International Expansion: Around the World with a Microsoft Dynamics Partner

Faced with doing business in an uncertain US ERP market, Atlanta-based IntellPartners, a management and technology consulting firm and Microsoft Dynamics partner, decided to try a different tack - international diversification.

As economic and market conditions change in different countries, IntellPartners' experience demonstrates that with the right planning and background, an international presence has the potential to help a Dynamics ERP or CRM partner grow their business while avoiding the painful economic fluctuations of individual countries.

IntellPartners now has project operations in nine countries including Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Argentina as well as prospective customers in Nigeria. 

"We've been able to dodge the bullets of the economy with our diversified portfolio of international clients," said Mariano Gomez, EVP for middle market solutions, who is also a Microsoft Certified Professional and MVP. "We found that our business has more of a focus on the international markets - the emerging markets and the developing markets. So the business had to diversify and that's a very good way of moderating the woes of the economy here at home. The US market is quickly saturating so that's why we're diversifying a little bit more. We're putting focus [in other countries] to attract enough clients in those markets to balance out the activity here at home."

Expansion strategies

Gomez points to several factors that have enabled his firm's international expansion.  The first is through the formation of partnerships with strong, ISO-certified companies in other countries who can promote their business.  IntellPartners doesn't yet have any satellite offices in other countries but that's a good thing, Gomez said.

"One of the reasons we are approached is because we have a relatively ...