Many contractors realize they need help with their office record keeping and paperwork so they start poking around for an upgrade to their office systems.

1. Web searching for the best solution
The first thing just about everyone does today to find information is do a web search for new construction software.

They will type in something like “compare construction software” or “construction accounting” or “project management software,” etc. This will result in pages and pages of links and they will select a couple that catch their eye, based on a slick marketing message or nice logo, and then contact those vendors or search services for information.

This may help them identify some vendors but it has little or nothing to do with qualifying them for their business based on their needs and budget. It’s strictly pot luck if you wind up looking at the right products.

2. Shopping based on price
Following the intial search prospects will then ask for pricing and a demo of the product. Various websites offers demos and pricing information but you will get neither. Instead you will receive a marketing CD extolling the product and hear from a salesman.

The salesman will never give you an initial quote over the phone until he finds out whether you are a serious candidate for his product and your specific application requirements. Vendors rarely have list prices for their products. Even if they do, prices are subject to change based on many different variables.

3. Web demos
Showing you a demo is a little like watching a magic show. The salesman, like the magician, will show you the most capable parts of the product and conveniently leave out what it does not do well.

At most a demo will show you only 3% of what the construction accounting software can do. You may not be overly thrilled with some of the other 97%.

4. Failure to consider requirements against business goals
Most companies are focused on solving immediate operational pain such as the difficulty in finding documents or staying on top of estimates to budget. But there may be many other opportunities for impact such as improving customer service or reducing inventory shrinkage that are also available. In order to execute this kind of analysis all major departments should be participate.

5. Top down buying decision
Many small contractors manage autocratically and fail to include their staff in evaluating vendors and participating in the decision of what to buy. This is a serious mistake as staff whose opinion is not solicited before the software is purchased are likely to be resentful and not fully support the new installation, or even sabotage it in subtle ways.