12 Questions to Ask Every ERP Vendor During a Demo

A demo is only as good as your script

A scripted demo using your data is the single highest-signal event in an ERP selection. Vendors that shine on their own polished environment often stumble on yours, because your exceptions, approvals, and edge cases are where real systems live. The discipline is to arrive with a written script and a scorecard, not to sit back and be impressed. These twelve questions are grouped so you can cover function, cost, and risk in one session without letting the presenter steer away from the hard parts the moment the conversation gets uncomfortable for them.

Functional questions (1–4)

These test whether the system handles your reality, not a textbook process. Ask the presenter to stay in your data and not switch to a generic example when things get awkward — that pivot is itself an answer, because it tells you the smooth path exists only where the vendor prepared it. Score each answer against the must-haves from your requirements register so the demo feeds directly into your comparison rather than into a vague feeling of confidence.

• Can you run our actual order-to-cash process end-to-end, live, with our SKUs?
• How are custom fields and approval workflows handled without writing code?
• Show me a month-end close in the system with realistic transaction volume.
• What happens to a sale when inventory is short — substitute, backorder, or split?

Cost and risk questions (5–8)

The license price is a distraction; the all-in number is what matters. These questions force the commercial picture into the open while you still have leverage to walk away, which is the only time a vendor is motivated to be honest about what costs extra. Write the answers down in the room, because figures quoted casually in a demo have a way of becoming "that was just an estimate" once the contract arrives and the number has quietly grown.

• What is the all-in 3-year TCO including implementation and training?
• What exactly is NOT included in the base license or subscription?
• What does data migration and decommissioning the old system cost?
• Are upgrades included, or billed separately per release?

Reference and delivery questions (9–12)

Capability and price mean little if the vendor cannot deliver or support you after go-live. The final four questions probe the part of the relationship vendors least like to discuss, which is precisely why they matter most. A vendor who answers these plainly — including the uncomfortable bits — is demonstrating the candor you will want during a future incident at 2 a.m. when the system is down and a shipment is stuck.

• Can you connect me with two customers in our industry and size?
• What is your typical go-live timeline and what causes delays?
• How do you handle a failed implementation — credits, exit, data return?
• Who does the implementation — your staff or a third-party partner?

How to run the session

Send your script to the vendor in advance and require they use your sample data, not theirs. Score each answer on the spot against your must-haves so the comparison across vendors stays consistent and the impressions are fresh. If a vendor refuses a scripted demo, dodges a cost question, or will not share references, treat that as a concluded evaluation — you have your answer without another meeting, and you have saved the budget you would have wasted on a second call.

A red-flagcheat sheet

Some answers end the conversation faster than any scorecard. Keep these in mind while the demo runs so you do not talk yourself into overlooking them later when momentum and a charming sales engineer are working in the vendor's favor rather than yours.

• Presenter switches to generic data when your process gets hard.
• Cost answer is vague or deferred to "the proposal stage".
• No in-industry reference available, or only happy anecdotes offered.

Common demo mistakes buyers make

Even with a script, teams waste the session in predictable ways. The first is letting the presenter drive, so you watch a tour instead of your process. The second is asking only yes-or-no questions, which invites reassuring single words. The third is bringing only managers, so nobody in the room knows whether the workflow matches daily reality. Counter each by insisting on live execution of your data, asking open how-questions, and seating at least one operator who can say when something would not work on the floor.

• Letting the vendor tour features instead of running your process.
• Asking only yes-or-no questions that invite reassuring answers.
• Bringing only managers, so daily reality goes unrepresented.

Turn answers into a decision, not a feeling

After the demos, combine these scores with your requirements register and reference checks. The demo exposes what the product can do; the references expose what the vendor will do when things go wrong. Both belong in the same scorecard before any contract is signed, because a system that demos well but references poorly is a risk you are choosing to accept with open eyes, and at least you would be choosing it knowingly rather than being surprised by it later.