KILLERVARS SPEAKING THE CLIENT’S LANGUAGE Sonia Levitz

“It’s important to invest in your people. This company is nothing without its employees.”

Sonia Ferrera Levitz started Miami-based Southeast Computer Solutions 22 years ago and hasn’t looked back. The 22- person firm has sold more than 600 systems and has 350 active clients.

In addition, the firm has been one of Sage Software’s Top 10 resellers for the past 10 years, which it previously accomplished without any advertising or a Web presence. Last year, it was honored by Sage as being one of the top five resellers in amount of revenue of those VARs that carry at least two Sage product lines.

It is a company whose owner is aware of its distinctive qualities and who sees them as a big advantage in serving its target audience. “Southeast Computer Solutions is a Latin female-owned and operated business and is very aware of its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic surroundings,” says Levitz. It is also a firm that has recently ramped up its Internet marketing and has plans for significant growth.

In fact, in the last three months the firm has hired three people and increased revenue by 20 percent, and that’s all without looking for business. It was also started by an owner who doesn’t match many of the profiles of other successful resellers. “I started this company at 18 with no college education, just street smarts. I’ve surrounded myself with smart people,” says Levitz.

The company provides sales, implementation, training, support, and development services for Sage products. Its expertise spans industries such as distribution, manufacturing, retail suppliers, construction, and public accounting.

Southeast also hosts the only Sage Authorized Training Center in Florida, and available courses cover the MAS 90 and MAS 200 accounting software products.

Levitz is proud of always being available to the firm’s customers. “No one customer is better than the other. The little guy that helped me 10 years ago is just as important as the big guy,” adds Levitz.

She believes so strongly in customer service that the firm offers a full-day business evaluation free of charge.

Moreover, Southeast is always on call. Staff cell phone numbers are made available to prospects to ensure that someone is always available after hours.

Employee satisfaction is just as important as customer service. Southeast has an average retention rate of 10 years.

“It’s important to invest in your people. We pay for all training, and encourage our employees to re-certify themselves each year. This company is nothing without its employees,” stresses Levitz.

Another driving factor in Southeast’s success is being able to offer bilingual services. In fact, approximately 25 percent of its business comes from bilingual companies, often located in the United States with parent companies in Latin America.

For example, Southeast has a Honduras based shrimp factory client that was operating on QuickBooks and needed more functionality. The company purchased MAS for the core distribution module, and has since added manufacturing and RF Solutions. In fact, the owners of the company have branched out and purchased several hotels, and have chosen Southeast to implement MAS for them.

The company has an advantage in serving this market through its roughly 15 bilingual staff members. Coupled with the changes it has made, Levitz believes Southeast will become a bigger force in the market place.

“Our recent investments in Internet marketing, human resources, and business partnerships will hopefully cement our continued future growth and establish Southeast Computer Solutions as the powerhouse nationwide reseller in the next few years,” Levitz says.

Carly Lombardo