Grow your business with international reach – learn how GMI group benefits from the Pipol alliance
As a part of our global alliance of leading Dynamics 365 partners, we rely on your expertise and dedication to ensure all our projects are successful. In return, we offer you the opportunity to avail of numerous ways to create revenue and grow your business. Even when you don’t actively participate in implementations.
We want to make sure all our trusted Dynamics and NAV partners are aware of the many advantages that can be gained when you’re an active member of the Pipol alliance. And so, recently we sat down with Willem van Rooij, Sales Manager with GMI group in Belgium to talk about the value Pipol and our global alliance brings to their business. A member of the alliance since 2008, GMI group is a leading software and services company with extensive expertise in the areas of automation (ERP, CRM, ECM, and BI). They specialize in project management business for the construction and installation industries, as well as professional services automation next to the more horizontal finance and trade businesses.
Access to specialists around the globe
As an alliance partner, you have access to the world’s largest organization of Dynamics partners and specialists in multi-national, multi-site D365 implementations. And, whether you need someone on the ground locally to help deploy a project, or you have a small localization question, the alliance can add great value to you and your customers.
“When we use Pipol partners in other countries, those partners are present, on-site, they speak the language and know the local requirements. And, customers can benefit from that; they have a partner in their country. For instance, we had a very small project, only a few days’ work. There were two users in Belgium and a subsidiary in the USA. So we called Pipol to say we needed a partner in the USA and they connected us with Laurel Loehlin (President of BMI), who I knew from the annual Pipol World Conferences. BMI deployed the project – the customer was happy, we were happy, and BMI was happy – everyone was happy! And, even if we have a small question for instance about German localization. I can connect with Pipol and they will answer me directly, or they’ll connect me with a German partner who can help.”
Via Pipol, Partners can also source specialists and other resources from around the globe during peak periods of operations. As well as share resources when demands are low.
Support when you need it
Back in December 2014, Willem met with Roland Europe Group in what would result in one of our most successful international roll-outs of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The project was urgent, and deadlines were tight, so after this first meeting, GMI group and Pipol worked together to create a two-phase plan. The first phase was to rapidly implement Microsoft Dynamics NAV for the new Roland EU HQ in the UK and in the second phase, build a CORE solution and deploy a localized version in Belgium and across other European countries.
“We couldn’t give an exact estimation for phase 1 because we didn’t know what was needed so we created an estimation based on effort. We told them the team would work full-time for 3 months and we would make it happen. Roland approved of the plan and we started working and went live on time.”
“The Pipol team always helps us define the correct solution. We do a joint effort on sales to give the right proposal to the customers – and together – we earn the customer’s trust. And, there’s no time wasted on discussions about who will pay the bills or whatever. We don’t have these kinds of discussions – we just get it done. That’s because we always have the same objectives – to generate more business or revenue in the future. And it works that way because of the trusted relationship we have with Pipol.”
Generate revenue with minimum effort
The second phase of the Roland Group project required deploying the solution to other countries. And when we asked Willem about the current status of the Roland Europe project, he said:
“I’m not sure! And, the reason I don’t know is yet another benefit of working with Pipol. We do the local Belgium deployment and make the CORE solution. But, once that’s ready, it moves over to Pipol, who then finds a partner in Germany or whatever country it needs to be deployed in. We just do the knowledge transfer to those partners, or Pipol does it, and we’re out of the project.”
Cross-selling and upselling opportunities
Being part of the Pipol alliance also offers benefits when it comes to cross-selling and upselling products to international customers. Partners in the alliance have access to a steady stream of international leads and projects going from one partner to another.
“Roland Group also comes to us for cross-selling opportunities. For example, they needed a SharePoint project, and they also wanted scanning capabilities in their centralized warehouse. For all these cross-selling opportunities we do the account management together with Pipol.”
Access to valuable collateral
Pipol provides the structure, legal and contractual support, project management, and resources our partners need. All easily accessed from the Pipol Partner Portal. Our ready-to-use international sales and marketing collateral has been specially developed to support local marketing efforts that are targeted towards international organizations and enabling alliance partners to position their international capabilities through Pipol and the alliance. It includes valuable resources such as our readiness assessment, pricing calculator, campaign tools, ready-to-use guides, and templates for engaging with international customers. So, you can always rely on Pipol to work with you and support you through every stage of the international project.
Strong teamwork
We understand the importance of building strong relationships. And, by promoting dialogue, challenging assumptions, and providing constructive feedback and encouragement, we build strong teams based on mutual trust.
“One of the powers of Pipol is the superb Pipol team. It’s all very agile and flexible and this is how we tend to work. It’s not that formalized so we can act quickly and react quickly. And, when you allow all the partners to benefit then you benefit yourself because you give your customers the advantage of being part of the alliance. One important thing is that you have trust in the alliance and in the other partners. This is needed to provide the necessary services to all the partners. Perhaps the keyword for the alliance is trust, and we are very happy to be part of it.”
Are you enjoying all the benefits?
We want all our partners to benefit from the vast expertise and experience of our international network so they can proactively grow their international reach. Is your organization taking full advantage of the many benefits of the Pipol Alliance?
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, get in touch with us today.
