Awakening from Fear-Based Hibernation
Everyone is tired of talking about the pandemic; yet it’s impossible to not recognize the impact COVID-19 has had on our habits and our psyche. We all reluctantly entered a type of hibernation that put us in survival mode; teeth bared as we stare down the virus, protecting our young (aka “employees”), all-the-while attempting to demonstrate to the outside world that it’s “business as usual”. For a while, fear of the unknown caused us to retreat, and understandably so. We’ve never experienced a global pandemic in any of our lifetimes. There’s a saying; “Fear is not sound reasoning on which to base a decision”. It’s hard to argue that case when a microscopic creature is chasing you into your “den”, literally. So, what happened??
During “hibernation”, customers stopped buying all but the essentials (and toilet paper, of course), and employers stopped hiring, unless they were part of the “essentials” supply chain. Then, almost as quickly as it stopped, hiring surged as customers started buying again, but customer’s needs had shifted in two significant ways:
- Many companies were relying on legacy, on-prem ERP solutions, and they found themselves severely stifled and unable to keep up technologically. As a matter of life and death for some companies, this stimulated an irrevocable, swollen demand for a reliable and flexible cloud-based ERP solution. (+1 for Acumatica ERP partners!)
- Enduring extended isolation from co-workers, clients, community, friends and family, they deeply craved human connection.
As we wrap our heads around what has happened, and what continues to happen, the claws are beginning to retract, the teeth, to un-bare against our invisible enemy. We are awakening from our slumber, and again allowing the internal and external voices of sound judgement be our guide. Acumatica partners who have been able to manage their fear have found and continue to find new ways to do business, and those consumers who are doing the same are finding new reasons and ways to do their business, and to buy ERP.
The need for Acumatica’s cloud-based ERP product, and consulting talent to support the sale and implementation of it are stronger today than ever before. WHAT Acumatica partners do for their customers remains pretty much the same, however, HOW they do it has changed, and for those partners who will continue to succeed, the change is no less than an EVOLUTION.
Although this tale has taken us through the anecdotal forest, let’s look ahead. How is the ARAP adapting to suit the needs of Acumatica partners…(you?) The ARAP (Acumatica Recruitment Assistance Program) is also emerging from proverbial hibernation and meeting the world anew as Success Services for Acumatica (SSA). Offerings have expanded to include a virtual army of Acumatica certifying candidates for your consideration, another army of senior Acumatica experienced contractors to provide you with focused expertise on an as-needed, on-demand basis, and coming this July, a Soft Skills training program that will be available to you, your employees, and even your customers -who will see the value once they see what it’s done for you, their trusted ally. Although briefly introduced to you on an Acumatica hosted webinar on May 7, 2020, more information about these offerings will be available in the coming weeks, to help you find the competitive edge you need to win business, flourish and evolve in this next chapter. Stay tuned!