It’s the law of supply and demand. Over the long run, the SAP consultants that make the most money are the ones with the most skills – especially skills that are in short supply. That’s a law that almost everyone understands. So, I am surprised to hear some consultants still complaining about low hourly rates – when I see other consultants making $80 to $100 or even more — while some SAP consulting jobs are even going unfilled.

If more knowledge equals more money, then why don’t these consultants stop complaining and just get the extra knowledge they need? It’s not like the knowledge isn’t available. I can understand why someone might not want to take three months off and spend thousands of dollars to take classes. You must consider both the out-of-pocket expense and the lost income while sitting in class. It takes a really big jump in your rate to justify that type of investment.

Another option is to simply rely on on-the-job experience to teach you what you need to know. The problem with that strategy is that companies don’t want to hire you if you don’t already have the skills they need. They’re not paying you to learn. Of course, you’ll always learn something new on almost any job. But that’s a rather random approach to learning, and what are the chances you’ll acquire the right skills you need to earn a higher rate?

A third — and better — option is to buy the SAPexperts Knowledgebase (available from the ERPCX). It only costs a few hundred dollars. You can select the skills you want to learn. And you don’t have to take time off from earning money while you do learn them. And, unlike classroom training that quickly goes out of date, the SAPexperts Knowledgebase always stays fresh with continuous updates.

The SAPexperts Knowledgebase is just one of several services the ERPCX offers to help consultants make more money. What do you think of ERPCX services? Do you know what they are?  Do you have suggestions or comments to make them better?

Click here to fill out the ERPCX Member Services Survey.

Now HP is scraping all WebOS devices, including the TouchPad, and may spin off its entire PC business. HP also bought Autonomy, a British maker of analytics software for $10.3 billion (roughly half the cash on HP’s balance sheet) at 11 times revenue. The day of Leo’s announcement HP’s stock plunged 20 percent to $23.60. In one year, the stock has declined 49 percent (versus a 3 percent gain on the S&P index). SAP stock, by the way, is up almost 20% in the past year.

So what lessons are there here for those of us who sell SAP consulting?

One lesson seems to be that the leadership change at SAP was a good thing. Another is that HP, in trying to transform itself into a software company, is also trying to transform itself into the kind of company Leo thinks he can run. He’s a software company CEO; so let’s make HP a software company — a classic case of, “if you’re a hammer, make every problem a nail.”

Rather than think about what he can do, perhaps Leo should think about what the customer wants. Today it’s all about the ecosystem, the total solution. Just last week United/Continental bought 11,000 Apple iPads for its paperless cockpit. Of course, Apple doesn’t make enterprise software — a fact that SAP consultants can exploit by making a lot existing enterprise apps tablet friendly — as well as by creating entirely new ones.

Perhaps HP could have done that for the TouchPad. Maybe by exploited its natural advantages in the enterprise space, HP could have built a mobile ecosystem of its own; one tuned to enterprise users running large HP-enabled business systems.

Bringing enterprise apps to tablets looks like a big opportunity. But whether it is or not, the real lesson is to think about giving the customer a whole solution, not just a skill. That applies equally whether you are a computer company exec or an SAP consultant.

Our referral partners are well known players in the SAP field including such companies as Winshuttle and Revelation Software Concepts whose innovative solutions can be promoted by our members in exchange for referral commissions.

We would like you to be more involved and become more active. Ultimately it pays. 

As a special thank you for being a member we want to offer you our KNOWLEDGEPACK for a limited time and for the drastically reduced price of $399:

• An annual subscription to the SAPexperts knowledgebase of your choice
• Access to our SAP Development system for the same period
• An ERPCX email address which enables you to be part of our internal network
• A mobile business card for the duration of your subscription
• The use of our logo for your stationary, marketing materials, website and emails

Just login to your ERPCX account and subscribe to the knowledgebase of your choice with coupon code 5D0834.    

Our virtual consulting services are attracting the interest from SAP customers around the world. For example, we recently closed a new contract for SAP END USER SUPPORT that is provided by ERPCX members. We will also continue to bring new offerings to the SAP ecosystem, such as our recent initiatives to develop SAP mobile apps. (If you have an idea for an SAP mobile app, and would like help making it happen, please let us know. We’d love to consider it!)

So, happy 3^rd anniversary and thanks to all our ERPCX members, subscribers and followers! We look forward to bringing you more great news in the months ahead!

Best regards,

Herbert Goertz, CEO

I’m happy to announce that in the first two months since we introduced the new ERPCX Country Ambassador Program, we have already partnered with our first nine country ambassadors, representing a total of 14 countries. They are:

• Canada: Zoltan Lovei
• Egypt: Abobakr Ghaith
• Denmark: Thomas Ugilt Thomsen
• Germany: Andreas Hielscher
• Hungary: Péter Szakonyi
• Indonesia: Ahmad Rizki
• Netherlands: Wim Wetzels
• Poland: Fernando Lafuente
• South Africa: Warren Eiserman  (Angola, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Mauritius)

Congratulations to all! We select ERPCX Country Ambassadors based on their excellent knowledge of both SAP and their home countries. We welcome our first Country Ambassadors and believe they will do a great job representing ERPCX products, services and members in their local areas.

We also love the enthusiasm each Country Ambassador has shown for representing ERPCX. Here is what Warren Eiserman, who among others runs SAPortals, a large South African SAP consultancy, says on his new CA blog:

“It is with a good deal of excitement that I write my first post as ERPCX country ambassador. … As someone that has been doing SAP consulting for over 10 years and being involved in the SAP industry from both and implementation and analyst perspective, I am eager to take up the challenge of ERPCX and its innovative offerings.”

Andreas Hielscher, ERPCX German Country Ambassador writes: “Thank you, Herbert, for the opportunity to exclusively represent ERPCX products in Germany, like the SAPexperts Knowledgebase and the ERPCX Virtual Bench. These are unique offerings that will address a growing demand for smarter SAP consulting that is also more cost effective.”

In the weeks ahead, we will announce other ERPCX Country Ambassador appointments. To find out more about our new Country Ambassadors, click on the Country Ambassadors link at the top of this page. And if you wish to be considered for the CA position in your country, please email us before the position is filled.

We are excited to announce that we have re-launched the ERPCX Country Ambassador program. Each Country Ambassador is the primary SAP consultant for the ERPCX in his or her country. As such, each one is first in line to work on all of that country’s ERPCX projects. CAs also earn passive income from ERPCX commissions paid on all projects, products and services sold in that country.

We have just signed up our first Country Ambassadors. We will announce their names soon but in the meantime I wanted to give you an update on what we’ve done with the program.

By the way, if you are interested in becoming a Country Ambassador, now would be a good time to apply. That’s because there will only be one Country Ambassador for each country — and prime spots are already filling up!  So, if you are interested, please send us an email.

Why Become a Country Ambassador?

• Each Country Ambassador is a premium member of the ERPCX who utilizes the ERPCX Virtual Bench and SAPexperts KNOWLEDGEBASE (*) products
• Right of first refusal to work on all ERPCX projects within the CA’s home country
• A commission on all ERPCX virtual consulting projects in that country, whether or not the Country Ambassador participates on the project
• A commission on sales of all ERPCX products in that country including the ERPCX Virtual Bench and SAPexperts KNOWLEDGEBASE products
• The use of the ERPCX logo on websites, newsletters and other materials
• A country-specific website and blog within the main ERPCX website, which the CA can write in his or her local language
• An electronic mobile business card (allows another person’s mobile device to scan your business card and update their address book automatically)
• Exclusive rights to Country Ambassador status within the CA’s home country

Those interested in becoming a Country Ambassador should contact the ERPCX immediately since, again, there can only be one CA for each country.

(*)  SAPexperts knowledgebase is a product of Wellesley Information Services LLC in the United States and such products are sold by ERPCX to its members under a license agreement dated January 21, 2011.

Joshua Greenbaum, at InsiderPROFILES, makes a great case when he advocates that the term SAP “end user” be replaced by SAP “driver.” His comparison to high school drivers’ ed is both humorous and on target. Every day companies across the globe hand the “keys” over to people who should know what they’re doing, where they’re going and how to get there. Joshua is right. Those people can’t just be users, along for the ride like passengers. They’ve got to be drivers.

That’s why we welcome users as members, alongside consultants and SAP customers. As we say elsewhere on this website, without users there would be no SAP consultants, no SAP customers and no SAP. We also say that the boundaries between these roles are not so clear-cut as the labels indicate. SAP customers — i.e., those individuals who sign off on SAP implementations — are almost always users too. And as for users being consultants — we all know who you are. You’re that person over in the next cubical who gets all the technical questions whenever a co-worker has a problem. (Say, wouldn’t it be nice if you could sell some of that technical know-how on the side?)

So, yes, users should be drivers; but so should customers and consultants. We all wear each other’s hats from time to time, and we should all be drivers.

The problem with calling you a user (rhymes with loser) is that nobody sees you as a driver. You’re viewed as the end of the value chain, not the central link. No wonder, as Joshua says, companies don’t spend enough money on SAP user training. That hurts companies, of course; but it also hurts you.

So start driving! Get your SAP knowledge here. Sell your technical expertise here. Got an SAP module or app you’ve developed on your own time? Sell it here. Want to build your reputation with other SAP drivers? Then post your resume here and participate in our LinkedIn discussions here. 

You’ve got the keys. You’re a driver. That’s why we want you.

Here is more good news for ERPCX members looking to put their careers on a fast track. If you post your resume on our Resume Posting page, your resume will be fast tracked for consideration on job opportunities marked “Fast Tracked” on the Service Posting page.

Anyone can still apply for any opportunity. But not everyone will get Fast Tracked. If a job is marked Fast Tracked it means your resume will automatically be reviewed for that job — if your resume is posted on the Resume Posting page.

That puts you at the head of the line. An opportunity might be for full-time employment, part-time employment, a contract job, or a position on our own ERPCX Virtual Consulting Team.

In the future, you will notice that more and more jobs will be marked Fast Tracked.

To post your resume, you need to enter all the information requested on our Resume Posting page and attach your resume. Entering your information lets us search your resume for skills and experience directly in a database, without doing a keyword search. Database searches are faster and more accurate than keyword searches.

There is no charge for posting your resume. However professional resume writing is available for a fee.  Here is a sample of what our professionally written resumes look like. Notice that resumes are available both as a downloadable PDF and as a standalone website, which you can host at ERPCX. A personal website tells people you are a true professional and is a fast and easy way to sell yourself. To get a resume writing price quote, simply send an email with your current resume attached to: erpcx@me.com.

As announced in my last post, the ERPCX is adding a third member category — users. Why users?  Because every “solution” needs them.

Have you ever sat in a meeting of SAP consultants and users — like when the users are giving feedback on a system the consultants just designed? It can be painful, especially for the consultants.  No matter how great the consultants think their new system is — even if it is “bug free” — users will have their own opinions. They have a perspective and knowledge that no one else does — not the consultants and not the customers (unless the customers are users too).

Users also have the most to lose. Like the decision-makers who actually buy SAP, users’ careers and incomes depend on how well the software performs. But SAP buyers don’t have to live with the software every day. It’s not facing them every morning when they come to work. With few exceptions, senior executives don’t sit in front of a computer screen all day. If something about the software is slow or hard to use, it’s the user who has to make up the difference by working harder or finding workarounds.

We want to tap into that knowledge and perspective, because we think our other members — consultants and customers — will benefit. So we invite users to participate in our blogs and online discussion threads.

But the ERPCX also offers benefits that users will like. For example, they can use the same career tools that consultants use – like resume posting, job boards, and access to SAP systems for training. They can also use many of the same services we offer SAP customers, like help desk and operations support (e.g., sales order entry).

And because this is an “exchange,” our SAP user members can even “exchange” roles to become part-time virtual consultants themselves — like working on the virtual helpdesk, in operations support, or as a virtual consulting team member.  We think that by bringing all three sides of the SAP project together — consultants, customers, and users — in an ongoing exchange, each side will benefit enormously from the other two.

Thank you for the overwhelming response to my first email.  Your feedback was great.  I had asked you to tell me what your biggest problem or concern is.  And I got it.  Keep the emails coming.

One subject that I heard about was how to maximize your income and to keep your billing rates up.  Here is what one of our members wrote, Daniel W., of New York, “Chris, my biggest problem is justifying my rates, all the time it is discount discount discount.  Everyone wants $1000 a day experience for $500 and little or no expenses.  And then there is the cost of finding the project…”.

Well Daniel, there is no easy answer but I came across this article today and thought it was very interesting.  You know here at the ERP Consulting Exchange we are just that, an exchange where we bring together customers, users, and consultants.  We are not recruiters.  Not that we have anything against them, but, truth be-told a lot of times  we see them eat your margin–and a lot of it.  Often there several recruiters involved and that $1000 a day is being billed to the customer but by the time it gets to you it is $600 a day.

Here is a great article from SmartMoney titled “10 Things Employment Recruiters Won’t Say“.  My personal favorite was #3.

What do we say?  If you can–avoid them.  It can help you keep more of your worth.

Post your thoughts below.

Thanks,
Chris

We have made two significant changes to our member services this month.  First, I am very proud to announce the appointment of Chris Terry as Vice President, Member Services.  And, second, we have expanded our member categories to now include SAP users, in addition SAP customers and SAP consultants.  Both changes point to a very aggressive 2011 as we aim to become (in Chris’s words) “the single most valuable resource hub for all things SAP” with over 10,000 members.

Chris has been a colleague and friend for over 15 years — going back to when we were at SETAC, the first North American SAP consulting practice. I have deep respect for Chris as a technology pioneer.  He founded one of the very first Internet Services Providers in the United States — Florida Internet — and co-founded one of the first SAP application service providers — HostLogic — that grew to over 100 full-time employees with offices in the US, Europe, South America and Asia.  Spun off to its European management team in 2000, HostLogic is now one of Eastern Europe’s top 50 IT companies.  More recently, Chris has been the Managing Partner at Nextshore, a global information technology service company that specializes in Internet marketing and web development.

Chris’s role here will be to recruit members, increase and improve member services, and open channels of communication across our (now three) member types — users, customers and consultants.  So you’ll be hearing a lot from Chris.

Adding users as a third member category was a no-brainer.  Without users there are no customers or consultants. It is the users’ ability to work more productively that ultimately gives SAP its value.  Consequently, they make a huge — and often unappreciated  — contribution to the SAP ecosystem.  We are happy to include them.