Do you feel it? That’s the tug of the ‘mid-market’ pulling your small business clients toward a different accounting solution because their start-up App simply can’t handle their needs. Unfortunately, your client may start looking on their own and end up talking to a solution that will simply write you out of your client’s future because they don’t need or want a local advisor working with their new client.
Fortunately, there is an offsetting ‘pull’ to help you as an accountant, bookkeeper, or consultant who has been helping those small businesses meet their requirements. That ‘pull’ is Gravity, but not the concept of physics but Gravity Software. If you don’t know what I am talking about, then you obviously haven’t read my series about Gravity.
But this article isn’t about their actual software, it’s about what Gravity Software can mean for you, the accountant, bookkeeper or consultant who provides consulting services to small businesses, especially those in need of ‘moving up’ to a solution that can accomplish more for their growing business. Insightful Accountant provides these Advisor Alliance features to specifically make you aware of opportunities that can ‘enhance your pocketbook’ while at the same time assist you in providing the best of service to your clients. That’s why we want to let you know about the Gravity Software Partner Program and the various opportunities it offers.
The Gravity Software Partner Program is a 100 percent channel-based approach, with no direct sales. It’s designed to allow Partners to increase their revenues while at the same time delighting their clients. To do this the Partner Program provides dedicated sales and marketing resources that enable partners with the abilities needed to successfully promote Gravity Software.
As is our practice, Insightful Accountant doesn’t specifically address commission amounts or referral payments of any type, but we do like to let you know about the specific levels of compensation that exist based on partnership opportunities. Because of the significant variation in partnership type and level of participation available, the commissions, licensing discounts, and marketing co-op funds will depend upon the partnership level. Since Gravity offers its Customers a SaaS model which provides a recurring revenue source that can help grow a Partners business, again dependent upon the partner’s participation level.
Gravity_Partner-program_chart_2020-06
So, as you can see above, there are a variety of different Partner types in the Program. Some advisors to small businesses on-the-grow may choose to participate as a ‘Referral Partner’ in which they receive a small commission for simply referring their clients to Gravity. Typically, these are unqualified leads that will take time and resources to review the specific needs of a business to make certain that Gravity Software is a probable fit for the client's needs.
On the other hand, several accountants and advisors already consult with their clients to the extent that they have a great feel for the needs of those clients. They pretty well know what the client needs and what they are looking for and with some orientation specific to Gravity Software they can determine if a client’s business is right for the software. Obviously, the commissions paid to these ‘Certified Recommenders’ will be higher than those paid to a ‘Referral Partner’.
And then we come to Implementation Partners for which different levels are depending upon their certifications. As with many other software applications, some advisors simply take the time to learn more about a product, they develop an interest and expertise, and they are willing to work closely with both the client and Software Developer in getting the client and software ‘teamed-up’ together (as I call it). Since these Gravity Implementors are partners who both resell and implement Gravity they will have the highest earning potential of any of the partner categories.
There is one more type of Partner that Gravity calls a ‘Technical Guru’. Think of them as a team of resource experts who don’t compete with you, but they are there to assist you. They do not sell Gravity Software, but they are available to provide technical resources and support to both Implementation Partners and end-users if needed.
There are a variety of resources available to Gravity Partner participants, and the more intensive your participation, the more sophisticated the resources. For example, Gravity provides all partners with access to training and webinars to improve their product knowledge. For those partners needing a hands-on proficiency of the product, there are additional training opportunities available. In fact, to obtain any level of Gravity Advisor Certification a partner must complete the required education and testing, and recertification is required annually.
The reality is that Gravity gives you a solution that will work for most of your small business clients that are ‘on the grow’ and who need more than what they started within the way of an accounting App. It also means that you get to ‘keep your client’, you aren’t losing them to some giant corporation with a mid-market product who has their full-time implementation staff that will fly in, spend 3 to 5 days on-site while being put up at the best hotel in town, and then fly off, with your former client now firmly entrenched in their telephone support forever never to speak to you again.
And Gravity gives you a way to earn some revenues for the referral to the new product, for helping secure the lead, and for implementing the product into your client’s business at whatever level you are comfortable with. Sure, it takes some work on your part to learn something about this new software called ‘Gravity’, but it took you some time and effort to learn about the software you have been using.
Take it from Murph, if you’ve been looking for a partner program to transition you into the mid-market then you want to take a look at the Gravity Partner Program.
Disclosure:
While this article does not constitute a sponsored feature, it may contain promotions, or URL links to associated websites that are associated with marketing arrangements between Insightful Accountant and the associated website sponsor.