The last few weeks I have been writing about competition. I am hoping that I have helped those of you that are looking at AP Automation service providers side by side and not seeing a difference.

So Far

I have written about, hosted VS SaaS, license fee VS transactional fee, and ROI VS time, just to name a few. I wanted to help you understand that there are a lot of things working under the surface to help you look at service providers in a different light.

And Now!

This article is what I have really wanted to write about as it pertains to competition and Accounts Payable Automation. I have been known to hype things to the point that it has gone over the top, so today I am going to get right to the point. Before I do, I would like for you to know that the “real” competition that I am going to explain today has been the main competitor for the last fifteen years… as long as I have been helping people get rid of the paper in accounting.

What Is The Real Competition

The real competition is do nothing. I don’t know how many times I have seen two or even three AP Automation companies battle it out for a willing client only to get to the end of hour and days, weeks and months worth of demoing, cost analysis and references for that company to say, “we are going to hold off right now”. A lot of times this “do nothing” happens out of pure fear and no other reason.

 What To Do

If you are a service provider, actions always speak louder than words to find out if you are working with a group that may not be serious. For those of you that are on the front lines of these companies that could possibly say, “hold off” make sure you are on the priority list. Also, as you go through looking for service providers, find one that is fully self contained and doesn’t need help outside of the accounting department. They really do exist.

Want to know more? Buy My Books!

To buy the book – The Argument to Automate – How Innovation Can INSPIRE Not Fire – click here to buy

(Also) To get your copy of The 8 Pitfalls of Accounts Payable Automation – click here to buy

How about a children’s book? The Princess and the Paper – click here to buy