DENVER - Sage North America is starting a 14-city tour in July to listen to accountants, customers and resellers, according to Jennifer Warawa, director of partner programs. Billed as a listening tour, the program is one of a number initiatives by Sage as it works to revitalize its Sage Accountants Network program. Those initiatives include including the accountant network members to its Insights conference, now underway here. This was the first time the SAN members have been invited to the reseller conference and 52 accountants attended. Warawa says Sage had set a goal of 50 and feels that the number is very good for the first year. "The people that are hear are just loving it. They've never seen Sage in this light and been exposed to all of Sage's products."

Sage has also hired two of the three Accountant Advocates that are part of another new program. Warawa says the Advocate program was started because SAN members told Sage that they needed someone at the company they could talk to who understand accounting. The Advocates are themselves accountants and were hired to fulfill the goal of having "accountants talking to accountants."