Private equity partners, M&A advisors, and operators we meet with every week fully realize and internalize the need for rapid tech disruption – particularly in the AI era.
But some enterprise horror stories still echo in boardrooms.
Remember Lidl’s $600M contract with SAP, spending 7 years on integrating the ERP and finally, giving up and reverting to their old tech with nothing to show for the time and cost?
While this is an extreme example, it’s not the only one, either.
Between expensive implementations, multi-year contracts, and security breaches, the fear of engaging in digital transformation initiatives remains. Moreover, even if the path is clear, millions of vendors allegedly offer the same breed of solutions.
I’ve been on all sides of the table more times I care to admit.
➡️ Losing contracts to vendors underpricing, overpromising, then overbudgeting and spending another 6 to 12 months to deliver
➡️ Hiring vendors that guarantee ROI but pull $10K out of accounts before R&D has even started
➡️ Picking far less experienced vendors in quarterly executive meetings solely because trust prevails
➡️ Defending against sugar-coated marketing pitches with 90% storytelling and only 10% product/competencies
What a great transformation brings to the table can 5x+ EBITDA in the next few years.
But finding the right partners to unlock opportunities requires “deep research” that AI can’t do. Networking, expanding your referral contacts through introductions, and finding new forums, groups, communities to level up in.
Even if you’re a CFO of a manufacturing company, or an investment banker in Morgan Stanley, growing your network with digital consultancies, transformation vendors, RevOps agencies, AI operator integrators, and other marketing, technology, sales, and data leaders from more disruptive industries can be extremely valuable.
Just like business is about arbitrage: finding untapped opportunities in market in high demand, digital transformations are about discovery – of talent, processes, tools, and fractional humans. The richer your network, the more powerful the outcome.
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Why Most Digital Transformation Roadmaps Fail To Deliver Alpha
Mario Peshev
