We've been taking a deep dive into the real benefits of Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solutions and what lies beneath the headlines. Now let’s shift focus to a...
We've been taking a deep dive into the real benefits of Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solutions and what lies beneath the headlines. Now let’s shift focus to a benefit further down the 'quote-to-order' process. CPQ marketing materials often state that it can provide 'Error-Free Orders.' What does that really mean, and why should you care? Firstly let's look at where CPQ typically sits in the quote to order process: CRM<>CPQ<>ERP/Order Management. One of the key jobs of a CPQ...
We've been taking a deep dive into the real benefits of Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solutions and what lies beneath the headlines. Now let’s shift focus to a benefit further down...
In this on-going series of blogs that dive deep into the benefits that CPQ can bring, we've looked at how CPQ can help your salespeople sell faster and how it...
In this on-going series of blogs that dive deep into the benefits that CPQ can bring, we've looked at how CPQ can help your salespeople sell faster and how it can give your organization better control of margins. Now let's consider the 'Q' in CPQ - better looking quotes (and proposals). When I speak to salespeople about creating quotes and proposals, I always get conflicting stories. All of them value the impact that a well written quote or proposal can have. But, but many...
In this on-going series of blogs that dive deep into the benefits that CPQ can bring, we've looked at how CPQ can help your salespeople sell faster and how it can give your organization better control...
Profit Margin = Revenue - Cost / Revenue If we want control of our margins, we really need control of how our salespeople allocate revenue on a deal, and how it...
Profit Margin = Revenue - Cost / Revenue If we want control of our margins, we really need control of how our salespeople allocate revenue on a deal, and how it relates to our organization’s cost base. Let's take a look at how companies set their prices. Broadly speaking, the price of any product or service can be set as ‘cost plus’, or ‘what the market will bear.’ The latter generally involves some analysis or guesswork to establish a standard - often called 'List Price',...
Profit Margin = Revenue - Cost / Revenue If we want control of our margins, we really need control of how our salespeople allocate revenue on a deal, and how it relates to our organization’s...
I often read marketing copy for Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solutions that summarizes the many benefits that they can bring to an organization. I'll generally...
I often read marketing copy for Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solutions that summarizes the many benefits that they can bring to an organization. I'll generally read something like "Sell Faster", "Eliminate Errors", "Close Deals Quickly" or "Improve Margins." We're guilty of it too - if you visit our website the headline reads, "Sell More, Sell Faster with a Configure Price & Quote system." I wrote that copy and agonized for days over how best to encapsulate the value of CPQ in...
I often read marketing copy for Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solutions that summarizes the many benefits that they can bring to an organization. I'll generally read something like "Sell...
How can your sales reps sell more, sell better, and sell differently in 2019? Let’s explore the business environment and the latest solutions that give sellers...
How can your sales reps sell more, sell better, and sell differently in 2019? Let’s explore the business environment and the latest solutions that give sellers an edge over the competition. B2B buyers’ attitudes are shifting. The vast majority prefer to do independent research to either validate what sales reps are telling them or, to completely bypass interacting with the sales rep altogether. According to an Accenture study, 94% of B2B buyers conduct online research at some...
How can your sales reps sell more, sell better, and sell differently in 2019? Let’s explore the business environment and the latest solutions that give sellers an edge over the competition. B2B...
Reinventing your customer experience (CX) strategy doesn’t have to be difficult. Consider the Texas-based manufacturer, AirBorn. AirBorn serves customers across...
Reinventing your customer experience (CX) strategy doesn’t have to be difficult. Consider the Texas-based manufacturer, AirBorn. AirBorn serves customers across a variety of industries, but they’re well known for building and testing innovative, highly reliable spacecraft components for NASA, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin. Their components helped make the Apollo missions, the Hubble Telescope, and the Mars Rovers possible. Yet, AirBorn’s biggest challenge wasn’t fabricating...
Reinventing your customer experience (CX) strategy doesn’t have to be difficult. Consider the Texas-based manufacturer, AirBorn. AirBorn serves customers across a variety of industries, but they’re...
Sitting in between a CRM and an ERP, a CPQ is the middle child of any great business! This is because while it’s vastly underrated by those who see it as a mere...
Sitting in between a CRM and an ERP, a CPQ is the middle child of any great business! This is because while it’s vastly underrated by those who see it as a mere sales automation add-on to the more popular, front-facing CRM, a CPQ is actually indispensable. Just as a middle child is integral to connecting the family together, a CPQ does the same for a business. Complimenting the front office, a CPQ is the vital link that gives currency to the downstream fulfillment, the ERP....
Sitting in between a CRM and an ERP, a CPQ is the middle child of any great business! This is because while it’s vastly underrated by those who see it as a mere sales automation add-on to the...
By Graham McInnes, Sr. Principal Product Manager, Oracle CX It’s a pretty common business scenario when an organization grows by acquiring companies, changes...
By Graham McInnes, Sr. Principal Product Manager, Oracle CX It’s a pretty common business scenario when an organization grows by acquiring companies, changes their product portfolio, adds partners and sales channels. But, what happens when they discover that the tools and processes that brought them to their current point of success may not take them to the next level where they need to go? In this situation, an organization that wants to adapt can get creative and squeeze...
By Graham McInnes, Sr. Principal Product Manager, Oracle CX It’s a pretty common business scenario when an organization grows by acquiring companies, changes their product portfolio, adds partners...
By Graham McInnes, Sr. Principal Product Manager At Oracle, we’re committed to improving your sales and business outcomes with our software. As a leading vendor...
By Graham McInnes, Sr. Principal Product Manager At Oracle, we’re committed to improving your sales and business outcomes with our software. As a leading vendor of configure, price and quote solutions, it’s painful to watch a company select a CPQ solution that’s unsuitable for their organization. All too often, a CPQ evaluation is weighted in favor of the lowest licensing costs and ignores the importance of vetting a vendor and their implementation expertise. The results...
By Graham McInnes, Sr. Principal Product Manager At Oracle, we’re committed to improving your sales and business outcomes with our software. As a leading vendor of configure, price and...