The B2B sales process is going through a lot of big changes. Whereas buyers used to appreciate a long-term relationship with a trusted sales rep, today, 100% of B2B buyers want to self-serve. That’s what a recent poll by TrustRadius says. In short, you can no longer expect to sustain growth with traditional high-touch sales techniques.
The modern sales process is automated and self-service, which is good for both sales departments and buyers. Buyers no longer have to interact with sales reps unless they want to. And sales reps can work on more strategic areas of their job. Your business can generally benefit from bringing your sales process up to date with modern tastes.
Is your sales team an antiquated relic? Does it need an overhaul? If so, don’t be alarmed. With a robust sales configuration system, you can embrace automation, boost efficiency, and future-proof your sales process. Today, digital transformation is required.
How sales configuration is defined
Configure, price, quote (CPQ) systems, often known as sales configuration systems, are software tools that facilitate many processes, including configuration selection, pricing, and quote preparation.
The top sales configurator CPQ systems also offer extra features. They use configured products in 3D using a visual product configurator, generate CAD files and BOMs, and automate shop floor processes like CNC and additive manufacturing.
How to Improve Your Sales Process Using CPQ Systems
By focusing your sales process more on the buyer, CPQ solutions enhance the customer experience. It simplifies the sales process, gives customers all the information they need in real-time, and makes it easier to make buying decisions.
The truth is that B2B purchasing processes might be so much better. At least when compared to comparable journeys in the B2C world. 77% of B2B buyers said their most recent acquisition was complicated. So simplifying your customer experience–as you can with a sales configuration system–is an excellent differentiator.
For more information on how sales configurator CPQ systems may revolutionize your sales process, continue reading.
Access to information is made easier via website integration
Initially, CPQs were primarily a backend tool. Sales reps used CPQ solutions to shorten the time between an inquiry and conversion by speeding up pricing and quoting.
But because B2B buyers of today prefer self-service, you’ll need a complete sales configuration system that does more than just make life easier for sales representatives. It has to allow buyers to navigate the sales process independently. Website integration is helpful in this situation.
The top CPQ tools will enable you to insert a visual product configurator into your online store on your B2B eCommerce website. Visitors to your site can design a product, receive a price, download a quote, and proceed to checkout without external help.
Of course, the B2B purchasing process for expensive commodities is not a straight line. The process typically involves six to 10 decision-makers who all want to learn more about the product. Thanks to website integration, all decision-makers have access to the relevant product information whenever and wherever they need it. This enhanced accessibility reduces back and forth over email and speeds up the sales cycle.
Dynamic and Reliable Pricing
Pricing mistakes can be very costly. Your competitor might outbid you, or you might end up shrinking your margins. Even worse, you can lose money on the sale. Add the cost of lost reputation to the mix, and you’ve got a huge price to pay for one mistake that’s easy to avoid with a CPQ system.
Your buyer’s requirement for speed makes your sales process vulnerable to pricing mistakes. Modern buyers want information fast—the 2022 CX Accelerator report found that 66% of companies are now less patient when interacting with service teams or agents.
Waiting too long can cause you to lose the deal to a rival. But rushing through pricing can result in errors. Additionally, you might need to alter prices based on other elements like sales, stock levels, and the varying prices of raw materials.
A sales configuration system calculates an accurate price in a matter of seconds using sophisticated pricing logic and criteria. These systems reduce the risk of human error, so if you have a new sales rep on the team, they can still deliver error-free quotes.
The greatest sales configuration tools are so simple to use that even those with very little, or sometimes no, prior product expertise can independently configure your products. Guided selling functionality “guides” the user through the configuration process, providing prompts and suggestions to keep them on track.
With greater autonomy and flexibility provided by guided selling, customers can self-serve anywhere, at any time. This helps to draw in the crucial Millennial market, which avoids human interaction at all costs.
Visuals Based in 3D, AR, and VR
Modern CPQ solutions incorporating 3D, AR, and VR-based visual configurators can greatly improve customer interaction with your business. The immersive experience helps you capture the buyer’s attention and, once you’ve got it, communicate technical product information in a fraction of the time it takes with text.
Improved visuals set you apart from rivals and increase conversions. It reduces purchase anxiety for buyers who have never done business with you before. They don’t have to worry about errors or misalignment because they can convey their preferences and requirements more effectively and see exactly what their finished work will look like. They can spend with confidence.
With CPQ Sales Configuration, Future-Proof Your Sales Process
Both buyers and sales departments profit from the increasingly automated and self-serve nature of today’s B2B sales process. Implementing a sales configuration system, or CPQ can help improve the customer experience by simplifying the sales process and enhancing decision-making with real-time information.
By integrating your sales configuration system with your website or eCommerce platform, you can let customers navigate the purchasing process independently while lowering the possibility of expensive mistakes. Additionally, integrations with core systems and automation of shop-floor processes improve communication and collaboration, leading to more efficient operations, reduced costs, and faster sales cycles.
80% of B2B buyers will deal with their suppliers through digital channels by 2025. Have you prepared? You will be with a strong sales configuration system. Not only will you be able to provide the buying journey that buyers want. But, thanks to automation, you can scale your sales process effortlessly, coping with a dramatic rise in sales requests over time.