If you have ever gone shopping for any business software that required more than a little spending money, you have probably met with vendors and tried out demos of their products.  For the vendors, it is all about emotions.  When it is time for the demo, the logical discussion is over, and the vendor is hoping to impress you and draw you in with the software’s sparkly visual appeal.

Unfortunately, like that beautiful/handsome dinner date we have probably all had at least once, looks can be deceiving.  For that reason, the right time to do demos is not at the beginning, as many vendors insist, but rather after you have carefully considered options, mapped out your business strategy, and weighed the benefits and drawbacks of each solution you are considering.

Warning: The ERP software demo should not be part of the initial evaluation.  After all, you may be able to easily eliminate certain ERP software solutions rather quickly, so going through demonstrations of that software is just a waste of time for you and the vendor.  Furthermore, after you have determined exactly what it is you hope you accomplish with your business and how enterprise resource planning fits into your plan, you can then call back the vendors that fit into your plan.  This tends to work better than trying to fit your business into their software’s parameters.

Once you have your plan for success and know exactly what you want out of an ERP solution, you can shop around for the ones that might fit.  Then, and only then you can take a look at the demo and confirm or dismiss your preliminary evaluations.

At CAL Business Solutions we will only do a personalized demo of Microsoft Dynamics GP after we have spent time with you, in person or on the phone, to review your current system, business processes, and goals. After we have both determined that Microsoft Dynamics GP could be the right fit for your business, then we prepare and present a personalized demo so you can see how the software would run in your business scenario.

If you are researching ERP/accounting software and are looking for an honest local partner to assist you in the evaluation and ultimately the demo process, contact CAL Business Solutions.

Related article: Software Demos – Doing it Right by the Accounting Software Library

By CAL Business Solutions, Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner serving Connecticut, Massachusetts and Southern New England.

September 3, 2011 by Anya Ciecierski, CAL Business Solutions

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Tags: Connecticut GP Great Plains Partner, Connecticut Microsoft Partner, erp software demo
Posted in About Microsoft Dynamics GP, Choosing a VAR/Partner | Comments Off on Warning: Beware of ERP Software Demos

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