The Definitive Guide for Choosing Business Management Software - CHAPTER 3
NaN-tic Jun 4, 2018
CHAPTER 3 - HOW DO YOU LOOK FOR AN ERP?
SUMMARY:
Whenever you look for an ERP you start by asking Google. And almost never you go away from the first page of searches. And here lies the first problem: the selection will always start based on the manufacturers or distributors that invest the most in AdWords, not on its platform. However, we have the solution.
KEY IDEAS:
- The first important error is to limit the product search. Try to get away from ads and commercial agents.
- Collect information of 10 products the maximum of different from each other and create a comparative table based on technical characteristics and opinions.
- Set aside more time than you planned to calmly analyze the options that the market gives you.
HOW DO I BEGIN LOOKING FOR AN ERP? The three most common ways are the following:
- TELL AN IT EXPERT THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR AN ERP.
- I’VE BEEN TOLD THERE’S A GREAT NEW ERP.
- I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT WHICH ERP I NEED.
These three different cases almost always end the same way, i.e. with someone who enters Google and who starts to search for suppliers of these kinds of tools. In the first case, the IT engineer will most probably focus his research using technological criteria. While in the second case, the search will probably begin by looking for a product made by a specific manufacturer who has been recommended by somebody. In the final case, the process will be initiated in a totally random manner.
However the string of keywords entered into the search engine, an act which in recent years has guided our lives, will have a marked effect on the process that is about to begin.
The algorithms that govern Google searches are the best kept secret of the 21st century. Nobody knows exactly how the company researches, indexes and classifies the searches that appear after keywords are entered. However, what normally happens is that those companies that spend more money on paying Google to advertise their websites are more likely to be found.
In most cases, the search process for an ERP begins by entering some of the following words into the search field: ERP, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, CHEAP ERP, etc.
And the magic of Google (combined with advertiser investment) will provide determined results.
At this point, it needs to be said that no cases have been documented of people who have gone beyond the first search page, even though there are hundreds of them. Everyone stays with what is shown on the screen right after clicking on the magnifying glass icon. And normally, results are selected from what is seen at first glance, opening the tabs of those entries that match what they’re looking for. The first step of the selection process has therefore been made.
The manufacturers and distributors shown on some of these open tabs are much more likely to capture new clients than those who are displayed with a simple link provided by the search engine, and they know it. This is why, if you search using different keywords, the results offered by Google are always the same.
This is probably one of the first and most important errors in the process. Your search for the product that you need must not involve suppliers and sales representatives. Whether you are the CEO of a company or its Head IT engineer, we recommend that you invest your time in gathering information on what is available on the market, and then using this data to create a document. You need to make a list; of 10 products, for example, which are as different from each other as possible, and at the side of each product, list the advantages and disadvantages discovered by people who have installed these programs in their businesses. This means that you will have to browse user forums or read articles in magazines or specialised blogs. This will not be a waste of time, on the contrary, by using this information you will be able to create a list of strong and weak points associated with each product, and this will allow you to have a visual map of the problems and the opportunities awaiting you. And there are more than a few of them.
And now here’s TIP NUMBER 2: Your first search needs to be more rigorous than you think. You need to spend a lot of time; zoom in and forget about manipulative sales messages. If you do this, you will definitely reduce the chances of making a mistake.
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