Want to build a modular home? There are specific steps to follow, with the essentials being design, manufacturing, transportation, assembly, and inspection/quality control.
Want to build a sales proposal using configure, price, quote (CPQ) technology? Just like with a modular house, there are specific (and amazingly similar!) steps to follow:
design (of the system and of the sales proposal templates and product/pricing configurations that populate it)
manufacturing (creating of a specific proposal for a specific RFP)
transportation (sending the completed proposal to the client)
quality control (tracking all quotes, ensuring your process and people are at max efficiency and efficacy)
The meaning of CPQ should be inherently known to those in the modular housing space as it mirrors what they do for a living: a templated, repeatable process, but tailored for each resident/customer.
Not so coincidentally, the benefits derived from choosing a modular home over a traditionally constructed home also reflect the benefits gained from CPQ.
The basic benefits of modular housing and CPQ are as follows:
Speed
Modular homes can be built much, much, MUCH faster than traditional homes. And quotes can be made 10x faster using CPQ than by using traditional methods like spreadsheets and Word.
Cost savings
Not only do modular homes cost less to put up (due to efficient factory production and eliminating the bulk of on-site construction labor costs), but they usually cost less to maintain, too. And quotes? Simple: time = money, and the time savings enjoyed using CPQ to create, send, and track proposals is money in the bank.
Consistency
Modular homes benefit from factory production and the repeatable processes baked into any production line. Like a printing press zipping off copies, the homes are created the same way each time. With CPQ, sales quotes also enjoy more consistency as they start from the same proposal templates, and go through the same process each time: select a layout, add products and pricing, customize for the client, and let it fly. An additional benefit of this type of consistency is the opportunity to observe and optimize the process over time.
Customization
While seemingly a contrast to consistency, customization is in fact a complement to it, and a key benefit. While the basic structure of a modular home–the frame, wiring, the plumbing–remains consistent, each homeowner is free to customize aspects of the layout, the appliances, the color, and more.
Same with sales proposals: while the template is consistent, key elements are customized for each prospect (product and pricing configurations, most importantly, but also content elements, such as imagery, calls to action, and more).
Energy efficiency
Today’s modular homes are often built with energy efficiency front and center, being well-insulated and equipped with modern heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems that consume less watts and emit less waste.
What does this mean in terms of CPQ? Well… something entirely different. A CPQ system is simply a cloud-based business application, but it does conserve energy is a specific way: the energy of your team as they build quotes. Most CPQ systems reduce the time and effort (i.e., the energy) it takes to make a quote by 70% and that’s time that can be spent driving new business.
Let’s get building!
At iQuoteXpress, we’re proud to count many modular housing manufacturers, sellers, and distributors as clients. We understand how your business works and can help you get started building quotes faster so you can help others build and get into homes faster. Contact us to get started building quotes today.
