The sales pipeline always looks so simple: prospecting at the beginning, lead qualification and demos/convos in the middle, and closed deals at the end.
But there’s one stage in the pipeline that’s more critical than any others: when you send a quote, as that’s when someone went from being interested to being invested.
And if you’re not using sale quote software at this juncture, it’s time to start doing so. Because with this easy-to-use, cost-effective business application, you can avoid some of the more common perils and pitfalls in the sales cycle, and close more deals more quickly.
Let’s take a brief look at some of the common setbacks or bottlenecks that can occur during the sales process and how quoting software – also known as configure price quote (CPQ) or quote-to-cash software – can help you navigate them, or avoid them entirely.
A lengthy sales cycle
Depending on what you’re selling, the sales cycle can be anywhere from two years to two seconds. For the most part, B2B sales reps with longer sales cycles and more complex product/service offerings are the reps who benefit most immediately and completely from using quote software.
By using CPQ – either as part of a larger solution like CRM or standalone – a rep can add both speed and “sheen” to sales proposal creation, delivery, and execution. Because once you get to the point where a prospect is ready for a quote – even if it took them years to be ready – you don’t want to waste a second in getting it to them.
With sales quote software, you have a tool that lets you create professional quotes in minutes rather than days, and send them immediately, making the most critical step in a lengthy sales cycle into one of the most efficient and impactful ones.
Losing the thread, dying on the vine
It happens all the time in sales. A prospect who was once chomping at the bit gets cold feet or “ghosts” you when it comes time to close. Rude.
But that doesn’t mean a rep lets the opportunity die on the vine. With quoting software, you have both clearer insights into the closing process (being able to see where a deal may have gone south) and automated tools to help “ping” a prospect.
Essentially, your quote-to-cash system – with its contact management and communication tools – can serve as a “personal assistant” dedicated to helping you close. While you’re off warming up new prospects, your quote software can help you keep the fire burning under existing opportunities as well.
It’s a people problem
Perhaps one of the greatest uses of CPQ is in helping solve people problems. No, it doesn’t manage relationships. It helps you do more with less.
Because one of the primary causes of bottlenecks in the sales pipeline is human resource allocation: not enough people to go around. Or too many people working on mundane tasks (like creating a sales quote from scratch using Excel or Word) instead of nurturing prospect and client relationships.
With professionally designed sales proposal templates and drag and drop product and pricing configuration, sales quote software can help you slash the amount of time it takes to make a quote by 90% (read a case study). Imagine how much more effective your sales reps would be with all that time back? Your people problems would quickly become a thing of the past, and your pipeline would be moving at top speed.
What kinds of bottlenecks are you experiencing? How are you addressing them? We’re happy to take a few minutes and show you how iQuoteXpress – the best value in sales quote software you’ll find – can help you fix them.
