TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Varicent Software, an innovator and global leader in providing Incentive Compensation and Sales Performance Management (SPM) solutions, today announced that Ventana Research has ranked Varicent as the top overall ‘hot’ software vendor in its 2011 Value Index for Sales Performance Management (SPM). Ventana's annual ranking is an analytic representation of how well vendors' offerings meet buyers' requirements for software that enables and supports Sales Performance Management.

In conducting this research, Ventana Research seeks to evaluate the maturity of software vendors and products and their appropriateness for the methodology and process of Sales Performance Management. The results provide a baseline of knowledge that organizations can use to evaluate vendors and products to manage and improve sales performance by aligning business and IT. The assessment takes into account product adaptability, manageability, reliability, usability and functionality. The ranking also considers customer assurance categories of vendor validation and total cost of ownership with return on investment.

"As the highest overall ranked vendor in this year's SPM index, Varicent emerged with a good product and vendor support for sales performance management,” said Mark Smith, CEO and Executive Vice President of Ventana Research. “We feel strongly that an investment in SPM, wisely done, is a strategic step toward improving a company’s performance and competitiveness, and Varicent is representative of a vendor that can facilitate this type of investment. Varicent scored extremely well in usability, reliability, vendor validation and TCO/ROI categories which are part of what a vendor evaluation should include to effectively select the right products for specific requirements.”

Ventana Research assessed vendors dedicated to Sales Performance Management based on extensive research and a verified audit to determine an overall weighted evaluation. Varicent received the top overall rated evaluation with an overall score of 88.3%. To earn the status of top-ranked vendor, Varicent competed against several other companies, including Callidus, Synygy, Oracle, Microsoft, salesforce.com, SAP, Xactly and Merced Systems.

"We believe that receiving the top score on the Ventana Research Value Index is further evidence of the tremendous success that our customers are achieving with our solution," said Brian Hartlen, Vice President of Marketing, Varicent. "Having a respected analyst firm like Ventana Research, rate our capabilities as the best in the industry is a great honor and we are delighted to receive this acknowledgement.”

Sales performance management today remains a balance of art and science. But in compiling the Value Index, Ventana Research used a carefully crafted best practices-based methodology to represent how organizations actually will assess vendors and products. They took this approach recognizing that the wrong choice can raise the cost of ownership, lower the return on investment and hamper a company’s ability to reach its performance potential. The Index empowers companies to make informed decisions in choosing a SPM vendor.

About Varicent Software Incorporated

Varicent Software Incorporated is an innovative software solutions provider delivering measurable improvements to its clients businesses through its industry-leading sales performance management solution Varicent SPM. Varicent's customers are high-performing companies representing a variety of industries and include Tribune, Sherwin-Williams, Bank of the West, Farmers Insurance, ING, Manpower, Dex One, Maritz, Sun Hung Kai Financial, and many others. For more information, please visit www.varicent.com.

©2011 Varicent Software. All rights reserved. Varicent and Varicent SPM are trademarks of Varicent Software Incorporated.

All other trademarks and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.