What to Expect on Your ERP Intro Call (And How to Prepare)
by David Meyers on May 14, 2026
You’ve booked time to talk about ERP…but you may not be totally sure what that first call will look like.
Is it a sales pitch? Do I need to have detailed requirements? Am I about to get pulled into a long, complicated sales process with endless phone calls and emails?
If you’ve never evaluated ERP before, this stage can feel unclear. And if you’ve been burned by software evaluations in the past, you might be expecting more pressure than value.
At ProjectLine, we approach these first conversations a bit differently. We’ve guided hundreds of businesses through ERP evaluations and our goal isn’t to “sell” you on something. It’s to quickly and honestly determine whether it makes sense to continue evaluating ERP with ProjectLine and the solutions we offer.
In this article, you’ll learn what to expect from your ERP introductory call with ProjectLine and how to prepare so you can get the most out of it.
The goal of your ERP introductory call is simple: determine if there’s a fit
The first call isn’t about diving deep into software features or walking through a demo.
It’s about figuring out one thing: Is it worth continuing the conversation?
That means looking at two sides of the equation:
- From your side, you’re evaluating us. You’re deciding whether you feel comfortable in our approach, our experience and our ability to help guide you through the ERP evaluation process.
- From our side, we’re evaluating whether ERP and the solutions we offer, like NetSuite or SAP Business One, are a realistic fit for your business, your goals and your requirements at this stage.
To do that, we focus on understanding your business at a high level—what’s driving you to explore ERP, where things are breaking down and what you’re hoping to improve.
From there, we’ll give you a clear, honest perspective. If we believe there’s enough alignment to continue the ERP evaluation, we’ll outline the next steps in the process. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you that too. In some cases, that might even mean pointing you in a different direction or advising that now isn’t the right time to move forward.
By the end of the call, you’ll have a clear answer on whether it makes sense to continue evaluating ERP with ProjectLine.
What happens during your 30-minute ERP intro call
We start with your business, not the software
The first part of the conversation is about you.
We’ll ask a few high-level questions to understand:
- What your business does
- How you operate today
- What systems you’re currently using
- What’s driving you to explore ERP
This gives us the context we need to offer useful, relevant guidance based on your situation.
We answer your ERP questions early
You’ll likely come into the call with a few important questions, such as:
- Do you work with businesses like mine?
- What solutions do you offer?
- How do you typically work with clients?
We address these and any other questions you may have in that first call, so you can determine whether it makes sense to keep talking.
We talk about ballpark ERP costs
Cost is one of the first things most businesses want to understand.
We won’t get into detailed pricing on the intro call because there usually isn’t enough information yet to give a precise quote. Giving a highly specific number too early, without fully understanding your requirements, usually creates more confusion than clarity.
What we will do is give you a realistic ballpark range based on what we know about your business so far.
Ultimately, your budget will depend on the ERP solution you’re evaluating and the specific needs of your business. If you want to get a sense of pricing ahead of the call, you can explore our:
During our conversation, we’ll narrow things down further based on your goals, processes and implementation scope.
The goal is to help you quickly determine whether ERP is financially feasible before investing more time in the evaluation process.
We outline clear next steps
If we agree to move forward, we’ll walk you through what comes next in the ERP buying process:
- A deeper discovery conversation
- A tailored demo of the solution
- A detailed proposal and project plan
If it doesn’t make sense to move forward, we’ll be upfront about that too and help you understand what your best next step might be.
By the end of the call, you’ll understand what to expect in the ERP buying process, what it might cost and what your next step is if you continue on the path with ProjectLine.
How to prepare for your ERP intro call
You don’t need to do a lot of prep for this call, but coming in with a bit of context will help you get more value out of the conversation.
Here’s what’s helpful to have in mind.
Come ready to explain why you’re exploring ERP
At a high level, what’s driving this?
Maybe your systems aren’t keeping up. Maybe reporting takes too long. Maybe your team is relying too heavily on spreadsheets.
This is also a good time to think about the workflows or areas of the business you’d like to improve.
If you already have a sense of specific ERP requirements, bring those too. That could include:
- A shortlist of must-haves
- A few pain points or challenges you're trying to solve in your business
- A rough idea of workflows you want to improve
If you don’t have all of that figured out yet, that’s completely normal. Part of the ERP evaluation process is helping you define those requirements more clearly.
Be ready to share some basic business context
We’ll ask a few high-level questions to better understand your business.
We’ll usually ask things like:
- Employee count
- Revenue range
- Products or services you offer
- Markets you serve
- Your current systems
This background helps us give you more relevant guidance and realistic recommendations.
Optional: send notes ahead of time
If you have anything written down—ERP requirements, questions or even a rough wish list—feel free to send it in advance.
Reviewing this ahead of time helps us tailor the conversation to your business and provide more meaningful guidance during the call.
That said, most businesses don’t have this ready at this stage, and that’s completely fine.
The only real preparation you need is a clear sense of why you’re exploring ERP and what you want to learn from the conversation.
What you’ll walk away with after the call
You’ll leave the call with clarity on your options, your budget range and your next step—whether that’s moving forward with ProjectLine or exploring other directions.
Here’s what you can expect to walk away with:
- A clear sense of whether ERP is worth exploring for your business right now
- A high-level understanding of what ERP might do to solve your business challenges
- Ballpark pricing to help you assess budget fit
- Answers to your most important questions
- A clear outline of next steps, whether it’s with ProjectLine or not
Ready for your ERP intro call?
Booking an ERP call can feel like a big step, especially if you’re not sure what to expect or how involved the process will be.
The reality is, this first conversation is meant to be simple, useful and grounded in your situation.
At ProjectLine, we’ve helped many businesses work through this exact stage. The purpose of the call is to determine whether ProjectLine and the ERP solutions we offer make sense for your business, your goals and your requirements.
If you come into the call with a general sense of what’s driving your search and a few questions in mind, you’ll get everything you need out of it.
Curious as to what happens after the intro call?
This guide walks through the full ERP buying process with ProjectLine—including discovery, demos and proposals.
Frequently asked questions
How long is an ERP introductory call?
Most ERP intro calls are about 30 minutes.
It’s a focused conversation designed to understand your business at a high level, answer your key questions and determine whether it makes sense to continue the evaluation.
How do I prepare for an ERP consultation?
You don’t need formal documentation, but it helps to come prepared with:
- A general sense of why you’re exploring ERP
- A few key challenges or inefficiencies
- Basic information about your business and current systems
This makes the conversation more productive and relevant to your situation.
What is the ERP evaluation process?
The ERP evaluation process usually includes:
- An introductory call
- A deeper discovery phase
- A tailored product demo
- A detailed proposal and project plan
Each step helps you better understand fit, cost and complexity before making a decision.