The biggest corporate software reseller in Brazil, Software.com.br has as its main success asset a relevant and differentiated portfolio, which today brings together more than 5 thousand manufacturers. “We have an entire area dedicated to serving our partner manufacturers and also to formalizing new partnerships, since every day we receive contacts from companies from different countries interested in offering their solutions to the Brazilian market”, highlights CEO Rodrigo Vilar, who granted an exclusive interview to the ABES Portal.
How did the company come about?
I've always had a lot of experience in the financial area and was very interested in technology. As I had already worked with João Domingues, my partner, and he always had relationships with several manufacturers, we decided to set up the company in 2007 when we realized that there was an opportunity to set up a company specialized in selling software around the world. Companies that were in the market offered installations, consulting, training, selling hardware, etc., but there was no one effectively specializing in corporate licensing and software advisory. That's when we started to make contacts with some manufacturers and we were happy to talk at a high level with Google, which turned out to be our first formal partnership and our first product: Google Earth Pro. This motivated us to create the domain www.software .com.br, which drove us to the current scenario we are in today.
What are Software.com.br's differentials?
Without a doubt, the number of partnerships we have is our biggest differential. We have an entire area dedicated to serving our partner manufacturers and also to formalizing new partnerships, since every day we receive contacts from companies from different countries interested in offering their solutions to the Brazilian market. Our portfolio, which now has more than 5,000 manufacturers, greatly facilitates personalized service to our customers – according to their characteristics: government, retail, educational entities or the corporate market.
What are the main challenges to work in the B2B segment, considering that the company focuses on the corporate market?
We have to take into account the economic moment we are living. The need to cut costs is imminent, which is why we are increasingly looking for solutions that provide cost savings to our customers. In today's environment, we've been very successful in offering energy-saving and cost-effective printing solutions, as well as collaborative work and project management.
When did the company go international and in which countries does it operate in Latin America and Africa? What are the main lessons learned from operating in these markets?
We started our internationalization in 2009 in Mexico, when we acquired the domain www.software.mx. Since then, we have opened a branch in Colombia (2014) with the domain www.software.com.co and we plan to open a branch in Chile (www.software.cl ) by the end of 2015. The main challenge is to adapt the local strategy for each country , adjusting the cost and tax structure to the local reality. It is an effort that pays off, as it allows us to access other markets, diversifying our risk and increasing our bargaining power with suppliers.
What are the company's main plans in 2015?
Our goal is to increase the number of manufacturers by 20% and participate in one sector fair every quarter.
How do you assess the evolution of the Brazilian software market and the behavior/needs of corporate customers?
The Brazilian market is more mature today than when we started. I remember that we often had to explain to our customers what a perpetual license or a floating license was. Today, the situation is quite different. Currently, IT buyers already know what they need and our job is to meet this demand and offer the best solution for the lowest investment.
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