Overcome SAP-ERP System Integrator Sales Tactics 1

By |May 9th, 2011|

ERP software integrators and their salespeople are quite skilled at creating a "fog" around key selection criteria. Because of the amount of money at stake and the potential for huge commissions many of them will do almost anything to “get a deal.” For years, SAP consultants have dealt with the frustrating messes that software salespeople make. They promise anything, no matter how unrealistic, just to make a sale. Then the consultants have to deliver that promise. With these kinds of sales mode [...]

Tips to Overcome Sales Tactics by ERP System Integrators

By |May 2nd, 2011|

This is the beginning of a series reviewing some of the typical tactics and sales scams many software vendors use to gain your business. This way, you can create a selection process that filters out such vendors.Rather than competing on merit, many vendors resort to various strategies or techniques that prevent you from gaining the critical insight you need to make the best possible decision. Their strategies and tactics deflect you from discovering any of their weaknesses, or even deceive you [...]

ERP Education: Losing Our Religion

By |January 17th, 2011|

Most ERP software packages are designed around industry-accepted business practices, operating philosophies, and techniques that have evolved over many years. Today, the issue is not businesses have a body of knowledge with supporting software tools; the question is, are clients educated enough to see the value or understand the proper use of the tools? The short answer is no.   Education versus ERP software training Many have lost sight of the difference between education and software tra [...]

SAP ERP Project Failures Lessons Learned and Mini Case Studies 3

By |December 27th, 2010|

  In this final installment on these lessons learned and mini case studies, we will look at a few older SAP project failures. Even in these older SAP project failures, many of the same problems continue to repeat themselves. I would like to point out once again that in the major SAP project failures the software application itself was not at the root of the failure. The project failures I focused on are the ones where there is plenty of published literature to evaluate. Obviously that do [...]

SAP ERP Project Failure Lessons Learned and Mini Case Studies 1

By |December 13th, 2010|

  The following SAP project failures are the first three of what we will review over the next few weeks. The SAP project failures we will review are high-profile examples with significant lessons to be learned. In nearly every case where the SAP implementation actually occurred, within one to two years after the troubled go-live, the SAP software itself was reasonably well-received and the business generally satisfied.   ================= One interesting feature of the SAP project fai [...]

Software Consulting Firms and Clients Myths and Half Truths

By |December 6th, 2010|

The following is a post from my friend Steve Phillips who runs a great site entitled "Street Smart ERP Blog." This is a nice complement to the series I just finished on SAP and ERP critical success factors. ================= Steve Phillips writes: Having spent the majority of my career in the shoes of a software consultant or client, I have often wondered why many find it necessary to perpetuate the old myths and half-truths regarding the consultant/client relationship. My feeling is given the [...]