Know-How Exchange : Other

You can't sell them something they're not interested in. You need to listen to what they need, and solve their problems with your solution.

As someone who has spent 20+ years in sales and marketing of ERP, I can say that the things that may have worked for you 5-10 years ago, won't work today.

I would start by building my marketing plan from scratch. Cross out cold calling, trade shows and other things that no longer work. (These are just examples. Only you will have the metrics to show whether a specific tactic works or not in your area.)

Look seriously at permission marketing, lead nurture programs, and electronic marketing.

And, by all means, make sure you're speaking the language of the customer. For many that means stop trying to be everything to everybody and focus on those industries that you really can help.

All the best!

Melissa

Melissa's point about the things that may have worked for you 5-10 years ago, won't work today is well taken. One of the reasons for that is the coming of age of open-source ERP alternatives. The income model is to give away the product, but sell the installation, configuration and customization services.

That's a tough model to fight in a mature market place where the pool of users of high-priced software have already settled on a solution. The income from the installed base is support, ongoing licensing fees, upgrades and the addition of modules. Prospects for new installation are presumably sane, budget limited companies who will often be looking at the alternatives to traditional ERP.