You’ve probably heard of the question posed recently on the social networking site Tumblr: What color is this dress? Even though the dress is truly black and blue, over 1.1 million people voted (72%) that the dress was white and gold. Only 28% said it was black and blue. With such an overwhelming response, we thought it was worthwhile to dig a little deeper and see if there were business lessons we can take away from this conversation.
1) Your perception creates your reality – Even though the dress is really black and blue, 72% of the people that voted on the dress said it was white and gold. When you are researching different business ERP software solutions make sure your perception isn’t clouded by a perception from the past or high end marketing. Make sure you get the facts. The bigger the purchase the more important it is to get more perspectives. At Front Line Systems when we help businesses evaluate ERP software, we talk to multiple departments within an organization because something that looks ‘white and gold’ in one department could look ‘black and blue’ in another. Make sure you have a list of your business requirements and are as unbiased as possible towards a particular software solution before making a decision.
Action Item: Before engaging an outside party to help you in the ERP software selection process make sure you have talked to all the key players in the different departments within your organization, and understand your key requirements.
2) Ask the experts – When you can’t agree on whether the dress is black and blue or white and gold, turn to the experts. Before making a big business technology decision (purchasing ERP software, CRM software, warehouse management software, sales tax management software etc.) remember to get an industry experts point of view. Different departments within the organization will have different needs and the expert perspective will help you see the big-picture requirements for your organization. They will also help you prioritize and align your business technology needs to your business vision, goals and direction.
Action Item: Contact multiple software vendors and make sure they have the experience you need to successfully implement your ERP system.
3) Majority isn’t always right – Just because the majority says something, doesn’t make it right. In the case of the (white and gold/black and blue?) dress, 72% of the people that voted said the dress was white and gold, but they were wrong. The dress is actually black and blue. When evaluating ERP software, make sure that the people who speak the loudest don’t drown out the needs of people in other departments. Do your homework, talk to multiple people within the organization and you will have a well-rounded approach when you are evaluating ERP software for your business.
If you haven’t seen a picture of the (white and gold/black and blue) dress yet, click here
For more information on evaluating ERP software contact Front Line Systems at 866-435-0243.
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