--- title: 10 Ways to Be a Better SAP Customer description: Be a Better SAP Customer and meet your ROI objectives. Learn how to proceed with change management and extend your SAP footprint successfully. image: https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubfs/Blogs%20General/iron%20works%20steel%20and%20machine%20parts%20modern%20factory%20indoor%20hall.jpeg --- ![SAP Customer](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubfs/Blogs%20General/iron%20works%20steel%20and%20machine%20parts%20modern%20factory%20indoor%20hall.jpeg) # 10 Ways to Be a Better SAP Customer Table of Contents ## Are You a SAP Customer   Whether you’ve owned your [SAP system](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-understand-sap-modules-in-5-minutes) for 30 years, like many railroads, or are brand new to the [world of SAP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-training-courses) and haven’t even started your [SAP implementation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-nail-sap-partnership-management), you most likely would like to know how to be a better [SAP customer](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-project-management).  What should your goals be as regards being a better [SAP Customer](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-sap-bw-project-estimation-best-practices-to-roll-out-today):   - Constantly increasing [**Return on Your SAP Investment.**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/9-epm-sap-strategy-management-how-to-best-practices-to-implement-now) - Ensure your SAP investment is **aligned** with your **corporate strategy.** - **Increase** the deployed **footprint** of your SAP system. ![iron works steel and machine parts modern factory indoor hall](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs%20General/iron%20works%20steel%20and%20machine%20parts%20modern%20factory%20indoor%20hall.jpeg?width=1000&name=iron%20works%20steel%20and%20machine%20parts%20modern%20factory%20indoor%20hall.jpeg) Achieving these 3 [primary goals](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/free-online-sales-and-inbound-marketing-calculator-determine-website-traffic-and-sales-goals) requires that you employ a variety of integrated ‘Best Practices’, no matter where you are at in your SAP customer lifecycle:   ## [SAP Customer](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-secret-tips-to-choosing-sap-consulting-companies) Best Practice Recommendations:   1. Ensure your [SAP project](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-project-management) has a **solid [Business Case](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-consulting-fi-co-mm-sd-pp-plm-bw-vora-hr-crm-scm-apo-ehs-grc-modules)** both during the initial selection process and as you own it. 2. Revise this [business case](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-consulting-fi-co-mm-sd-pp-plm-bw-vora-hr-crm-scm-apo-ehs-grc-modules) annually using solid [**Value Engineering**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/value-engineering) principles. 3. During your [SOW negotiations](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-partnership-advisory-services), **focus far more on ensuring that the quality** of the [SAP consultants](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/12-easy-steps-to-being-a-better-sap-consultant) is the key consideration, not the price. 4. Establish your [**SAP Steering Committee**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-project-management) prior to starting your [SAP implementation.](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-key-infrastructure-tips-for-sap-implementation-projects) 5. Conduct **ASAP Implementation Methodology now known as SAP Activate** training for them and continue it throughout the [lifecycle of your project.](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-grants-management) 6. **Follow SAP’s recommendations** as to hardware sizing, system landscapes, and upgrades.  7. On your initial implementation, **kill all unnecessary enhancements**.  Park them for later.  Focus on your go live. 8. Make [**Change Management**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/request-sap-functional-consulting-support) a key focus area.  Do not skimp on it. 9. **Limit or eliminate** other major projects if at all possible. 10. Don’t try to do it all in one go.  Much less risky to **establish a baseline system**, and then plan on rollouts. Most of these recommendations are very straightforward pieces of advice.  However, some are probably a little different than you have been told in the past.  The third goal, increasing your SAP deployed [business process](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/sap-industry-solutions/sap-project-management-archived-2) footprint, will actually rise to become the most difficult aspect of being a better SAP customer.    Why?    It goes back to change management.  ## What You Need to Know About SAP Change Management The basic [change management process](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/discover-project-managers-utopia-with-these-change-management-tips) of unfreeze, make the change, and refreeze it, means that after you have successfully gone live, if you want to do a secondary rollout, especially if it effects brand new areas of the business,  you are going to have to work much harder on the unfreeze part.    For example, if you originally only did a [Sales](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/3-marketing-routes-to-reach-your-crm-goals) and Distribution (SAP SD) [implementation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/3-ways-to-implement-crm-marketing) but now are rolling out the full SAP [CRM](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/inbound-marketing-services/hubspot-crm-implementation-services) ([Customer Relationship Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-get-your-sales-roar-on)) product module, you will, especially if you are doing the marketing aspect of it, start to affect a completely new area of your company, i.e., the marketing department, which may not have even been affected during the initial core [roll-out](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-best-practices-greenfield-implementations).    They may never have operated in an integrated fashion before, meaning their software and procedures, especially among the creative types, were largely stand-alone.  They most likely operated multiple channels of marketing communication, including web, social media, [mobile](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/5-logical-reasons-for-hiring-a-mobile-marketing-agency) and e-mail, and even print, but now, they will have a whole new set of tools, requiring them to participate effectively in something we call the Sales, Marketing, & Operations Planning (SM&OP) process, as opposed to the traditional [S&OP proces](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/the-shocking-truth-about-your-sap-sales-process)[s](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/the-shocking-truth-about-your-sap-sales-process) ([Sales & Operations Planning](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/14-sap-business-planning-best-practices)).  ### SAP Brings a New Way of Doing Business To Your Organization SAP does not replace those creative tools, but [the new way of doing business](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/12-sap-crm-content-management-system-requirements) means there will be a lot of unfreezing (read resistance to change) as well as deep impact on the cost [analysis capabilities](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-hana-margin-analysis) of the system.  ## What does this mean?  A focus on marketing results.  The [Best SAP Customers](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-sap-certification-ought-to-work) not only implement the new tool, they implement an entirely new integrated approach to marketing, a marketing strategy that takes full advantage of the tool.  Want additional SAP [Project Management tips](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/5-things-to-know-about-your-sap-project-manager) learned from 'in the trenches'? Grab yours today by clicking the button.   [![Download Our Top Ten SAP Project Management Tips](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118735/9203c3f1-ce06-4cbf-b0de-5b4201575e92.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118735/9203c3f1-ce06-4cbf-b0de-5b4201575e92)   ***Have you got any other useful tips?***   **Let us know in the comment below!**   People Who Read This Also Read: - [How to Select a SAP Recruitment Agency](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-select-a-sap-recruitment-agency) - [Top 10 Guidelines to Choosing a SAP Service Partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/top-10-guidelines-to-choosing-a-sap-partner) - [Why You Need Functional SAP Consultants on a SAP BW Project](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/why-you-need-functional-sap-consultants-on-a-sap-bw-project)      Topics from this blog: [SAP Partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/topic/sap-partner) [Best Practices](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/topic/best-practices) [Project Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/topic/project-management) ### Download SAP BW Mindmap Learn what SAP Business Warehouse is and what it does in under five minutes [![Get this Mindmap](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118735/8db2ad37-8211-47a3-86ae-09b6b2bb297b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118735/8db2ad37-8211-47a3-86ae-09b6b2bb297b) [mailto:someone@yoursite.com](mailto:someone@yoursite.com) ### Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP About the Author: Lonnie Ayers is a Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing consultant, with additional certifications in Hubspot Content Optimization, Hubspot Contextual Marketing, and is a Hubspot Certified Partner. Specialized in demand generation and sales execution, especially in the SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Partner space, he has unique insight into the tough challenges Service Providers face with generating leads and closing sales using the latest digital tools. With 15 years of SAP Program Management experience, and dozens of complex sales engagements under his belt, he helps partners develop and communicate their unique sales proposition. Frequently sought as a public speaker in various events, he is available for both inhouse engagements and ** remote coaching. ** ![Balanced Scorecard Consultant](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubfs/social-suggested-images/Balanced%20Scorecard%20Certified%20Graduate.jpg) He also recently released a book **"How to Dominate Any Market - Turbocharging Your Digital Marketing and Sales Results",** which is available on [ Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Dominate-Turbocharging-Digital-Marketing-Results/dp/1728357950/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1589182458&refinements=p_27%3ALonnie+D.+Ayers&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Lonnie+D.+Ayers)**** [View All Articles by Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/author/lonnie-d-ayers-pmp) ## The SAP Blog Subscribe to our blog and receive SAP BW Updates, demand generation, inbound marketing, sales enablement, technology and revenue generation insights and ideas delivered right to your email. [mailto:someone@yoursite.com](mailto:someone@yoursite.com) ![SAP](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/960101754/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0) ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=199270410761059&ev=PageView&noscript=1) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-ways-to-be-a-better-sap-customer#blogposting", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "about" : [ { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Customer", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Return on investment", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_on_investment" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Change management", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Ecological footprint", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_footprint" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Management", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management" } ], "articleBody" : "Being a great SAP customer isn't just about paying for the software. 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