Most vendor promotions for business and accounting software aren’t anything to write home about. A free user here. Some free modules there. Ten percent back to use for implementation services.
The last month or two, though, a couple of the big dogs in the market, Sage and Microsoft, have released some really significant savings. Microsoft is currently running a 5 users for $3,000 promotion. Sage is offering users of products soon to be discontinued (Sage Pro [formerly SBT and Pro Series] and PFW [Platinum for Windows]) the opportunity to trade their legacy products in return for new licenses of ACCPAC. Even Intuit has been running some nice promotions.
I think this is an indication that these vendors see a pick up in the market, but that customers are still nervous about committing to large capital expenditures. They all seem directed at helping decision makers to do something before the end of the year.
If you think your company might need new business, ERP or accounting software in the next few months, now is a good time to test the market. Give me a ring and I’ll tell you what I know.