CPQ: How It Gets New Sales Reps Up To Speed In No Time

It takes most new sales reps at least six months to become proficient sellers, with half taking even longer to become productive enough to contribute to company goals. Here, see how Configure-Price-Quote software speeds up the learning curve for new sales reps.

On average, 75 percent of new sales reps take seven months or longer to become proficient sellers? What’s worse, nearly one-half (47.5 percent) of sales reps take 10 months or longer to become productive enough to contribute to company goals.

That means lost time and revenue for your business. However, just because it’s been this way for as long as we can remember doesn’t mean it has to stay this way.

Using Technology to Get Ahead

Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solutions have deep roots as sales enablement tools.

Even as CPQ evolves beyond the scope of direct sales, sales teams continue to be among the main beneficiaries of a comprehensive CPQ solution. That’s because CPQ enables fast, accurate quoting and configuration of complex products and services.

This means that sales reps, whether new or seasoned, can outpace the competition and deliver quotes, proposals, and solutions to customers in a few hours, not days or weeks.

The Perks of CPQ for New Sales Reps

Here are some of the features specific to CPQ that all reps can enjoy—and that can cut your onboarding time for new sales reps significantly.

1. Guided Selling

Guided selling capabilities mean sales reps don't need to know the ins and outs of the product or the product catalog to sell. They can use tools like chat bots to type in a problem they’re trying to solve, and the tool walks them through a series of questions to recommend the perfect product and price.

2. Automated Approvals

As the CPQ solution configures all the complex rules and parts to produce the right product, it sources pricing data to make sure that the price is accurate. Next, it automatically creates a quote that can then be automatically approved by management, engineering, etc.

3. Product Visualization

New reps can sell a product much easier when they can visualize it and present it to a customer. They can interact with the visualization, dragging and dropping parts or other features. Additionally, the ability to visualize a solution with a prospect encourages co-creation, allowing buyers to develop a specific solution to meet their unique needs and challenges.

4. Mobile & Offline Capabilities

Because sales reps are often in the field, they may need to build quotes in front of prospects via mobile capabilities on tablets, etc. Furthermore, offline capabilities allow field reps to build quotes in remote locations without internet access, then upload to approve and finalize.

5. In-Flight Quote Updating

New sales reps often need to make adjustments when a quote is out to a customer, which is where in-flight quote updating comes in. Using this feature, reps can workshop a quote and/or get input from another rep or manufacturing, making it possible to close the deal faster instead of constantly reworking the quote or proposal.

Ultimately, Configure Price Quote solutions give new sales reps the confidence to sell something that's incredibly intricate simply and efficiently. Say goodbye to the fear of costly reworks, make-it-right expenses, and more. CPQ makes the process of selling an overall better experience for both the seller and the customer.

 

Adam Hatch is Chief Marketing Officer at FPX

More