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SAP Partner Success StorySAP Business All-in-One Fast-Start Program

SAP PArtner turnS “GreAtreceSSion” into GreAt reSultS

Company• Name: CONTAX Inc.• Web site: www.contax.com• Year ounded: 1991• SAP partner since: 2008

Business Model SummaryRapid and cost-e ective enterprise resourceplanning implementations or companiesbelow US$100 million in revenue

Industries• Consumer products• Engineering, construction, and operations• Manu acturing• Pharmaceuticals• Wholesale distribution

Employees100

“Growth companies are out there in thisspace. You just have to ind them.” Anddo what you do best.

While CONTAX rapidly drives volumebusiness with the SAP Business All-in-One ast-start program, the companycontinually develops strong long-termrelationships with its customers.Pearson notes that the SAP Business

All-in-One ast-start program “ma esit all possible.”

Simplifying Everything with theFast-Start Program

“The ast-start program vastly simpli ieseverything rom quote to demo stagesthrough to implementation with precon-

igured solutions,” Pearson points out.“This approach o sets the widely heldperception that such systems are armore complex and time-consuming toinstall and deliver ROI. We are provingotherwise with each deal we sign.”

CONTAX’s business in 2009 predomi-nantly consisted o sales to new cus-tomers. The solution provider expectsthe mix to shi t this year to about 70%o sales derived rom new customers

A unny thing happened to CONTAX Inc.on its way to the worst economy in memory.Growth. Lots o it.

The company became an SAP channelpartner in 2008 when IT spending loo edblea rom many perspectives. CONTAX,however, saw the mar et very di erently.Within the irst 12 months, the companysigned eight new customers to SAP®

Business All-in-One solutions acrossmultiple industries.

On a Roll with a 30% Growth Rate

With sales cycles averaging ewer than30 days and implementations typicallycompleted in less than 10 wee s, thisToronto-based consultancy quic ly got ona roll and hasn’t loo ed bac – except tobuild on what it was doing right. CONTAXgrew by 30% in 2009 and anticipates thesame growth rate in 2010.

“We target small, rapidly growing compa-nies with under US$100 million in annualrevenue – businesses that need the unc-tionality o SAP Business All-in-One tosupport their expansion and increasinglycomplex operational requirements,” saysMichael Pearson, CONTAX president.

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and 30% rom existing accounts. Aprimary reason is the ast-start pro-gram, which has enabled the companyto quic ly build a base o satis iedcustomers that are open to additionalo erings supporting growth and

urther operational improvement. SAPBusinessObjects™ Edge BusinessIntelligence so tware is among theproducts driving sales with both newand existing customers, as companieso all sizes loo to strengthen reporting,analysis, and overall decision ma ing.

Getting into the Groove

When CONTAX was ounded in 1991,its business model covered a broadrange o technologies and systemintegration opportunities. A ter about10 years, the company began to movein a new direction. “We realized that

the bene its o SAP so tware couldclearly help small and midsize companiesdo better business,” Pearson explains.“We retooled and retrained our people

with this reality in mind. We acquired anabundance o product nowledge and

technical and presales s ills along the way that we applied when we joinedthe SAP PartnerEdge™ program.”

CONTAX immediately went to wor ,ta ing its experience to the next levelthrough the online sales and presalestraining SAP o ers through the pro-gram. SAP channel development man-agers and enablers were engaged toaccelerate the company’s ramp-up andauthorization.

“The ability o our employees to be-come certi ied online and learn howto most e ectively manage salescycles paved the way or great thingsto come,” Pearson says. “The SAPPartnerEdge program has been instru-mental, providing the unique combina-tion o dedicated people and resourcesthat supports partners so well. We’reexcited about the enhancements beingmade to the program this year.”

Leveraging SAP Resources

Pearson’s advice to both new and exist-ing SAP partners: “Leverage the channelpartner portal and the personnel SAPdevotes to its partner ecosystem.There’s clearly no better enterpriseresource planning so tware in the

world, and the commitment to partners

is huge. SAP has done its homeworand ully recognizes that the indirectchannel represents the best route tosuccess in the mar et o small andmidsize enterprises.”

CONTAX today employs approximately100 people, including a broad mix oconsultants, pro essional services, andbusiness process integration specialists.The company has six Level II–certi iedsales sta and eight Level II–certi iedpresales sta members. Sales and pre-sales sta periodically per orm otherroles, but they remain sharply ocusedon selling and developing new businessat all times.

Many CONTAX pro essional servicessta are generalists, nowledgeable incross- unctional and technical aspectso SAP so tware. “This translates intosmaller, more cost-e ective implemen-tation teams or our customer projects,”Pearson explains.

“We target small, rapidly growing

companies with under $100 million

in annual revenue – businesses that

need the functionality of SAP Business

All-in-One to support their expansion

and increasingly complex operational

requirements. Growth companies are

out there in this space. You just haveto find them.”Michael Pearson, President, CONTAX Inc.

“The fast-start program vastly simpli-fies everything from quote to demostages through to implementationwith preconfigured solutions. Thisapproach offsets the widely held per-ception that such systems are farmore complex and time-consumingto install and deliver ROI.”

Michael Pearson, President, CONTAX Inc.

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“Leverage the channel partner portal and the personnel SAP devotes to its

partner ecosystem. There’s clearly no better enterprise resource planning

software in the world, and the commitment to partners is huge. SAP

has done its homework and fully recognizes that the indirect channel

represents the best route to success in the market of small and midsize

enterprises.”

Michael Pearson, President, CONTAX Inc.

“We stic to our strengths and stay o-cused on our target mar ets,” Pearsonsays in describing the company’s eyreasons or success, especially in oneo the most challenging economicenvironments in history. “Our people

are consistently developed with thismentality rom the time we bring themon board.”

Going Where Decision Makers Go

A mix o traditional mar eting, such asdirect mail, combines with electroniccommunications and participation inbusiness networ ing events to uelCONTAX’s growth. “We go wheredecision ma ers go,” Pearson says,

adding that SAP campaign materialssimpli y the e ort. “We leverage exist-ing customer relationships as much aspossible, but we don’t limit our ocusto any particular vertical mar et. The

ast-start program allows us to e icient-ly provide the end-to-end unctionalitythat most industries and businessesrequire.”

By concentrating on prospect compa-nies with less than $100 million insales, CONTAX salespeople typically

ind easier access to the one personthey strive to engage rom the outset:the business owner, CEO, or president.“This is crucial in avoiding more lengthysales cycles,” Pearson says. “In ourtarget mar ets, the highest-level execu-tives are almost always going to ma ethe inal decision, so it ma es the mostsense to engage them rom thebeginning.”

Understanding Market Language– and Needs

Most o CONTAX’s customers seeimproved supply chain management tosupport their growth, and the company’s

extensive related experience requentlyopens the door. Presales pro essionalsapply exceptional industry and product

nowledge in areas ranging rom engi-neering, construction, and operationsto consumer products, wholesaletrade, manu acturing, distribution,and pharmaceuticals. “Spea ing thelanguage” o these mar ets ma es atremendous di erence, according toPearson.

“With the SAP Business All-in-Oneast-start program, plus our industrynowledge, we’re able to quic ly an-

swer the most important questions up

ront and deliver on expectations duringimplementation,” Pearson says. “Ourcustomers and prospects realizethrough this approach that we cangive them all the unctionality theyneed now and in the uture – and all

within their budget.”

Fulfilling Niche Requirements withan Extended Network

Now CONTAX is adding a new dimen-sion with the SAP Extended Businessprogram. “This allows us to help ourown partners gain invaluable SAP ex-perience and expertise without ma ingthe investment it ta es to becomea ull- ledged SAP partner,” Pearson

says. “These are smaller companiesthat help us address niche require-ments. We now have a great way tohelp them improve in this capacity, asSAP ma es select resources availableto support their development andpotential growth within the global SAPpartner ecosystem. It’s another exampleo SAP going the extra mile to ullyenable the success o its channelpartners.”

“With the SAP Business All-in-One

fast-start program, plus our industry

knowledge, we’re able to quickly

answer the most important questions

up front and deliver on expectations

during implementation. Our customersand prospects realize through this

approach that we can give them all

the functionality they need now and

in the future – and all within their

budget.”Michael Pearson, President, CONTAX Inc.

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