Great stuff Tim, and right on the money. The other thing I'd add is the importance of the implementer, and that there is continuity and accountability from the sales process through the implementation and beyond. First time ERP/CRM buyers tend to focus a lot on the flashy demo and getting the lowest price. But once you've got some experience with this, the strength of the implementor becomes a/the top concern. More here: http://www.partnercompete.com/Home/6444 Jason Carter PartnerCompete.com

Very relevant points here and communicated very succinctly too. Its amazing how many customers make the 'mistake' of spending huge time on selecting the vendor/product and then 'back off' when the implementation comes along. Here are some of my pointers: 1. Usually i clearly mark the tasks that i expect my clients to own on the indicative project plan itself. This is even before the deal is signed. The idea is to set expectations that they need to work with us as opposed to leave it to us (implementer) to deal with everything. Typically, the more closely the client is involved in implementation, the higher the quality of implementation. 2. Unlike what's mentioned in Item#2 with respect to data migration, user training, user acceptance testing etc. I do think they are ERP dependent to a large extent. Having been involved with multiple ERPs over the last decade, i have never found this to be independent. data migration for SAP is not quite the same as data migration for AX. 3. I cant emphasize the importance of choosing the 'right' partner often enough. 'Right' being the right fit for the client in question. even if you have the approach, hiring resources(and DIY) to do the implementation is not quite the same as a partner driving it.