Channel Opportunities in MYOB growth story

After a landmark brand campaign and intensive nationwide promotion, MYOB has seen a period of remarkable growth – extending its reach across a broad range of business sectors and introducing an increasing number of new products and services specifically for the local market.

At the forefront of this growth is the company’s network of resellers, the strongest channel for MYOB’s new product sales over the last 24 months.Peter Bramley, MYOB general manager, says resellers have seen real opportunity in MYOB’s development over the past two years.“As more and more small and medium sized businesses – over 90 percent of enterprise in New Zealand – have recognised the value of using MYOB’s business solutions, our resellers have experienced considerable growth in their own businesses,” he says.“This has not only been due to the high-margins resellers enjoy from MYOB’s products but also the opportunity to use the MYOB range to add value to their customer relationships.”Bramley says MYOB offers an excellent suite of business and accounting software tailored to the needs of local businesses and New Zealand’s economic environment. In developing these products he says MYOB has focused on ‘easing the pain’ for the business owner – eliminating the paperwork, reducing the time and investment required for administration and taking away much of the burden of compliance. All of which leaves them free to concentrate on the things they do best – making a success of their business.“This approach makes MYOB’s product range ideal for our resellers, allowing them to create a package of hardware and software solutions tailored to the needs of their new business customers.”In addition to MYOB’s award-winning range of business and accounting software, including MYOB BusinessBasics, MYOB Accounting and MYOB Premier, the company also offers MYOB Payroll and time-management products, specialist retail and Point-of-Sale solutions - like MYOB RetailManager and MYOB RetailHospitality. It also has an increasing number of industry-tailored innovations such as MYOB BizLink, an electronic data interchange system designed for businesses working with trade suppliers.Bramley says resellers also find it easy to introduce MYOB to their product mix with the aid of Ingram Micro’s distribution network.“With their effective and efficient distribution systems, strong communication and high-quality customer support our relationship with Ingram Micro has made selling MYOB extremely easy.”“Our reseller network also sees other benefits through Ingram Micro including exclusive pricing opportunities and promotional bundles.”Additionally MYOB plans to provide increased training and product information to resellers through the Ingram Micro network ensuring they are able to identify the right products for their customers’ needs – throughout the life of their business.Bramley says MYOB resellers can also look forward to the continued expansion of the company’s product range – with the latest innovations attracting a great deal of interest at the recent Ingram Micro Showcase.“Our new web solutions, MYOB WebBasics and MYOB WebManager - which give businesses the tools to establish and manage their online presence - are seen by resellers as a fantastic addition to the MYOB product family and a great way to capture a growing demand from businesses looking to realise the potential of the Internet.”MYOB WebBasics and MYOB WebManager will be available for sale during October through our reseller channels.Resellers will also see new opportunities in the development and expansion of MYOB’s business in New Zealand according to Bramley.“MYOB is continually looking to meet the needs of New Zealand business through investment in new products and services. In particular MYOB has increased its strength in the mid-sized business market with the establishment of MYOB Exonet which offers highly configurable business management solutions for operations with up to 200 employees.”MYOB’s recent acquisition of Comacc, an Auckland-based company specialising in payroll solutions, further extends the range of products MYOB can provide in the employment services sector. “One of the key issues businesses face is managing staff,” says Bramley. “Comacc has an excellent family of solutions and a great reputation for helping employers manage payroll and personnel.” As well as payroll software, time and attendance software and hardware, plus a number of other employee management tools Comacc also provides payroll bureau services and temporary payroll staff.“We’re working within the Comacc business now to identify new product opportunities for resellers.”Another area of strong growth for MYOB is in the range of business support services it offers particularly in the rapidly expanding training and education market.“MYOB resellers have the option of accessing comprehensive training and support to become MYOB Approved Partners which allows them to add specialist product training to their own services.”Ultimately, says Bramley, the success of the reseller channel and its contribution to MYOB’s development has been due not only to the breadth of opportunities provided by the company’s business solutions but also the depth of understanding MYOB has of the New Zealand market and its commitment to its resellers.“We want to work closely with those businesses that share our passion for innovation and our vision of empowering and liberating local businesses,” says Bramley.