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SAP FKOM 2008- Brad Elster, VP of Sales' Point of View |
The SAP Marketplace
One of the strong messages at this year's SAP FKOM was that SAP software licensing revenues were up for the year. In 2007, SAP saw double-digit growth in licensing revenues, and that beat their expectations for the year. The good news for our B2B Consultants is that healthy license sales undoubtedly mean more new implementations. More implementations will in turn mean more B2B Workforce consulting opportunities for you, our B2B Consultants.
The only shadow cast on the market outlook for this year is the general economic downturn we are currently experiencing. This should in no way impact the number of new implementations we are expecting to see in 2008. Our clients are not purchasing the SAP software with the intention of letting it sit on a shelf, they fully intend to implement and utilize it.
Hot SAP Skill-Sets
The landscape of SAP skill-sets that are most in demand is ever-changing; however from the tone at FKOM and my contact with our clients, I foresee high demand for Netweaver, BW, Enterprise Portal, and HCM in the coming year. There is also likely to be a strong need for core R/3 skills like FI, MM and PP.
Tips for Success in a Hot Market
My number one tip to our Consultants is this: In order to stay current in today's SAP marketplace you have to stay flexible with your rate. For example, even with an excellent track record if your most recent experience is on version 4.7 you will have trouble getting work on an ECC 5.0 or 6.0 implementation without some rate flexibility. With some flexibility we are much more successful in placing you on implementations of the latest SAP software and helping you get that cutting-edge career growth experience.
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