OMG heresy from a Configure/Price/Quote (CPQ) advisor right? Or is it? Before we go ahead and clarify the headline above let’s look at this statement from a startup company point of view. Imagine that you just founded a new Software company and you (and maybe some partners) do all the necessary work yourself to build [...]
by Guillermo Martinez Project Sponsors and Steering Committees have similar roles in a CPQ project (or any project, as a matter of fact), both have an actual interest in the outcome of the project and are responsible for the project performance. The Project Sponsor or Steering Committee will approve the project charter, is responsible for communicating project [...]
Yes, you are correct I couldn't add any more acronyms in this headline. Anyway have you noticed that many businesses think of Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) tools first as a Business to Business (B2B) tool? Meaning they see them first and foremost as tools for Sales and Channel Partner Teams. While this is certainly one use case [...]
by Guillermo Martinez A lot has been written on how Configure, Price & Quote (CPQ) software can make the selling more efficient for your company. When shaping one of the CPQ solutions in the market, your company needs to make the decision on how complex or how simple the products and services to be offered are [...]
As Configure/Price/Quote (CPQ) tools get more and more popular it becomes important to learn some lessons from companies who already implemented a CPQ solution. Check the points below BEFORE you start your CPQ Transformation and save some time and money! While the list below is not complete it is a good starting point 1.Data Integration [...]
by Guillermo Martinez A quote document can facilitate transactions between your company and your client however, the exact same quote document may also be the determining factor for the client to purchase from your competition and not from your company. It is suggested not to minimize the importance of a professional quote document and even more, [...]
In a recent discussion I was asked if I knew of any CPQ event that was NOT organized by a specific CPQ Vendor. FYI - A vendor organized event is something like PROS/Outperform, Model N/Rainmaker, Apttus/Accelerate, Steelbrick/Build etc. I thought that was a very interesting question, unfortunately I didn’t have a good answer for that. [...]
by Guillermo Martinez Whether your organization is going to embark on the journey of selecting and implementing a new CPQ solution or optimizing your existing solution, it is a good idea to balance the business requirements of the three components of CPQ. CPQ stands for Configure, Price and Quote and your optimal solution should CONFIGURE, PRICE & [...]
While many business changes are called transformational I don’t think every change is transformational or for that matter needs to be transformational to be a business success. But if you are either implementing a new Configure/Price/Quote (CPQ) tool or change your existing CPQ process(es) and tool(s) you most likely want to make a fundamental / [...]
This time of year provides a good opportunity to determine where the CPQ (and Quote-to-Cash) market is and where it may go over the coming calendar year. Through the Salesforce acquisition of Steelbrick* and the M&A Rumor that Oracle may acquire NetSuite** it becomes very interesting to see where the market may turn this year [...]
