Remember Alec Baldwin’s speech in Glengarry Glen Ross? (If you’re in sales, you not only remember it, you probably have it tattooed somewhere on your body.)
“A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing. Always be closing!”
He’s still right. A good salesperson should always be closing, which means less time in front of a computer drafting and tracking proposals, and more time in front of customers, getting them “to sign on the line which is dotted.”
And @@if you’re serious about selling, you’re serious about automating@@, and—for your proposals, the most important part of the process outside the close—that means using configure price quote (CPQ) software for every proposal you send.
Nothing beats closing a sale
Boo-ya! High-five! Chest bump! Closing a sale feels like a victory on the battlefield, something to celebrate… so hoist those glasses (or enjoy a cup of coffee, which, as we know, is reserved for closers).
And as anyone selling in the B2B space can tell you, closing a sale is not just about the commission—it’s about being able to turn your focus to the next open opportunity in the pipeline, a task made much easier when you automate your proposal process with a configure price quote solution (like iQuoteXpress).
Because while a salesman needs a personal touch to be effective, sales is a numbers game: the more, and more quickly, you turn prospects with business needs into opportunities with proposals, the more new opportunities you can add to your pipeline.
Keep on moving (leave the grunt work to CPQ)
Moving opportunities quickly and cleanly through your pipeline requires efficiencies fueled by the right technology, which is where configure price quote—as part of your CRM system or as a standalone solution—becomes as critical a business driver as your top salesperson.
One reason is that CPQ means speed. Not only because it requires less manual labor, but because it creates a lockstep process for salespeople. They don’t have to figure out what the next step is because, within the system, the steps are preconfigured.
Another reason is that configure price quote software creates endless opportunities to improve your proposals. Each one that goes through the system should be better than the last as adjustments and optimizations are being applied over time.
But the primary benefit of CPQ will always be enabling your team to follow Baldwin’s ABC rule. If you’re not using a configure price quote solution, your sales reps may sum up a day’s activity like so: “I sent some quotes, replied to prospect emails, and did a darn good job of tracking it all.” If you are using a CPQ solution, they may instead say, “Closing. I spent the day closing. Now gimme that coffee!”
We hope you enjoyed this post. If you'd like to learn more about this topic or see IQX for yourself with a free demo, contact us.
