Most ERP shortlists are decided by the best demo, not the best fit. That is not the buyer's fault. A vendor demo is built to show the product at its strongest, on clean sample data, along a path the presenter has walked many times.
The fix is simple and rarely done: write the script yourself, before the first meeting.
What goes in a demo script
Pick the few processes that make or lose you money. For a mid-size manufacturer that is often order to delivery, the engineering change on a live order, month-end costing, or a multi-site stock transfer. For each one, write the steps your team actually follows, including the awkward ones.
Then add your own data. Ten real items with their real bills of material. A customer with odd credit terms. An order that changes after release. Ask every vendor to run the same script on the same data.
Why this works
A shared script turns three sales pitches into one comparison. You stop judging features and start judging fit. You also see how each product handles the exceptions that fill your planners' day. Clean happy paths look the same on every system. Exceptions do not.
It also exposes the partner, not only the product. The ERP brand matters less than the people who will configure it. Watch who asks good questions about your routings. Ask each partner for references near your plants, then call them.
Price the same scope
Ask every bidder to price the scripted scope, with licences, implementation, data migration and support listed separately. Quotes that cover different scopes cannot be compared, and the gaps usually show up later as change requests.
Then think about data
Whichever system wins, AI value after go-live depends on clean masters and same-day transactions. Put a data readiness review inside the project plan, not after it.
The full post compares Infor LN, SAP and Microsoft Dynamics on manufacturing depth, multi-site, India GST, partners and AI readiness, with every vendor claim linked to the vendor's own pages. It also has a decision tree for building a fair shortlist.
Read the full comparison: Infor LN vs SAP vs Dynamics for Mid-Size Manufacturers
Abhijit Singh is CEO of Seven Billion Analytics, which builds enterprise AI, analytics and ERP systems for mid-size manufacturers and distributors.
