blueprint for successful global expansion.

We selected The York Group because of its hands-on experience in recruiting resellers and distributors," said vice-president of marketing Bob Scheinfeld. "We were very impressed with their understanding of how resellers think, and we felt that their extensive methodology would allow us to implement an effective program quickly and easily."

The York Group started with a review of the current partners, and analyzed how resources could be used to make the network more productive. The York Group provided Blue Ocean with a comprehensive three-part game plan, with a detailed month-by-month program to build the necessary internal infrastructure, re-qualify non-producing resellers, and then recruit and manage new partners.

"The York Group gave us everything we needed," said Mr. Scheinfeld. "We hired an international reseller manager, and by implementing the plan from The York Group we grew international revenues from $400,000 to $7.6 million in four years. We now have a European presence with headquarters in the U.K. , and the tools and processes provided by The York Group are still an essential part of our operating procedures. Our U.K. office continues to benefit from on-the-ground support from The York Group's many European offices."