Last week, I was having an email conversation with a partner friend in New Zealand and he mentioned that he had recently gained a number of existing Microsoft Dynamics GP customers from larger partners (VARs) who have decided to de-emphasize their Dynamics GP line of business.
My friend’s comment was this was short sighted and that it was sad when the fight for a quick dollar overrides the value of a long term relationship. His comments prompted me to write this “opinion” article.
Over the last few years Microsoft has placed emphasis on specific products in its Dynamics ERP product range. For example; in the Asia Pacific region it has only pushed the Dynamics AX and Dynamics CRM products (or their Dynamics 365 equivalents) for the last 10 years or so. The effect of this has been a decline in new sales for Dynamics GP (and, I believe, Dynamics NAV).
It has also caused a number of the large Microsoft Dynamics ERP partners, whose largest client base was Dynamics GP, to move away from selling Dynamics GP and the attrition of their Dynamics GP client base. Which then causes them to decrease their resources for Dynamics GP which in turn lowers their quality of service which in turn cause further attrition of the client base.
So you might read this, incorrectly, as Microsoft Dynamics GP has no future, and that other Microsoft Dynamics ERP products are the way to go. But you would be very wrong.
What is actually happening is that the smaller partners are picking up all the clients that the big companies are letting go.
And for new sales, the sites that would have been perfect for Dynamics GP are often being lost to non Microsoft competitors. By blindly pushing one Dynamics ERP instead of the most appropriate solution, partners are losing to competitors when they could have made the sale with Dynamics GP.
Microsoft Dynamics GP (and Microsoft Dynamics NAV) are the cash cows that have been supporting the development of Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and now Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Microsoft would be unwise to kill the cash cows, but have been undermining them by pushing their latest and greatest solutions to the exclusion of the mature products with expansive ISV ecosystems.
I know that the Dynamics GP development team is smaller than it used to be, but that is because the product is a mature product with a full feature set and does not need as much development. With the large number of ISVs developing horizontal and vertical solutions for Dynamics GP and a huge number of customisation and integration options, it can handle almost any requirement. This is something that Dynamics 365 Business Central does not have to offer yet.
So all I can say to these partners is:
- Stop believing all the Microsoft sales hype and continue to serve your customers properly.
- Stop being “short sighted” and decreasing the quality of your service so that your customers have no choice but to leave you.
- Stop helping our competitors by making it look like Dynamics GP does not have a future.
To all the other partners:
- Keep selling and supporting Dynamics GP and you will pick up customers from partners that have “dropped the ball” as well as new customer sites.
- Microsoft Dynamics GP has plenty of life left in it as shown at the recent Microsoft Dynamics GP Tech Conference in Fargo.
- There are new versions of Dynamics GP coming and the existing versions will be supported for many years to come.
I will finish with paraphrasing a quote from Pam Misialek (previously the Microsoft Dynamics GP Marketing Manager): “Microsoft will keep developing Microsoft Dynamics GP while partners keep selling Microsoft Dynamics GP.”.
Also see:
- #GPTechConf Microsoft Dynamics GP Tech Conference 2018 Wrap Up
- Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2 and Year-End Update: Lifecycle and Upgrade Services
More Information
Please see other related articles in the Future of Microsoft Dynamics GP section on the Microsoft Dynamics GP Links page on this blog:
Let me know what you think in the comments.
See you in Phoenix for GPUG Summit.
David
This article was originally posted on http://www.winthropdc.com/blog.
Winthrop Development Consultants Blog 
Hi David,
Who was you NZ Friend if you don’t mind me asking? I like yourself have been working with GP for over 20 years and still think that is a good product. I also used to work for Olympic in NZ for about 6 years.
Regards,
Dominic
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Hi Dominic
I will let them identify themselves if they want to. 🙂
David
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I agree completely. For years now we have been picking up clients as well as subcontracting for other resellers that wanted to focus on CRM while still supporting their GP clients. GP is not going anywhere as long as longtime GP resellers like us remain. Even after I retire I will still stay active with GP. I think I will even have GP engraved on my tombstone!
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Hi Richard
I have invested my career in Dynamics GP and plan to continue with it for the long term.
David
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Hi David,
Professional Advantage who is the largest Dynamics GP partner in Australia is also seeing this behaviour by other Dynamics GP partners who seem to be abondoning their loyal client base by not providing adequate support and services. At Professional Advantage we continue to sell and support Dynamics GP with the same vigour we did 20 years ago. In fact our most recent Dynamics GP customer is as recent as two weeks ago!! So if there is a customer who is not feeling the love from their existing Dynamics GP partner, I invite them to reach out to Professional Advantage and experience the support they are entitled to.
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David,
Absolutely correct! Dynamics GP is here to stay. Those that push it aside and look for the $$$ elsewhere …well Dynamics GP is better off without them! You want a partner that is knowledgeable,focused and driven to support those using GP. I can only say that the “smaller ” partners picking up the clients the bigger companies are letting go…won’t be smaller for long.
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Glad to read this – it needs to be said. Our company still supports Dynamics SL – and it’s been “dead” for years. Still pickup new customers. I think the new features in GP 2016 and GP 2018 are great. It seems crazy to push GP customers into NAV just “because Microsoft says so.”
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I was recently told a story by a partner that has customers in the middle-East and that had tried to win a new customer to GP (large setup, lots of $$$)..The deal was almost closed, but somehow the customer was told by the local Microsoft sales people to no buy GP by any means as it’s a dead product and they sold them instead one of the shiny new 365 solutions.. What a shame..
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