Why choose ConnectWise CPQ for quote and proposal automation?

Posted:
06/18/2024
| By:
Parker Trojanowski

Managed service providers (MSPs) face countless challenges in today’s demanding business environment. Of course, sales are no exception: manual pricing, quoting, and product sourcing only perpetuate inefficient cycles. The potential cost? Hundreds of hours per week—as well as organization-wide morale. 

Did you know that sales teams only spend 37% of their time actually selling? Poor time management can lead to critical revenue loss. 

Common quoting challenges include: 

  • A lack of integration between quoting tools and professional service automation (PSA) or customer relationship management (CRM) software 

Sales representatives spend only 18% of their time using CRM systems, opting instead for seemingly simpler alternatives. For example, nearly 10% of a rep’s time is dedicated to manually updating spreadsheets—a far more time-consuming and error-prone approach to client and data management. However, not using CRMs isn’t always an access problem. Many software solutions are simply frustrating, driven by needlessly complex or ineffective technology. 

However, salespeople do not quote because they are not sure what to quote. Based on customer needs, the services and products required can change significantly depending on the situation. This leads sales reps into a time sink of having to look up the correct products and services, and it can lead to mistakes unless they are guided through with easy-to-answer questions to help set the stage for what to quote. 

Guided selling is a sales approach that involves providing personalized guidance and recommendations to sales reps as they are building quotes. It aims to assist reps in ensuring that they are quoting the correct products, services, and packages from the beginning, reducing the need for quote reworks or errors in quotes. Through the use of technology, data analysis, and customer insights, guided selling helps sales representatives tailor their interactions and offerings to match the individual requirements of each customer. 

By leveraging guided selling techniques, businesses can effectively engage with customers, build trust, and enhance the overall buying experience. This approach enables sales teams to ask targeted questions, offer relevant product or service suggestions, and address any concerns or objections that customers may have. By providing personalized guidance, businesses can increase customer satisfaction, reduce decision-making complexity, and ultimately drive higher conversion rates and revenue growth. Guided selling also empowers sales representatives with valuable insights and tools to effectively navigate the sales process, leading to more successful outcomes and long-term customer relationships. 

  • Quoting errors due to pricing, formatting problems, or manual verbiage updates 

Manual pricing is tedious and subject to human error. In the event of a mistake—which can result in serious consequences—sales teams must start from scratch, dragging on an already lengthy process. 

  • Poor prospect or customer experience 

In today’s competitive landscape, prospects and customers expect more, faster. Pricing errors, delays, lack of convenience for the customer, and a lack of visibility into customer interactions can negatively impact prospect or customer experience. 

  • Missed upselling or cross-selling opportunities 

Inefficient time management, frequent errors, and organizational challenges don’t just impact day-to-day workflows. They also result in missed opportunities—including those with higher margins or contract value. 

  • Purchases made after quotes are won 

Procuring the parts needed after a quote is won is crucial to successfully deliver what a customer has purchased. Efficiently sourcing and ordering parts when a deal is won is critical to a smooth sales handoff. 

Luckily, these obstacles aren’t insurmountable. You can emerge victorious with the right tools and strategies. With ConnectWise CPQ™, you can drive your sales cycle forward and win the day for both your team and your customers.

Here’s how ConnectWise CPQ can help: 

  • Transform customer relationships with clear, comprehensive visibility 

Insights matter. With BrightGauge™, a ConnectWise solution, gone are the days of switching between tabs or constantly logging in and out of various accounts just to access the business intelligence (BI) dashboards you require.  

BrightGauge consolidates all your vital information into a single location, providing enhanced visibility for making well-informed decisions.  

  • Radically simplify pricing with a new approach to quotes and proposals 

Let your team focus on your bottom line, not spreadsheets. ConnectWise CPQ provides custom templates, real-time pricing, price automation, multi-level approvals, interactive quotes, and more. The result? A pricing process that keeps you and your team in control, especially when it matters most. 

  • Drive efficiency and growth with automation 

In today’s rapidly digitizing world, innovation is a necessity. That’s why automating your sales cycle can make all the difference, both now and down the line.  

By integrating ConnectWise PSA™—our award-winning PSA software—and ConnectWise CPQ, you gain groundbreaking visibility into the entire sales cycle. Effortlessly build a fuller picture of your prospects and customers—including their entire journey, from start to finish—and streamline your sales handoff along the way. 

Your team can stop wasting crucial time on tedious, morale-draining tasks and say goodbye to the inefficiencies of manual sales processes. 

  • Get real-time CRM updates—no action necessary
  • Optimize your own pricing rules to protect your margins and predict revenue 
  • Secure valuable service discounts 
  • Maximize your sales representatives’ efficiency by analyzing customer interactions (and fine-tuning your touchpoints along the way) 
  • Build a smarter procurement process with electronic order fulfillment 
  • Improve internal and customer-facing processes with newfound flexibility 

With ConnectWise CPQ, expanding your quote options can be simpler than ever. Doing so gives your customers the flexibility to upsell themselves and different options for contract levels and other technicalities. After all, delivering a standout experience often comes down to one thing: letting your customers feel like they’re in control of their journey. 

Dive into ConnectWise CPQ 

Automating your sales cycle might seem daunting. ConnectWise CPQ helps simplify the process, whether you’re reimagining from the ground up or simply fine-tuning minor workflows. Eliminating manual data entry, human error, and complicated technology gets your team back to its most crucial task: sales. 

Watch our on-demand demo here >> 

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