Generating ERP software license leads and the associated professional services as an ERP Value Added Reseller (VAR) can be challenging work, especially for those with a consulting background who've decided to launch their own practice. It's incredibly common to see former ERP consultants start their own businesses with limited to zero sales and marketing experience, often harboring unrealistic expectations about how quickly they can build a successful ERP practice, particularly on the sales and marketing side of the house.
More often than not, you're competing directly against very large software vendors with massive marketing budgets - Oracle spent 8.8 billion on marketing and sales in 2023, while Salesforce invested nearly 13 billion in 2024. Not to mention the hundreds of other ERP software VARs vying for the attention of those looking for ERP solutions. The reality is that technical expertise in ERP implementations doesn't automatically translate to effective lead generation and business development skills.
When you combine a lack of practical marketing know-how with the inherently long sales cycles typical in the ERP industry, the struggle becomes very real for new ERP providers trying to generate ERP leads while simultaneously juggling current client demands and learning to run a business.
This comprehensive guide reveals proven strategies to generate high-quality ERP leads, helping you connect with key decision-makers who are actively looking for ERP solutions. You'll discover actionable techniques that leading ERP companies use to nurture prospects effectively, build a predictable pipeline, and close deals faster - realistic strategies that work even if you're starting from scratch with limited marketing experience.
The ERP lead generation landscape has fundamentally shifted in recent years, creating new obstacles for VARs and consultants trying to build their businesses. What worked even 18 months ago may no longer be effective in today's environment. The rise of AI-powered search tools means prospects are getting answers to their ERP questions without ever visiting your website, while increased competition and economic uncertainty have made decision-makers more cautious about major software investments.
Additionally, the traditional vendor support model that many ERP providers once relied upon has largely disappeared. Most ERP software publishers now prioritize their direct sales teams over partner channels, leaving VARs to fend for themselves in an increasingly crowded marketplace. This shift, combined with longer sales cycles and more complex buying committees, means that generating high-quality ERP leads now requires more sophisticated strategies than ever before.
For ERP providers who understand these changes and adapt accordingly, significant opportunities still exist. Companies that master modern lead generation techniques - from AI search optimization to buyer intent data - can gain substantial competitive advantages while their competitors struggle with outdated approaches.
While the ERP market is full of opportunities, generating quality leads comes with its own set of challenges:
Lack of Support from ERP Vendors ERP consultants across the board share in their frustration that they receive very little (or zero) ERP leads from the ERP software publishers they represent. Even if you are in an ERP ecosystem that does provide leads, if that referral source were to ever go away, you would be in a difficult spot if you haven't figured out how to generate ERP software and service leads on your own. Additionally, several ERP software vendors such as Oracle-NetSuite already have large direct sales teams staffed with hundreds of AE's and BDR's. It's practically impossible for ERP vendors to feed both their direct sales reps and their partners qualified leads, therefore your only solution is to become fully self-sufficient at generating leads for your ERP business.
Website Not Optimized for SEO & Conversion The vast majority of ERP sales cycles begin with online research across search engines, with Google being the dominant platform. Therefore if your ERP solution is not ranking on the first page (ideally Top 5) of Google, you can practically forget about being found online. According to research, the top 3 Google results capture 75% of all clicks, making strong SEO performance essential for consistent lead generation. Further complicating matters is the rise of AI-powered search tools and Google's AI Overviews that provide direct answers to many queries without readers ever leaving the search platform. Prospects are increasingly using ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI assistants to research ERP solutions, often receiving comprehensive answers without clicking through to your website.
Complex Buyer Journeys and Long Sales Cycles ERP software involves lengthy and complex decision-making processes that can span 6-18 months or more. Multiple stakeholders, from IT managers to C-level executives, must align on the need for an ERP solution, making it harder to close deals quickly. These extended sales cycles require sustained lead generation efforts and sophisticated nurturing strategies to keep prospects engaged throughout their evaluation process.
Intense Competition and High Acquisition Costs The ERP market features fierce competition from established players and new entrants, making it challenging for ERP providers to stand out. Prospective customers are bombarded with options, which means your ERP offering needs a clear value proposition and differentiated messaging. High-ticket ERP solutions mean that lead acquisition costs can be substantial, requiring careful budgeting and strategic planning.
Inconsistent Content Creation Content creation, particularly blogs and educational resources, proves excellent for gaining traction with Google and supporting overall lead generation efforts. However, it requires consistency - Google looks for fresh content, and your competitors are likely publishing regularly. Many ERP VARs struggle with establishing a regular publishing schedule due to client work demands, limited resources, and the time-intensive nature of creating quality content.
Lack of Strategic Keyword Strategy Keyword research represents an essential part of generating ERP leads, but strategic execution often falls short. Many ERP companies make the mistake of choosing popular keywords that are nearly impossible to rank for without massive marketing budgets, or conversely, focusing on long-tail keywords that are easy to rank for but drive minimal traffic. Effective keyword acquisition requires a comprehensive approach that includes thorough keyword research, building strong domain authority through quality backlinks, and implementing proper on-page optimization tactics.
Generating ERP software leads require precision. You need to focus your time, money, and effort on marketing your product to the right people. To find the right target people, you need to understand a few things before you start your ERP software lead generation strategy.
Creating a detailed ideal customer profile is fundamental to effective lead generation for ERP businesses. Start by analyzing your most successful client relationships to identify common characteristics among companies that have benefited from your ERP platform. Consider factors such as company size, industry vertical, annual revenue, current technology infrastructure, and specific business challenges that your ERP solution addresses.
Decision-makers in ERP purchases typically include C-level executives, IT directors, operations managers, and finance leaders. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of each decision-maker helps you tailor your outreach and message to address their specific concerns. Each stakeholder may have different priorities - while IT directors focus on technical capabilities and integration challenges, CFOs are more concerned with cost-effectiveness and ROI from the ERP solution.
Identifying Beneficial Industries and Business Sizes ERP solutions are versatile and can offer substantial advantages to various sectors, including manufacturing (supply chain and production management), healthcare (patient data and compliance), finance (reporting and risk management), distribution (order processing and inventory), and retail (inventory and customer experience management). Geographic location, company growth stage, and existing technology stack also play crucial roles in defining your target audience.
Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the keywords that are relevant to your ERP business and how it generates revenue. Getting ranked on Google begins with understanding what keywords and phrases your prospects are using for their online ERP research. This forms the foundation of effective lead generation strategies for capturing qualified leads at the crucial research phase.
The Big 5 Keyword Themes for ERP VARs:
These five themes are an excellent starting place to drill into the types of keywords a typical ERP buyer will query in Google once they begin conducting online research.
Once you've identified the ideal keywords you want to target, you'll need to determine if you currently rank for any of them using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. If you already rank for target keywords, it's a matter of optimizing existing content to increase your Google rankings. If you don't rank for your target keywords, you'll need to create new content designed to capture those search terms and generate ERP leads through organic visibility.
These five themes are an excellent starting place to drill into the types of keywords a typical ERP buyer will query in Google once they begin conducting online research. If you’d like help turning these keyword categories into a usable content strategy, try this free interactive tool:
Try the Big 5 Content Strategist ChatGPT
Use the ChatGPT Tool to instantly generate strategic content ideas based on the “Big 5” buyer topics: pricing, problems, comparisons, reviews, and best-in-class content. Just enter your company website, and it will analyze your offerings and suggest high-impact blog or page topics tailored to your buyers.
Whether you're stuck on content planning or just want validation for your SEO approach, this tool applies Marcus Sheridan’s proven Big 5 framework to your specific business—so you’re not guessing what to write next.
AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews are fundamentally changing how prospects research ERP solutions. Your potential customers are increasingly asking AI assistants questions like "What's the best ERP for manufacturing companies under 500 employees?" or "Compare NetSuite vs Dynamics 365 for wholesale distribution." This shift represents a massive opportunity for ERP providers who understand how to optimize for AI search visibility.
To optimize for AI search in your lead generation efforts, focus on creating detailed, factual content that directly answers specific questions prospects ask about ERP solutions. Include concrete data, specific examples, and clear comparisons. AI tools favor content with structured information, bullet points, and definitive statements over vague marketing copy. Additionally, create FAQ sections that directly address common ERP questions using natural language patterns.
After keyword research is completed, you'll want to create an editorial calendar mapping your ideal keywords to future content you plan to create and optimize. Think of this editorial calendar as a blueprint for your lead generation program - this planning step ensures you don't miss anything and keeps you on track to hit your publishing goals, which directly supports your revenue objectives.
Consistency trumps frequency when it comes to content creation. Whether you can publish weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, maintaining a regular schedule signals to both search engines and prospects that your business is active and reliable. Google rewards websites that publish fresh content regularly, while prospects begin to expect and look forward to your insights on ERP topics.
The most effective ERP content addresses real prospect pain points rather than focusing on product features. Your audience wants to understand complex topics like system integration challenges, implementation timelines, and ROI justification before they're ready to evaluate specific solutions. By creating educational content that helps prospects navigate these challenges, you position yourself as a trusted advisor rather than just another vendor trying to make a sale.
Content variety keeps your audience engaged across different learning preferences and buying stages. While blog posts form the foundation of most content strategies, incorporating whitepapers, case studies, video demos, and webinars allows you to reach prospects who prefer different formats. Some decision-makers want detailed technical documentation, while others prefer quick video overviews or real customer success stories.
The biggest challenge for most ERP VARs isn't knowing what topics to cover - it's finding the time to consistently create content while managing client work and day-to-day business operations. Consider batching your content creation into dedicated blocks of time or working with freelance writers who understand the ERP industry. The investment in consistent content creation pays dividends in organic search visibility and lead generation over time.
Account-based marketing represents one of the most effective approaches to ERP lead generation, particularly for VARs who can't afford to waste time on unqualified prospects. Unlike traditional lead generation that casts a wide net, ABM involves identifying 20-50 specific high-value accounts and creating highly personalized campaigns tailored to their unique business challenges and decision-making processes.
The ABM approach works exceptionally well for ERP sales because these purchases involve multiple stakeholders with different priorities and concerns. A typical ERP buying committee includes the CFO (focused on cost and ROI), IT director (concerned with technical integration), operations manager (worried about workflow disruption), and often a C-level executive who must approve the final investment. ABM allows you to create targeted messaging for each persona while coordinating a unified campaign across the entire account.
Start by researching each target account thoroughly using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, company annual reports, and industry publications to understand their current challenges, recent business developments, and technology stack. Look for trigger events like rapid growth, mergers and acquisitions, leadership changes, or public statements about operational inefficiencies - these often indicate companies that may be evaluating new ERP solutions.
Your ABM campaigns should demonstrate deep understanding of each prospect's specific industry challenges and business model. For a manufacturing company, focus on inventory management, production scheduling, and supply chain optimization. For a growing service business, emphasize project management, resource allocation, and scalability concerns. This level of personalization requires more effort upfront but dramatically increases your chances of engaging key decision-makers.
Coordinate your ABM efforts across multiple touchpoints including personalized LinkedIn outreach, targeted Google and LinkedIn ads, customized email sequences, and direct mail when appropriate. The goal is to create multiple meaningful interactions that build familiarity and trust before your first sales conversation. Many successful ERP VARs report that ABM campaigns result in higher-quality conversations, shorter sales cycles, and significantly better close rates compared to traditional lead generation approaches.
While SEO and content marketing deliver long-term traffic, Google Ads allows ERP VARs to generate high-intent leads more immediately by targeting buyers at the moment they're actively searching for solutions. This pay-per-click (PPC) strategy can be especially valuable in the ERP space, where leads are scarce, deal values are high, and every click counts.
Start by bidding on high-intent commercial keywords—searches that indicate the prospect is deep in the buying journey. Terms like “best ERP for manufacturers,” “NetSuite implementation partner,” or “Dynamics 365 cost comparison” attract users who are evaluating specific platforms or ready to speak with a provider. Avoid broad or generic terms like “ERP software,” which often yield low conversion rates and attract research-phase visitors who may not be ready to engage.
Success with Google Ads in the ERP market depends heavily on ad relevance and landing page quality. Your ads should mirror the language and intent of the keyword being targeted, and the landing page should deliver on that promise with a clear, focused value proposition. Include trust signals like case studies, logos, and testimonials—especially if you're competing with major software vendors in the ad auction.
To stretch your ad spend further, leverage ad extensions like sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets to increase your click-through rate (CTR) without additional cost per click. Also, implement conversion tracking and use Google’s Smart Bidding strategies (e.g., Target CPA or Maximize Conversions) to let the algorithm optimize for lead volume and quality over time.
Don’t ignore competitor campaigns either. Bidding on branded terms like “Acumatica partner” or “NetSuite alternatives” can drive highly qualified traffic from prospects actively researching options. Just be sure your ad copy is compliant with advertising guidelines and provides a compelling reason for the user to consider your ERP solution.
When managed well, Google Ads can serve as a fast, scalable lead generation channel—especially when your SEO efforts are still ramping up. The key is ongoing optimization: continuously review performance data, test different ad creatives, and refine your keyword strategy to focus on what actually drives pipeline—not just clicks.
To maximize your ad performance, you’ll need high-intent keywords that match real buyer behavior—not just what looks good in a spreadsheet. If you’d like help identifying those keywords quickly, try this free GPT tool:
Use the Big 5 Keyword Strategist for Google Ads
Launch the GPT Tool to generate high-conversion keyword ideas tailored to your ERP offering. This tool uses Marcus Sheridan’s “Big 5” content model to surface PPC keywords aligned with buyer intent, including cost, comparisons, problems, reviews, and best-in-class terms.
Enter your company’s website, and it will return:
Keyword ideas mapped to high-conversion themes
Negative keyword suggestions to avoid wasted spend
Match type recommendations for better targeting
It’s perfect for building or refining your Google Ads strategy around what ERP buyers are actually searching for.
Most ERP VAR websites miss significant conversion opportunities by overlooking fundamental elements that prospects expect in today's digital environment. The biggest missed opportunity we see is the absence of live chat functionality. Many ERP prospects prefer to engage through chat rather than filling out forms or making phone calls, especially during their initial research phase when they have quick questions about pricing, implementation timelines, or specific features.
Interactive calculators and quizzes consistently outperform static forms for ERP lead generation. An ROI calculator that helps prospects estimate potential savings from ERP implementation or a "Readiness Assessment" quiz that evaluates their current systems can generate 3-5 times more qualified leads than traditional contact forms. These tools provide immediate value to prospects while collecting valuable qualification data for your sales team.
Form optimization represents one of the quickest wins for improving conversion rates. Most ERP websites ask for too much information upfront - requesting company size, revenue, number of users, and detailed contact information just to download a basic guide. Start with minimal fields (name and email), then use progressive profiling to gather additional details through subsequent interactions. Tools like HubSpot, Clearbit, or ZoomInfo can automatically enrich form submissions with company data behind the scenes, reducing friction while still providing your sales team with qualifying information.
Website design and structure often work against conversion rather than supporting it. Many ERP sites bury their value proposition below the fold, use generic stock photos instead of showing their actual software, or create confusing navigation that makes it difficult for prospects to find relevant information. Your homepage should clearly communicate who you serve, what problems you solve, and why prospects should choose you - all within the first few seconds of a visit.
Limited social proof creates unnecessary friction in the evaluation process. ERP prospects want evidence that you're competent and have successfully implemented solutions for companies like theirs. Beyond client logos, showcase specific case studies with quantified results, display industry certifications and partner badges, and include video testimonials from customers discussing their implementation experience and business outcomes.
Perhaps most importantly, lacking a centralized data stack severely hampers both conversion optimization and measurement. When your website, CRM, and marketing automation platform operate in silos, you lose critical insights about which content generates the best leads, which campaigns drive conversions, and how prospects behave throughout their buying journey. Platforms like HubSpot that integrate these functions allow you to track complete prospect interactions, automate follow-up sequences, and accurately measure the ROI of your lead generation efforts. This unified approach not only improves conversion rates but provides the data needed to continuously optimize your website performance.
There are over 200 ranking factors in Google’s algorithm, but building high-quality backlinks remains one of the most effective ways to boost your domain authority—especially for competitive ERP-related keywords where you're already within striking distance of the top search results. Backlinks signal trust, relevance, and authority to Google, and acquiring them from credible sources can rapidly accelerate your SEO momentum.
In 2025, Google places increasing weight on E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Backlinks from well-respected sources help establish Authoritativeness and Trust, especially when they come from credible industry publications, software vendor directories, or analyst reports. But just as importantly, your content should reflect first-hand experience—such as original case studies, field-tested implementation advice, or real client results. Google’s quality guidelines now reward content that not only reads well but also demonstrates real-world perspective.
This is where digital PR and thought leadership can multiply your SEO impact. Contributing commentary to ERP publications like ERP Today, being quoted in research from Gartner or Forrester, or speaking at ERP webinars and events all create natural backlink opportunities—while also reinforcing your experience and authority in the eyes of both search engines and prospects.
Don’t overlook your existing ecosystem. ERP VARs typically have partnerships with software vendors, implementation allies, consultants, or niche service providers. These relationships can be leveraged for joint content, partner spotlights, webinars, or collaborative case studies that result in mutual backlink value and audience exposure.
For location-based VARs, regional link building can offer added value. Publishing in local business journals, industry-specific associations, or regional technology councils builds local SEO signals while supporting your footprint in target geographies.
While manual outreach remains effective, it’s often time-prohibitive. If you’re juggling client work and growth goals, consider partnering with specialized SEO teams that understand ERP buyer intent, natural anchor text variation, and how to avoid spammy backlink footprints.
A word of caution: Avoid link farms or “bulk backlink packages” promising hundreds of quick wins. Google is now highly effective at detecting unnatural link schemes, and bad backlinks can hurt your domain more than help. Instead, focus on earning a smaller number of high-quality, relevant links from sources that reflect your real-world expertise, partnerships, and professional experience.
Driving high-quality organic web traffic is foundational, but what about all the prospects researching ERP solutions outside your domain? This is where buyer intent data becomes invaluable for your lead generation program. Rather than relying on pray-and-spray cold email outreach that's increasingly difficult and ineffective, intent data allows you to make the needle bigger and the haystack smaller by identifying companies actively showing buying signals for ERP solutions.
Understanding the three types of buyer intent data is crucial for building a comprehensive lead generation strategy that goes far beyond traditional approaches.
Third-Party Intent Data: The Market Intelligence Layer
Third-party intent providers like Bombora, ZoomInfo, and 6sense monitor content consumption and research behavior across thousands of websites to identify companies showing increased interest in specific topics. When a company's employees are reading multiple articles about "ERP implementation," "NetSuite alternatives," or "manufacturing software integration," these platforms detect this surge in research activity and flag the organization as showing buying intent.
This data proves particularly valuable for ERP VARs because it identifies prospects in the early research phase, often months before they're ready to engage with vendors directly. Your BDR team can use this intelligence to craft highly relevant outreach messages that reference the specific topics prospects are researching, dramatically increasing response rates compared to generic cold emails.
Second-Party Intent Data: Peer Review Intelligence
Second-party intent comes from platforms like G2, where prospects actively research and compare software solutions. When companies visit your G2 profile, read reviews of your ERP solutions, or compare you against competitors, this behavior indicates strong buying intent. G2's Buyer Intent data can identify specific companies researching your category and even show which competitors they're evaluating alongside your solution.
This intelligence allows your sales team to reach out with messaging that acknowledges their research process: "I noticed your team has been evaluating ERP solutions on G2. Based on your company profile, I'd love to share how we've helped similar manufacturers overcome the integration challenges you're likely researching."
First-Party Intent Data: Your Website Visitor Intelligence
This represents some of the highest-intent prospects since they've found your website and are actively consuming your content. Your BDR team can prioritize outreach to companies that have visited multiple pages, downloaded resources, or returned to your site multiple times. The messaging becomes highly targeted: "I see your team has been exploring our content about Dynamics 365 implementation timelines. Given your company's recent expansion, I'd love to discuss how we've helped similar growing companies avoid the common pitfalls during ERP rollouts."
Combining All Three for Maximum Impact
The most sophisticated ERP lead generation programs layer all three intent signals to create a comprehensive view of prospect behavior. A company showing third-party intent around "ERP selection criteria," visiting your competitor's G2 profile, and then researching your website represents an extremely qualified prospect worthy of immediate, personalized outreach.
This approach transforms BDR productivity by focusing efforts on companies demonstrating actual buying signals rather than cold prospects. Instead of sending hundreds of generic emails hoping for a 2% response rate, your team can send dozens of highly targeted messages to intent-qualified prospects and achieve 15-20% response rates.
For prospects who engage with your content but don't convert immediately, intent data provides ongoing intelligence to nurture these relationships effectively. When a company that previously visited your pricing pages suddenly shows increased third-party research activity around ERP implementation, it signals they may be moving from research to active evaluation phase - the perfect time for your BDR to re-engage with updated messaging and relevant resources.
Lead generation is only as good as the alignment between sales and marketing teams, and this principle becomes even more critical in the ERP space where sales cycles are long, buying committees are complex, and deal values are substantial. Strong sales and marketing alignment represents one of the keys to successfully driving ERP sales-ready leads, but achieving this alignment requires more than just regular meetings and shared goals.
The most successful ERP VARs implement dedicated Business Development Representative (BDR) teams that serve as the crucial bridge between marketing-generated leads and sales-qualified opportunities. These BDRs act as a backstop for leads that marketing generates but sales teams might otherwise drop due to timing or competing priorities. In the ERP world, a lead that seems "not ready" today might represent a multi-million dollar opportunity twelve months from now.
This BDR function becomes particularly powerful when combined with buyer intent data strategies. While marketing focuses on generating awareness through content, SEO, and campaigns, BDRs can leverage intent signals to identify optimal timing for outreach. They can re-engage website visitors who didn't convert, follow up on prospects showing increased research activity, and nurture relationships with companies in evaluation mode but not yet ready for direct sales engagement.
The technology infrastructure supporting this alignment cannot be an afterthought. Platforms like HubSpot that integrate marketing and sales functions provide complete visibility into the prospect journey from first website visit to closed deal. When your content marketing, keyword optimization, AI search presence, website tools, and buyer intent data all feed into a unified system, both teams can see which activities generate the highest-quality leads and contribute most to revenue.
This unified approach enables sophisticated lead scoring based on the comprehensive strategies we've outlined. A prospect who downloads your ERP guide, visits pricing pages multiple times, shows up in intent data, and matches your ideal customer profile can be immediately flagged for high-priority BDR outreach with personalized messaging.
The most critical element is establishing clear handoff processes and follow-up accountability. Marketing-generated leads that don't immediately convert shouldn't disappear - they should enter nurturing sequences, be monitored for renewed intent signals, and be systematically re-engaged when conditions change. Many ERP deals are won by the vendor who maintains consistent, value-driven contact throughout the extended evaluation process.
ERP lead generation has never been more complex—or more rewarding for those who get it right. Success today depends on more than technical implementation skills. It demands strategic marketing, modern SEO, data-informed outreach, and aligned sales execution.
From understanding AI-driven search and capturing buyer intent to creating content that builds trust over time, the path forward is clear—but rarely easy.
You don’t have to go it alone.
If you’re an ERP VAR or consultancy looking to generate more qualified leads, accelerate your pipeline, and reduce sales friction, partnering with the right team can make all the difference. SmithDigital offers outsourced BDR services and full-funnel demand generation programs tailored for ERP companies. Whether you're launching your practice or scaling an established firm, we help you connect with the right buyers, at the right time—with messaging that moves them.