The gang is back together! After a brief hiatus, host Doug Lewis rejoins Emily Madere and Matthew Lescault to catch up on life—from European travels to Florida beach trips—before diving into the meat of the episode: the upcoming “Sage Future for Partners” events taking place in Barcelona and Orlando.

This episode serves as a primer for the invite-only Partner Summit. Matt and Emily break down the differences between the international and North American tracks, highlighting a major shift in focus toward sales strategy and delivery excellence for Sage’s Fiscal Year 2026. A significant portion of the conversation cuts through the noise of Artificial Intelligence; rather than “pie in the sky” predictions, the trio discusses the shift toward practical AI applications, such as AP automation and the “Copilot” close assist features. They also tackle the elephant in the room: economic uncertainty. The group analyzes how price sensitivity is impacting the market and why efficiency is becoming the ultimate sales pitch.

Why tune in? This is an insider’s look at where the Sage ecosystem is heading over the next 12 months, complete with bold predictions about new industry offerings. Plus, you’ll want to stick around for the end—Emily delivers a legume-themed dad joke that leaves the group speechless (and hungry for hummus).

Speakers

  • Doug Lewis
  • Matthew Lescault
  • Emily Madere

Related Industries

  • Accounting & Finance (SaaS): The core focus of the Sage ecosystem.
  • Construction & Real Estate (CRE): Discussed regarding Sage’s increased presence at construction conferences and the Procore partnership.
  • Nonprofit: Mentioned as a traditional Sage stronghold facing economic pressure.
  • Transportation & Logistics: Highlighted in Emily’s “wild prediction” for potential new Sage offerings.
  • Manufacturing: Discussed in the context of Sage X3.

FAQ: What Did That Mean?

  • SKO (Sales Kickoff): Matt and Emily refer to the event as an “SKO.” This stands for Sales Kickoff. It is an internal or partner-focused meeting held at the beginning of a fiscal year to align the sales team on strategy, new products, and goals for the upcoming year.
  • VAR (Value Added Reseller): Matt mentions there are “about 120 ish VARs.” A Value Added Reseller is a company that resells software (like Sage) along with additional features or services, such as consulting, implementation, and training, to provide a complete solution to the end client.
  • Sage X3: The team contrasts Sage Intacct with Sage X3. X3 is Sage’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) product designed specifically for established businesses, particularly in the manufacturing and distribution sectors, offering deep customization options.
  • CRE: In the transcript, this was phonetically typed as “KRI” in one section, but refers to Construction and Real Estate. This is a specific industry vertical that Sage is heavily targeting, especially following their partnership announcements with Procore.
  • NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement): Matt mentions they will be “under NDA” at the conference. This is a legal contract that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict from public use.