What are the best strategies for ensuring both parties are satisfied with an ERP implementation deal?

In my experience, you need to deliver a good ERP demo with a question/answer exchange, not just the typical "carved in stone" demo session. You need to be challenged by the customer questions, try to fullfil those scenarios, give some advice in better practices showing them in the system. Also, you need to prepare yourself prior the session creating items, scenarios, problems, in which your potential customer can see their business data and needs

The customer business model understanding is the key factor, consultants must know if the ERP solution they have is a good option for the client company, and the only way we could know is with research of customer business processes to resolve many questions like, how they sell goods and services? How the customer performs purchasing?, and so on. Demo and workshops are perfect to validate every process and requirements of customer and would be adopted as best practice in implementations.

Doing thorough research on the customer - the general market, customer base, products and business models (i.e. CTO vs. BTO) is key. Rather than jumping into feature demos, the main goal of the discovery calls should be finding actual pain points or tangible business opportunities/gaps that might compel customers to take action.

In my work, we always offer to the customer not just only one session, they can ask for more sessions, even one per ERP functional area; just to be clear, not a POC because that kind of stuff can cost a lot. When we deliver the quote to the customer, we explain every aspect of the ERP that was taken into account for the quote and ask for feedback, if we need to change something, we dont deliver the quote in that moment, we make the changes and send the document later. With this method, we ensure that the client understands the scope and coverage as well as the cost structure of the project.

When we start a pre-sales process or during the implementation process, it is very important for us to maintain constant communication with the end client and its key end users. I have observed that this is the best path for a good understanding of the business, its processes and implications of change. I must say that the persistence of communications is also of utmost importance, for this it is relevant to use simple documents to record agreements, objectives, expectations, and results. Lately, these resources have been replaced by Microsoft 365 apps that we use, such as meeting recordings, Planner and Tasks, etc. In the end, it is essential to maintain a proactive dynamic focused on results.

Implementation process can be a problem if you dont put in a document the project scope when you sell the ERP. With this scope in mind, you need to create the Functional Requirements Document explaining there the customer processes covered by the standard functionality, also, you need to add the posting setups and other setups. For the processes than cant be covered by the standard, you need to create the design document for that gap, with the process and results needs. After that, you need to deliver those documents to the customer, why? because you are going to ask for a customer signatures that he understand the implementation scope and the results that can be achieved. Any later change needs to be managed with a change request.

The customer knows what they want or what they desire, but they don't always know how to achieve it with the solution they have. It is therefore important first of all to know the potential and weaknesses of our solution and based on the experience or expectations of improvement of the solution prepare, direct and assist in the implementation of what the customer requested. The customer must always know what he will really have at the end.

Hay que ser realistas, si la solución ERP encaja al 100% con tu negocio puede que tu negocio no se diferencie del de tu competencia. Por eso nunca prometo que una solución ERP se ajuste al 100% a ningún negocio. Es importante saber que cada negocio es diferente. Necesitamos tener un conocimiento integral de la solución ERP para validar si es una buena idea ofrecerla. Entonces, el conocimiento de las expectativas del cliente es el resultado de estar siempre en contacto con los usuarios y gerentes clave, y documentar las necesidades para contrastarlas con las características del ERP, con esto el consultor debe detectar las brechas correctas para el proceso de negocio y calcular una solución realista alcance del proyecto.

The initial sale of an implementation is only the beginning of a long run, the ERP is a living system, and as such it will grow, change, improve, some things will be retired and others will appear. That is why it is important the accompaniment and complicity of the implementer and the implemented. The one who sells not only sells a product, but an experience, and this is where we must contribute more, advising in every opportunity we can. And always being sincere for the good and the bad, which the client appreciates greatly.