Mindjet focus on South Africa pays off, with double-digit growth over 2011/12
Collaborative work management provider, Mindjet, has experienced a momentous year in South Africa, following the company’s launch into the collaboration space in 2011, showing a double-digit growth within the region.
According to Uwe Richter, vice president and general manager for Mindjet International, this significant market growth can be attributed to several factors. “2011 represented a critical year for Mindjet, both in terms of our major product launches and the affirmation of our mobile offering. Aside from our new product releases late last year, which propelled Mindjet’s sales momentum on a global basis, we made a strategic decision to invest in and further strengthen our focus on the South African market.
“Our continued growth in the region over the past year stands testament to this investment, which has focused on leveraging the dedication and expertise of our local channel partners,” Richter explains.
“The appointment of Bruce Skjolde as the new UK-based channel manager for Mindjet’s MEA & Emerging Markets regions, which includes South Africa and the Middle East, was a significant move in terms of providing even greater support to these channel partners.”
Colin Horner, MD of local Mindjet premier reseller, Visual Thinking, states that the new Mindjet product set and its move towards a more collaborative platform have certainly added impetus to local sales. “We have seen great interest from companies of all sizes– from large corporates to SMEs – looking to improve the way that they work together. We believe that Mindjet’s progression as a business into this area in the past year has really set it apart from its competitors.
“The addition of a channel manager to the local Mindjet team has proven invaluable,” he comments. “Not only does Bruce understand the intricacies of the local marketplace, as an ex-patriate South African, he has also assisted in setting very specific goals and objectives for the local region.”
AxizWorkgroup was appointed as a dedicated local Mindjet value-added distributor in February 2012 as part of the investment in the South Africa. Mark Kreuiter, business development manager at AxizWorkgroup explains that the company has seen significant uptake from its partner base over the past two quarters, resulting in a boom in run-rate business; “We have found that our resellers are very interested in working with Mindjet, due to an increasing demand from end customers for tools that will help to facilitate team collaboration and increase productivity. To support this demand, AxizWorkgroup recently joined forces with Visual Thinking, which, as a company with more than 12 years of experience in working with Mindjet, will allow us to add greater value and drive sales further.
“We have embraced Mindjet software internally and has experienced immediate and ongoing benefits from its use. Based on this first-hand experience, we can say with great conviction that AxizWorkgroup will continue to be a brand ambassador for Mindjet well into the future.”
Adds Richter: “2011 and 2012 have proven to be exciting times for Mindjet, showing fantastic growth despite a downturned economy. We plan to build on these positive results and will continue to expand our company, footprint and customer success in South Africa.”