B2B selling is not a dog-eat-dog world (in spite of what some sales trainers might preach). Why? Because in a so-called dog-eat-dog world, the dog doing the eating is assumed to be bigger, stronger, more aggressive, and simply more powerful.
But CPQ (configure, price, quote) software is a playing-field leveler. In fact, the proposal automation power it delivers can give a nimble sales organization a head start before those big dogs even wake up. And by the time said “big dogs” lumber into a deal, the CPQ-empowered organization has both a foot in the door and a quote in hand.
So if you think the way to sell in B2B is to throw bodies at the problem—like the traditional big dogs do—read on: spelling @@B2B with CPQ makes your team more efficient, and your business more competitive@@ in almost every way.
This proposal will go global
If you’re like any businessperson who ever lived, you’re looking to grow your business. Maybe world domination is your thing, and you want to sell your products and services into every multinational and mom-and-pop across the globe. Or maybe you just want to be the best in your town.
No matter what direction you want to grow, CPQ can play a major role. For example, by storing products in the cloud, it allows you to improve sales cycle times by both accelerating proposal development (just point and click products into a quote) and reducing opportunities for error.
And regardless of where in the world you or your customers may be, CPQ—especially when part of a CRM system—helps you bridge the gap and ensure that reps working both under your roof and on a different continent have the correct products at their fingertips.
Additionally, CPQ ensures that reps without deep (or even any) experience in selling your specific products/services will be able to easily craft a compelling proposal in minutes with next to no guidance. Well, technically, there is guidance, but it’s within the system itself, which is built with guided selling at its core. Select a template, add products and pricing (using preconfigured selections), and send.
This quote will NOT self-destruct in 10 seconds
Where are all your old quotes? On whose hard drive? On which spreadsheet? In what (if you’re truly old school) filing cabinet?
Using a CPQ solution to build, send, and track every quote also means that every quote is STORED, too. We recommend that after every successful sale, have other reps take a look at the quote that got it all started; make that quote into a template they can use, and learn from and build on its success.
And while being able to save information is an expected functionality of CPQ or most any business tech deployment, it’s when you use your platform for SHARING that the rubber hits the road. A successful quote should circulate through your sales organization quickly, with each rep being able to use and fine-tune it along the way.
Business, and how it’s done, changes daily, but a certainty has remained: the (accurate, targeted, professional) sales proposal that gets there first always has a better chance of winning the deal, which is why every successful company knows you can’t spell B2B without CPQ.
If you'd like to learn more about this topic or see IQX for yourself with a free demo, contact us.
