Entries by Bizowie

How to Approach an ERP Software Demo: Getting Real Answers Instead of a Scripted Presentation

You’ve made it through the initial research phase. You’ve narrowed your list of potential ERP vendors. Now comes the demo—that critical hour or two where you’ll see the software in action and decide whether it’s worth pursuing further. But here’s what usually happens: The sales engineer opens with a polished slide deck about the company’s […]

From Software to Strategy: Why ERP Is the Most Undervalued Competitive Advantage

Your competitor across town operates with roughly the same products, similar pricing, comparable customer base, and equally experienced staff. Yet somehow they consistently outperform you—faster order fulfillment, better inventory turns, higher customer satisfaction, and stronger profitability. The difference isn’t their people, products, or market positioning. It’s their ERP system. Most distributors view ERP as operational […]

The Distributor’s Dilemma: Competing on Price vs. Service in a Tech-Driven Market

Your largest customer just told you they’re evaluating a competitor who’s offering 8% lower prices on similar products. You can match the price—barely—but it will eliminate most of your margin on that account. Alternatively, you could hold pricing and emphasize the superior service you provide: faster delivery, better inventory availability, technical support, flexible payment terms, […]

Phantom Inventory: How to Rid Your Warehouse of the Ghosts

Your system shows 47 units of a popular item in stock. A customer places an urgent order for 30 units—you confirm availability and promise next-day delivery. Your warehouse staff goes to pick the order and finds only 12 units on the shelf. The other 35 units are phantom inventory—records that exist in your system but […]

The Hidden Cost of ERP Complexity: Why Mid-Market Companies Need Simplified Systems

Your new ERP has 847 configuration options just for order processing. Your implementation consultant keeps asking whether you want to enable features you’ve never heard of and don’t understand. Training materials run to 600 pages covering capabilities you’ll never use. Three months after go-live, your staff still can’t find basic functions buried in nested menus, […]

The Psychology of ERP Change: Overcoming Resistance to New Systems

Three months before your ERP go-live, your warehouse manager who was cautiously supportive during vendor selection is now actively telling staff that “the old system worked fine” and “this new one is going to slow everything down.” Your customer service team is circulating a petition asking to delay implementation. Your most experienced order entry clerk […]

APIs and ERP: What Distributors Need to Know About Modern System Integration

Your e-commerce manager just explained that the website can’t show real-time inventory because “the API doesn’t support it.” Your IT director says the new shipping integration will take three months because “the ERP’s API is limited.” Your vendor wants to send purchase orders electronically but your system “doesn’t have the right API endpoints.” You’re hearing […]

ERP ROI Calculator: How to Quantify the Return on a Distribution ERP Investment

Michael had run the numbers three times, and they still didn’t look right. As CFO of a $60 million building materials distributor, he was evaluating two ERP proposals. Vendor A quoted $285,000 for implementation. Vendor B quoted $340,000. The obvious choice seemed clear—until his operations director asked a simple question. “What about the return? Not […]

ERP Terminology Explained: 50 Terms Every Distributor Should Know

“So here’s the requirement,” the ERP consultant said, adjusting his laptop screen. “You’ll need to configure your ATP logic to account for hard allocations while maintaining sufficient safety stock based on your reorder point calculations. We’ll set up your 3PL integration to handle ASN requirements and ensure proper FIFO rotation using your WMS lot tracking […]