NEW YORK (August 08, 2011) – CRM Evolution
SugarCRM’s second-quarter results included significant increases in orders from key markets. North American billings rose by 63 percent over the same quarter in 2010, the Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) region grew by 64 percent and the Rest of the World (ROW) region grew by 30 percent.
“That growth may surprise some people, but it’s not a surprise to us
Chmyz Joins as CFO
To support the company’s rapid growth and help manage its international expansion, Sugar has added Andrew Chmyz as chief financial officer. Chmyz brings with him experience as CFO at publicly-traded software company Marimba, CRM vendor Medallia and other technology companies, as well as strong operating experience from his role as chief operating officer at Concentric Medical, where he launched their international sales operations.
“Joining SugarCRM now in the midst of this growth is incredibly exciting,” Chmyz said. “I’m looking forward to making my contribution to the company’s story as it grows and continues to earn loyal users.”
International Momentum
The numbers in Europe reflect the increasingly global nature of SugarCRM’s customer base. In the first half of 2011, Sugar gained 500 new customers in Europe and increased its channel partner community by 60 percent. The company also redoubled its commitment to the European market, growing its staffing in Germany, Great Britain and France by a factor of five.
“With its flexibility and its capability to readily adapt to Europe’s unique business and regulatory requirements, SugarCRM is a perfect fit for this user community,” said Tom Schuster, vice president and general manager of SugarCRM Europe. “The first half of 2011 really proved that point.”
A similar growth trend in the Asia-Pacific has led to the arrival of Tony Hughes as managing director of SugarCRM Australia Pty. Ltd. A recognized thought leader in the technology and software industries in Australia, Tony also created the unique sales methodology that he described in his book, The Joshua Principle: Leadership Secrets of RSVPselling.
“There’s a growing segment of businesses in Asia and Australia that are clamoring for CRM as they grow and add customers,” said Hughes. “Flexibility and affordability are watchwords, and that’s what SugarCRM delivers.”
Sales Channel Partners Flocking to SugarCRM
Another continuing pattern is the growth of SugarCRM’s sales channel partners. In the first quarter, Sugar gained 25 new partners, raising the total of partners worldwide to 288. That number is one-third higher than the number of SugarCRM partners at the end of the second quarter of last year.
“It’s impossible to overstate the importance of our partners,” said Jeffrey Campbell, vice president of worldwide sales and customer advocacy. “Their reach and expertise
“Every business has unique needs, so it’s great to have a partner like SugarCRM who’s fully grasped the need for both functionality and flexibility,” said Brian Briggs, managing director of ApexTwo, a fast-growing SugarCRM gold-level solutions partner. “Because SugarCRM addressed those aspects of the application so well, we’re then able to tackle the critical customizations for each of our customers and to do them quickly so our customers see value very rapidly.”
“Our business is based on the idea that streamlining processes and fully understanding relationships gives a company a real competitive advantage,” said Alan Earl, president of online marketing specialists, Local One, and a SugarCRM customer. “Sugar’s flexibility allows us to do just that
About SugarCRM
SugarCRM makes CRM Simple. As the world’s fastest growing customer relationship management (CRM) company, SugarCRM applications have been downloaded more than seven million times and currently serve over 800,000 end users in 80 languages. Over 7,000 customers have chosen SugarCRM’s On-Site and Cloud Computing services over proprietary alternatives. SugarCRM has been recognized for its customer success and product innovation by CRM Magazine, InfoWorld, Customer Interaction Solutions and Intelligent Enterprise. For more information, call (408) 454-6900 or 1 87 SUGARCRM toll-free in the US, email contact@sugarcrm.com, or visit http://www.sugarcrm.com.
Source: SugarCRM