If you’ve ever evaluated an ERP system, you’ve probably experienced some frustration.
A process that should help you make a confident, informed decision instead drags on for weeks or months, all without giving you clear answers to the questions that matter most: Is this actually a fit? How does this work in the real world? And what will it cost over time?
At Stellar One, our experts have spent decades inside the ERP industry, on both the selling and delivery sides. We’ve seen firsthand how sales-led buying processes slow decisions, distort expectations, and create friction before an ERP project even begins. We decided to take action, and we’ve now built a different model by removing sales from the process entirely and replacing persuasion with education.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- What the Traditional ERP Buying Process Looks Like
- The Real Problem With Traditional ERP Sales
- Why This ERP Selling Process Wastes So Much of Your Time
- What a Modern ERP Buying Experience Should Look Like
- How Stellar One Approaches ERP Buying Differently
The issues aren’t accidental; they’re a direct result of how ERP sales processes are designed.
What the Traditional ERP Buying Process Looks Like
You start with some simple questions that should help you make the best selection, like how much ERP software costs and whether the partner or the software matters more.
Weeks later, you’re still sitting through calls:
- Intro call
- Discovery call
- Follow-up discovery call
- Demo
- Another demo
- “Internal alignment” call
- Proposal review
- Proposal revision
And after all that time, you still don’t feel confident you understand what the ERP platform will actually look like in your business, what the long-term relationship will feel like, or what you’ll truly be paying over time.
This setup doesn’t exist because ERP software is inherently confusing. It’s because traditional ERP sales processes are designed around the seller, not the buyer.
“In all of my time knee-deep in the ERP world, I have yet to figure out how having a commissioned salesperson as the initial point of contact for a future customer is of any benefit to that customer.”
—Richard Sellar, Stellar One CEO
The Real Problem With Traditional ERP Sales
The frustration you’ve felt deciding on an ERP platform can be traced back to four major, identifiable problems with the traditional ERP sales cycle.
1. Sales Is the Gatekeeper to Information You Need
In most ERP buying journeys, there’s one unavoidable step: You have to talk to sales. Not because you want to, but because sales controls access to:
- Pricing
- Product scope
- Contract terms
- What’s included vs. extra
Even basic questions like “What does this typically cost?” or “How long does this take?” are often met with: “It depends.”
That answer doesn’t help buyers make progress. It slows them down.
ERP buyers today are more informed than ever. You can research features, platforms, integrations, and reviews on your own. But when pricing, process, and real-world expectations are hidden behind a sales conversation, your timeline is no longer yours, it’s theirs.
2. The Process Is Built Around the Seller’s Timeline
Traditional ERP sales cycles are often framed as “mutual,” but in reality, they’re optimized for:
- Quarterly quotas
- Pipeline stages
- Forecast calls
- Internal handoffs
That’s why buyers are pushed into:
- Artificial deadlines
- “End-of-quarter incentives”
- Large up-front discounts that feel time-sensitive
The result is a process that looks collaborative on the surface but quietly pressures you to move faster than you’re ready to, while still withholding the clarity you need to decide confidently.
3. Demos Replace Reality Poorly
ERP demos are meant to show you what’s possible. Instead, they often create confusion.
You’re shown:
- Carefully curated workflows
- Clean sample data
- Polished scenarios
What you don’t see:
- Your data
- Your edge cases
- Your real processes
- The friction you’ll hit during implementation
Worse, demos are usually delivered by salespeople whose goal is to show that something can be done. They’re not trained or incentivized to show whether it should be done, or how sustainable it will be long-term.
Buyers often walk away impressed, but not informed.
4. The Sales-to-Services Handoff Is a Black Hole
Even when sales teams mean well, there’s a structural problem: Salespeople don’t implement ERP systems. Implementation teams do.
That means critical context is often lost when the deal closes:
- Assumptions don’t translate
- Constraints surface too late
- “That’s not how this usually works” shows up mid-project
By the time you realize there’s a disconnect, you’ve already signed a contract and committed significant time and money.
Why This ERP Selling Process Wastes So Much of Your Time
Traditional ERP sales processes waste time because they:
- Delay access to real information
- Force you into conversations before you’re ready
- Emphasize persuasion over education
- Optimize for closing deals, not making good decisions
And perhaps most frustrating of all, none of it prepares you for what actually matters: the experience after you say yes.
What a Modern ERP Buying Experience Should Look Like
A better ERP buying experience doesn’t eliminate human interaction altogether, but places it appropriately with four major improvements.
1. Information Should Be Available Without a Sales Call
Buyers should be able to learn, on their own:
- How pricing works
- What’s included
- What typical timelines look like
- How complexity is handled
This doesn’t mean everything is one-size-fits-all. It means guardrails are clear.
When buyers understand the parameters around ERP pricing, timeline, and expectations early, conversations become productive instead of performative.
2. Evaluation Should Be Hands-On, Not Hypothetical
A modern ERP buying process lets you:
- Work with the actual system
- Use your own data
- Explore real workflows
- Interact with the people who will support you long-term
Seeing slides about methodology or watching demos isn’t enough. You need to experience what life will actually look like after go-live, and that should happen before you commit.
3. Risk Should Be Shared, Not Pushed Onto the Buyer
In traditional models, buyers assume nearly all the risk by:
- Paying for implementation up front
- Committing to long contracts
- Hoping the system fits once it’s live
A modern buying experience flips that dynamic. It says:
- “Evaluate first.”
- “Commit when you’re confident.”
- “Pay when you’re getting value.”
When ERP providers believe in their approach, they don’t need pressure tactics or lock-ins to close deals.
4. Experts Should Guide the Process, Not Sales Scripts
Buyers don’t need someone to “handle objections.” They need someone who understands their business processes, the trade-offs involved in this process, and the consequences of each decision made.
A modern ERP buying experience replaces scripted discovery with real advisory conversations, which are focused on outcomes, not upsells.
How Stellar One Approaches ERP Buying Differently
This is where the experience shifts from what should exist to what actually does.
Instead of a traditional sales-led model, Stellar One’s buying experience is built around:
- Transparency
- Self-service education
- Real evaluation
- Long-term alignment
That means:
- No commissioned salespeople acting as gatekeepers
- Pricing available up front, without forced calls
- The ability to evaluate the platform and partnership before committing
- A model that works only if long-term value is delivered
The goal isn’t to “close” you. It’s to make sure that if you move forward, you do so with clarity and confidence.
Because ERP solution purchasing shouldn’t be a transaction, but the start of a relationship.
Choosing an ERP Partner Without Wasting Time
If you’re evaluating ERP systems now, here are a few questions that quickly reveal whether a provider’s process is buyer-first or seller-first:
- Can I understand pricing before talking to sales?
- Will I work with the same team before and after I sign?
- Can I evaluate the system using my real data?
- What risk am I being asked to take upfront?
- Who benefits most from this buying process: me or them?
If the answers are unclear, that uncertainty will only grow after the contract is signed. And before you accept any lackluster answers, take a look at our post on why “it depends” is a terrible answer to any of your most pressing ERP-related questions.
Want to try our sales-free process for yourself? Click below to begin your free ERP deployment.
Frequently Asked Questions About ERP Sales Processes