Yury Montagnani - 29 October, 2018 - 4 ’ read

Imagicle lands in France: a step closer to our customers.

Meet the expert.

Since 2014, when he started leading the Imagicle European Team, Yury has seen the world of UCs change faster and faster.
Despite the speed of the step, however, Imagicle has developed an increasingly stable identity, managing to continually grow its turnover and to implement solutions that have earned it the inclusion on the Cisco Global Price List.
The secret was not some magic trick. Imagicle has managed to quickly reply to these developments not only in terms of products but also adapting the Sales approach to each country, with the primary objective to make the customers happy. After opening two subsidiaries – in Dubai and Miami – Imagicle is now ready to build a dedicated French Team to serve and expand the French Market.
Here’s how to build a crisis-proof sales system.

How to overcome the crisis? Don’t forget the people.

We are all aware of this. For some time now, surviving, for European companies, is a luxury rather than a natural condition.

No wonder that in Italy most companies that have remained standing have some common points, such as differentiation of products, activation of new productive relationships (joint ventures, partnerships) or strengthening of marketing strategies.

Okay. But mere survival is not exactly what we had in mind. That’s why we added to the aforementioned anticrisis kit something special: the capacity for vision and constant attention to the specific needs of each market.

How do you learn about these specific cultural needs and traits? Well, there is only one way: on the field.

And so it is that traveling up and down Europe, I found that in some countries you have to show up with the technical details of the proposed solution and avoid contacting the customers again until they have made the decision. In other countries, a little more distracted, to conclude a business we must be persistent; sometimes we have to assist the customer step by step – before, during and after the installation of the solutions.

Some customers want to be taken to lunch, some others want to see you only in a video call.

Understanding the importance of these differences is fundamental to build a sales system that is flexible and adaptable not only to geographical areas, but also to unpredictable market downturns.

That’s why, over the years, we have not only committed to selling our solutions: we have listened, captured needs, shook hands and had conversations with partners and reseller of each country.

That was the engine that allowed us to get through this crisis unscathed, to continue growing and to see every open window, like the one on the French market.

Vive la France!

As we have said, companies that have survived the last decade usually have a continuous innovative tension and a propensity to internationalization that allows them to manage global markets with continuity and often with leadership positions.

In the specific case of the French market, experience has taught me that the determining factors in order to establish any kind of working relationship with our customers are availability, speed, and knowledge.

Leveraging on these three pillars, my team and I have managed to create a vast network of relationships within the French UC market, where Imagicle solutions have experienced increasing and constant adoption over the last three years.

Imagicle lands in France: a step closer to our customers.

It was a progressive and focused process, which required commitment and dedication.
In 2015, in order to make the Imagicle experience even more usable for our French customers, we translated the website into French. Moreover, thanks to our operator Mike, we have activated a specific support channel in French through which we are able to assist customers in their native language.
Finally, we have supported this commitment to the French market with the great work of Viviana, whose fluent French and professionalism have helped to increase and strengthen our sales network in France.

Thus, the channel that we have all contributed to open has paid off quite soon.
Today, more than 800 customers in France are using Imagicle applications with a growth rate of 25% YOY.

So far, there was only a last obstacle to be removed in order to take full advantage of this sales channel: a mother-tongue colleague on the spot.

That is why we are pleased to welcome Thomas Popinel to the European team.
Born in Deauville (Normandy, FR), Thomas received a Master Degree in IT and Business Engineering. He started working as a pre-sales specialized in UC and collaboration for a Cisco Gold Partner Value Added Reseller, until, last week, he joined the Imagicle sales team as Channel Sales Executive France.
After a course of Induction, he’s now available to help our French partners and customers onsite, to better transfer Imagicle values, skills, and spirit.
N’est-ce pas magnifique?

“Start-Up”Dame.

Well, even external circumstances and the direction of digitization can help, of course.
President Emmanuel Macron talks of making France a “startup nation,” and a lot of numbers seem to back him up. In the first half of the year, in France, innovative companies raised about 2 billion euros ($2.36 billion), compared to 2.6 billion euros over 2017 (www.ey.com).
Not bad, right?

We want France to be the most attractive country for research, innovation and new technologies in Europe.

Bruno Le Maire – Finance Minister

The French Cloud UC market is set to enter a period of rapid expansion, with the market set to grow at 19% CAGR (€106MM in 2020), and words like “acquisition”, “digitalization” and “cloud” became the pillars driving the partners through these changes.

So, short story, what do these numbers tell us?
In my opinion, they tell us to pay attention and look towards a country where UCs are taking more and more space, following the dynamism of the market with an equally dynamic sales system.
They tell us that to weather the storm a good captain must always know where the wind is blowing, and, most of all, they tell us that opportunities are there for those who have their eyes open.

If France is a challenge, Imagicle has just welcomed it.
Come on. Let’s France!

#stayimagicle