By Martin H. Morrissette, Sirocco CMO – Book time with me
Time is money. As a salesperson, you know this better than anyone. Every minute spent wrestling with manual processes, pricing errors, or delayed quotes is time that could be spent closing deals. When the tools you rely on — like spreadsheets or outdated systems — slow you down, they’re not just costing you time. They’re costing you opportunities.
Time is your greatest asset. The faster and more accurately you can deliver what your customers need, the more likely you are to win their business. Yet, too often, manual processes, pricing mistakes, or delays in quoting slow you down. These aren’t just inefficiencies — they’re lost opportunities. If you’ve felt this frustration, you’re not alone. Many sales teams struggle to keep up with growing product catalogues, complex pricing structures, and rising customer expectations. Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software is the solution. By automating the most time-consuming parts of your sales process, CPQ allows you to focus on what matters: closing deals and building relationships.
The Core of CPQ: Configure, Price, Quote
What makes CPQ so transformative? It eliminates the bottlenecks that slow you down by streamlining the three critical steps of your sales process: configuration, pricing, and quoting. Each step builds on the last to help you deliver value faster and more effectively.
Configure: Giving customers what they want
Customers today expect solutions tailored to their specific needs. Meeting these demands can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re working with complex or customisable products. CPQ simplifies this process by guiding you through configurations step by step, ensuring accuracy at every stage. Imagine a customer requests a product with unique specifications. Instead of flipping through technical documentation or guessing what’s possible, you use CPQ to create a configuration that works. The tool ensures every option is compatible and accurate, giving you confidence in the solution you present. This precision not only saves you time but also shows your customer that you understand their needs.
Price: Confidence in every deal
Pricing isn’t just about numbers; it’s about trust. A mistake in pricing — whether it’s a forgotten discount, incorrect tax calculation, or an error in tiered pricing — can derail a deal. CPQ automates pricing calculations, ensuring every quote you send is consistent, fair, and aligned with your strategy. Think about the last time you had to manually recalculate a quote during negotiations. It’s stressful, and it takes the focus off the conversation. With CPQ, you walk into every meeting knowing your numbers are right. You can focus on the value of the deal, not the math behind it.
Quote: Speed that wins deals
The quote is your moment to shine. It’s often the first formal deliverable your customer sees, and it needs to leave a strong impression. CPQ helps you create professional, branded quotes in minutes, so you can respond quickly and keep the momentum alive. Picture this: You finish a meeting, and before your competitor even follows up, your customer has a polished, detailed quote in their inbox. That level of responsiveness doesn’t just impress — it wins.
Why Sales Teams struggle without CPQ
If you’ve been managing your sales process manually, you’ve probably experienced the frustrations that come with it. Pricing inconsistencies can confuse customers and delay decisions. Slow quote generation often leaves prospects waiting — or worse, looking elsewhere. Without visibility into your sales pipeline, it’s hard to prioritise deals or forecast effectively. These challenges don’t just impact your performance; they affect your customers’ experience. And in sales, that’s everything. CPQ removes these barriers by automating repetitive tasks, reducing errors, and giving you the tools to work smarter and faster.
CPQ’s value for Sales Teams & Sales Managers
For sales reps, CPQ takes the busywork out of selling. It gives you back the time you need to focus on connecting with customers and closing deals. No more scrambling to correct pricing errors or waiting on approvals for a quote. Everything you need to move a deal forward is at your fingertips.
For sales managers, CPQ provides visibility into what’s working and where there’s room for improvement. With real-time data, you can track pipeline health, forecast with greater accuracy, and support your team more effectively. The result? A more productive team, more satisfied customers, and stronger results across the board.
What’s next for CPQ? Sales is always evolving, and so is CPQ. AI is already enhancing CPQ tools with features like predictive pricing and intelligent product recommendations. These innovations don’t just make your job easier; they help you anticipate customer needs and deliver solutions faster. At the same time, CPQ systems are becoming even more connected, integrating seamlessly with CRM, marketing automation, and post-sales tools. This creates a unified sales ecosystem, streamlining workflows and improving collaboration across your organisation.
What’s next for your Sales Team?
The benefits of CPQ are clear. Sales teams using CPQ deliver quotes faster, close deals sooner, and build stronger customer relationships. By automating the most complex parts of your process, CPQ enables you to focus on what you do best: selling. At Sirocco, we’ve seen firsthand how CPQ transforms sales. Whether you’re implementing CPQ for the first time or optimising an existing system, we’re here to help. Our experts work with you to create a solution tailored to your needs, ensuring it delivers measurable results. This isn’t just about saving time. It’s about winning more deals, growing revenue, and creating a sales process that’s built to last. To read more about our CPQ services, see here. Ready to get started? Contact us today and let’s take your sales process to the next level!
