Thirty-eight years. That certainly is a long time to be in one job. Actually, my tenure here at Bennett/Porter has consisted of a multitude of jobs, but I stopped counting the exact number long ago. While I’ve maintained this single…let’s call it a ‘position’…for 38 years, the business world that Bennett/Porter supports has changed dramatically, both in terms of engaging new customers and watching so many companies we’ve worked with for years merge or be acquired.
In the late 80s and early 90s, selling software seemed so easy. When Deni Porter and I started our software services business in February of 1988, we contacted most of the CPAs in our local area to let them know what we were all about – which was helping folks implement automated accounting systems. Those CPAs would just tell their clients to call us and order software. Often, there was no demo at all. We would sell them MAS 90 (now Sage 100) unless they had Macintosh computers, in which case we would sell Great Plains.
After competing with ourselves for a while by offering way too many product options, these were the two accounting solutions we had settled on. Eventually, we grew tired of struggling with Great Plains as well, seeing as how the subsidiary ledgers of Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable would frequently not tie out to the General Ledger, and it was difficult to determine why. We ended up dropping it, and for over a decade we sold nothing but MAS 90.
Then, in 2005, we diversified a bit by adding IT Services to our menu of offerings. In truth, diversification wasn’t the goal at the time. When implementing, we would tell network hardware providers how we needed servers and workstations configured to make the software run as efficiently as possible. Alas, no one with a screwdriver and networking certification wanted to take technical instruction from a couple of “bean counters”. We responded by starting our own IT division. Offering service agreements, hosting contracts, and all levels of support for business technology needs, that team has expanded into one of our most valuable offerings.
Also in the early 2000s, we aimed to expand our accounting software services to meet the needs of more and larger customers. However, we stumbled a bit with software selection. We picked up Sage 500 but only sold it to about 25 clients. We tried Everest iCode and had two failed sales. And we gave SAP Business One a shot, but we didn’t sell a single instance of a single product. Finally, in January of 2015, we picked up Acumatica ERP, which takes accounting automation to the next level for companies that want to scale. Today, we continue to support Sage 100 (formerly MAS 90) and Acumatica.
Finally – well, finally for now – in 2017 we started our Human Capital Management division, picking up and reselling UKG’s fully integrated suite that consists of HR, payroll, and time and labor management modules. From our customers, we heard a growing need for automated tools to manage the people-centric parts of their business. We responded by doing exhaustive research on the solutions available in the market so that we could offer a best-in-class product to existing and new clients. Today, we have a small-but-mighty team of experts in this field who deliver exceptional support to companies and their employees.
Yes. Things have certainly changed over the nearly four decades since I co-founded Bennett/Porter. No one calls us to order software without seeing it first. Clients are much more educated now about the possible pitfalls of software implementation. The field is much more crowded with players than it used to be. These aren’t bad things. In fact, for our customers and potential customers, we think they’re very good things. That’s because one thing hasn’t changed at all in 38 years: We believe in being as sure as possible that clients will be happy – both now and in the future – with the products we sell and support. That commitment starts with listening to people and working to understand their needs from the moment we say, “Thank you for calling Bennett/Porter.”
Thirty-eight years. We’re still here, and we plan to be here for a very long time!
~ Sue Bennett
