August 19-21 marked the yearly occurrence of the Microsoft Dynamics Partners Conference, held this year in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Microsoft Dynamics Partner Conference is always a high profile event, and this year was no exception. Sponsored by PWC, IBM, and others, this year’s speakers included Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Bob Stutz, Marietta Davis, Vice President of Microsoft Dynamics, and keynote speaker John Foley, Lead Pilot of the Blue Angels and author of The How of High Performance.
Ultra’s Contribution to the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Conference
This year’s Microsoft Dynamics Partner Conference was especially memorable because Ultra partner George Trudell was given the opportunity to present in a Friday session entitled “ERP Market Perspective – Insights from an ERP Selection Consulting Firm.”
The presentation served not only as an opportunity to introduce Ultra to the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Conference community, but also as a time for George to share his “insider perspective” on how Microsoft Dynamics differentiates itself and stacks up to the competition from the point of view of an ERP consulting firm.
Featured in George’s presentation at the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Conference was a basic background of Ultra, our industry focus, client highlight, and customer testimonials. George also described the manufacturing ERP vendors by tier and where Microsoft Dynamics stacks up, Ultra’s transformation lifecycle, Five Factors for a successful ERP project, an a feature on Ultra client Briggs Equipment.
Key Lessons
The key lessons learned from George included the following:
In order for Microsoft Dynamics to have a chance in the selection process, it is important to determine the Partner/Reseller as early in the process as possible. The Partner/Reseller must have significant experience in the industry of the prospect.
A consultant-led ERP Selection Process is very structured, and therefore the demonstration is competitive and critical. It is very important to work with the consultant to understand what they are really looking for in the demonstration, for example, reading between the lines of a 20 page demo script.
References are important at two points in the process. The first crucial moment is during the initial demonstration, to show your knowledge of their industry. These initial references are really case studies, not phone calls, and therefore, can use any customer as an example. However, when it comes to references that need to be called, it is important they are from your specific company versus Microsoft in general. The last important and presumably obvious detail, is to make sure the company you choose as a reference likes your company and has a lot of positive things to say about you.
Implementation/Support and ultimately partnership with the client will win the engagement. Clients want to be successful, and will want to work with the best consulting teams. This will win out over all the five factors including cost and feature function if they client really believes they will have a much better chance at success with your team.
To learn more about ERP projects and selection, contact Ultra today.
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