Reference Calls

­­General Discussions
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Hello all,

I just completed my first reference call for Prophix. For those of you who have completed more reference calls, what advice do you have for customers doing reference calls? Is there a certain outline you use? What is your favorite thing to mention about Prophix?

Thank you,

Alex Kaiser

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I like this post, @alexander.kaiser. And let the record show, we did NOT put you up to this!

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Hi Alex,

I recently took my first reference call. I asked the potential customer to send me a list of her questions ahead of time. This helped because then I was able to have examples of what Prophix can do already called up in my system. Also, I have a Test Cube and Test Dashboard so if I have time, I can customize an example for the person that I’m talking to. From the list of questions, I came up with an agenda. I think that the most important thing is to talk as people first. Get to know each other a little bit before diving in. Get to know their pain points and what their existing process is!

I love mentioning our multi-tiered allocation process that we perform using many infoflexs. This has saved my organization valuable budget time and actual month end time.

Emily

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I have taken a few reference calls.

Advice: Create a small group of 3-5 “super” admins who will be there for implementation and beyond so they know how the instance is set up, how all the processes run to maintain the system, can answer any questions for users and create/manage all the reports. Also empower them to find new ways to use Prophix within the organization.

Favorite thing: We are always finding new ways to use Prophix and simplify/strengthen our reporting

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Thank you Emily! This is very insightful!

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Hi Alex! I’ve done at least 10 reference calls at this point. Every call is so different so I usually just let the others lead. It’s typically gone one of two ways:

  1. They want insight on what we are doing in Prophix, how we are using it and how Prophix has helped us achieve those things. I’ve come up with a quick 45 second “elevator speech” (like they talk about with networking/interviewing) on what we have done and are working towards with Prophix.
  2. They want advice on how to implement. I always say, “you get out of it what you put into it”. Prophix doesn’t know your ERP or your environment better than you do. One of the best things to do pre-implementation is get a comprehensive list of what information you want in Prophix, where it is located, how you report on it and who needs to see it.

Feel free to reach out if you’re looking for any other specific advice :slight_smile:

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Hi,

On the many reference calls I’ve done, a common theme is giving them comfort that the Prophix Marketing team hasn’t over hyped the product, the ease of deployment, and on going support. Many I talk with are making recommendations to the CFO on a go/no-go decision. This is a major decision for them and the organization, and they don’t want to be wearing an expensive bad decision. For some, it is a major career making decision.

While each call is different, I usually end up sharing various personal stories of dealing with Prophix over the past 10+ years. It gives them comfort that I’ve bought Prophix 3 times in my life, and war stories (with positive outcomes) to share. I also give them tidbits of advice on how to get the most out of deployment (ensuring first impressions are good).

Paul.

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@emily.anauo, that’s not merely a reference call, that’s a presales demonstration! What a wonderful display of advocacy and enthusiasm, and I’m sure your approach is extremely helpful to the people talking with you.

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Thank you! I truly believe in Prophix and am happy to provide my insight to others. I think that it’s extremely valuable for potential customers to see the product in real action.

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I’ve never put together a plan, I find I’m better just going in with an open mind, willing to talk about whatever they want to talk about. Most have been very different, asking questions that are important to them, and that’s what I figure I’m there for, is to answer their questions.

I do quite enjoy them, though. Kinda wish there’d be a way to connect with them if they do go ahead with the project, especially those in the region or in the same industry.

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Great discussion here. I look forward to doing my first one of these.

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It’s been many years since I did a couple of reference calls, but I remember coming away thinking that I should first let the customer explain what they’d like to learn from me. I was prepared to shared a brief summary of my implementation experience, lessons learned, and give some recommendations -but before boring the other line too much -make sure you have a sense for what they want to know first. Then if they don’t give much direction, you can share what you think would be relevant.

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Oh, and probably my favorite advice to give to the other caller is how much of a change Prophix can make if done right. I suggest they take the time to gain an appreciation for what pieces and functionality can or can’t be expanded after initial set up and make sure they have a good sense for an approach that will accomplish their most important needs without cluttering the initial process with too many broad “it would be nice if’s” for less important items or changes that can be added later. Prophix is amazing, but also powerful enough that scope can be easily overdrawn without the right plan.

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@michael.senchuk I know what you mean about the follow up. To me reference calls actually feel like mini coaching situations where you are helping someone make a decision, which is a newly established relationship. Even as a short-lived distant relationship, follow-up and closure would be nice.

Based on your feedback I now plan to reach out to those that have fielded reference calls for me when I’ve been searching for products to let them know the outcome of our search. (We’ve always thanked them, but that’s usually a long time before the final decision was made).

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I really like this. I would definitely want a discussion plan. I love these ideas

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I typically do not have a plan for the reference calls. I let them lead the conversation and give them the feedback they are looking for, since each one has different concerns or plans. It is usually very helpful to tell them this is the second company I helped implement Prophix after painfully learning their budgeting in Excel.

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I always try to avoid a scripted reference call. I always try to get to know the other parties needs and listen to their needs/issues and try to be relevant to what they are looking for in the reference call.

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Hi Alex - I have completed many reference calls over the years. The discussion is often patterned off of what the potential customer is looking to achieve. However, the usual first question I get is “Tell me about your use of Prophix?” From there the response is pretty “outlined” as I can talk to the various companies and models that I built as each company, along with the thing that was different at each company that drove them to use Prophix…yet how the stories are also very similar. By the time customers hear how I’ve implemented it in different organizations in both financial and non-financial use cases, it typically covers any questions that they might have.

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I love to talk about how easy it is to build reporting - to look like ANY deliverable report. It’s so easy to customize templates & be flexible for the executive packages monthly.

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I have had a couple reference calls. Typically the conversation is how do we use Prophix. We share about the implementation, and then they usually ask how it can meet some of their needs that they are interested in. I like to share about the ease of reporting and the way we might use Prophix differently from others.

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