Choosing an ERP system is a major decision—one that impacts nearly every part of your business, from inventory and sales to accounting and customer service. The demo phase is where you cut through the marketing fluff and see how the system actually works in real life.
But if you don’t go in with a clear checklist, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or miss red flags. Here are the best practices to follow when evaluating ERP vendors during the demo stage—so you get answers that matter and make a confident, informed decision.
- Prepare Real-World Scenarios
Don’t let the vendor run a generic, canned demo. Ask them to walk through workflows that mirror your day-to-day operations. For building materials suppliers, that might include:
Creating a contractor quote with custom pricing
Checking inventory across multiple warehouse locations
Processing a mixed product order (by weight, volume, or unit)
Managing a delivery schedule with job site tracking
Handling a return from a builder or site manager
If the ERP can’t handle your business model during a demo, it won’t in production either.
- Involve the Right Stakeholders
Bring in team members from every department that will use the system—sales, warehouse, procurement, finance, and customer service. They’ll spot gaps or usability issues you might miss. Encourage them to ask questions based on their specific roles and challenges.
- Evaluate Core Functional Areas
Use your checklist to evaluate how the ERP handles key areas such as:
Inventory Management: Can it track products by batch, location, and status? Does it support barcode scanning?
Order Management: Is there real-time syncing between orders, inventory, and invoicing?
Customer Management: Can it store job site contacts, project histories, and pricing tiers?
Reporting & Analytics: Are dashboards useful? Can non-tech users pull reports easily?
Mobile Access: Is it usable in the warehouse or on job sites from mobile devices?
Integration Capabilities: Can it connect with your CRM, accounting tools, or ecommerce platforms?
- Ask to See the Admin and Setup Side
A lot of demos focus only on the user interface—but you also need to know what it takes to configure the system. Ask:
How easy is it to change pricing rules or tax settings?
Can your team create new users, permissions, or custom fields?
How are product categories or warehouse locations added or edited?
A system that looks sleek on the surface but is hard to maintain behind the scenes can lead to costly delays later.
- Pay Attention to Usability
Can your team pick it up quickly without needing weeks of training? Are screens intuitive and workflows clear? If the system feels clunky in the demo, it’ll feel worse when you’re using it every day under pressure.
- Clarify Support and Implementation
During the demo, ask detailed questions about:
Who handles implementation—vendor or third-party?
How long does setup typically take for a business your size?
What does training include?
What kind of ongoing support is available after go-live?
This can help you gauge how smooth (or painful) the rollout will be.
- Take Notes and Score Each Demo
It’s easy to forget details when you’re seeing multiple vendors. Create a scoring system to rate each demo based on how well it meets your must-haves, ease of use, flexibility, and industry fit. Gather feedback from everyone involved and compare notes afterward.
Final Thoughts
A well-structured demo checklist helps you move beyond sales talk and focus on what really matters: how the ERP performs in your business environment. Take the time to prepare, ask the hard questions, and bring the right people to the table—and you’ll be far more likely to end up with a system that fits like a glove.
