Now more than ever technology is improving all aspects of a company: including sales. Salesforce and InforCPQare a powerful application for growing businesses. Many manufacturers and distributors choose to use either or both systems today. Many companies choose to integrate and/or connect these systems when they own the latter option. A CRM and CPQ being integrated adds the ability to pull CRM information into your configurator and adversely launch your product configurator directly in Salesforce. This ensures that your front-end team is creating fantastic quotes quickly no matter the customer and/or special requests and circumstance.
Salesforce.com’s motto is “We bring companies and customers together”. When users add Infor CPQ they bring their sales team and dealers into the mix. Mistakes and human errors will occur throughout any business process. Streamlining each process with automation and technology is the only way to minimize this inevitable cost and time waste. When a CRM is integrated to a product configurator like Infor Configure Price Quote (Previously known as “BuyDesign”), users can pull their customer’s standard information, shipping details, and any additional CRM data into CPQ to create a quote and proposal document for the customer. This sharing of data is not only one-way, CPQ can send quote status and any additional order information to CRM in real time as well.
Lastly, when Infor CPQ’s product configurator is connected to Salesforce CRM, users can launch their configurator directly out of Salesforce. There is no need to navigate to a different application for quote and proposal creation. This makes it simpler for new hires and seasoned sales reps and keeps everyone on the same home screen. The best pairing in enterprise software for any manufacturer is a CRM and CPQ integration. Users can pull CRM information into CPQ and launch configurator from Salesforce when you connect these two systems.
Interested in learning more about the Salesforce and CPQ integration? Contact us
Avoid painful sales mistakes and engineering headaches in your quoting and ordering process when you use effective guided selling software.
If you have a large product catalog or are a manufacturer of highly complex products, it’s easy for even your most seasoned sales reps or estimators to make mistakes in quote creation for a customer. In the best-case scenario, this slows down your sales process, but at worst it can be costly for your business. Using CPQ guided selling software will help you avoid painful sales mistakes and engineering headaches in your quoting and ordering process.
How Does CPQ Guided Selling Technology Actually Help?
It’s no secret that customers are more in tune with the online buying experience than ever before. Your dealers and distributors need a clean interface that is laid out to perfectly guide them on where to go, from product catalog to quote entry. Infor cloud CPQ guided selling software features an out-of-the-box dealer portal. You can create a standard homepage for your dealers that outlines exactly where they need to go to accomplish a successful quote or order.
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Because Infor CPQ is a rules-based configurator, you decide what parameters prompt your salespeople, dealers, or other end users along to the most logical product choice for their needs. This can come through a combination of question-and-answer prompts, as well as notifications and barriers that stop a user from making invalid selections.
Setting Up Pricing Rules and Requirements Through CPQ
If internal sales is your main group generating quotes, with a guided selling solution you can set up the pricing requirements that are unique to your company, whether that involves discounts, tiers, or any other special pricing. Your salespeople are empowered to create quotes that fit the end customer’s needs without cutting into your bottom line. If you want the ability to create managerial pricing approvals, this can also be accomplished through workflows in Infor CPQ’s guided selling software.
If your sales primarily come through a dealer channel, you want to make sure the experience of your dealers sets them up with the knowledge to buy exactly what they need, even if they are unsure of what that is. Guided selling in Infor CPQ saves time for everyone involved, whether that’s the end user trying to buy your products, or your employees who have to answer the phones to take calls from customers who are confused about what they need.
FAQs About CPQ Guided Selling Solutions
How does your guided selling software improve sales conversations or conversion rates?
Our clients tell us that guided selling technology helps newer reps become productive faster and enables experienced reps to quote faster, with fewer follow-ups. Check out the case study on Tucker Door & Trim to see how a CPQ solution helped one of our clients.
What products or industrieshave the most success with guided selling configurators?
Any business that sells configurable, complex, or technical products stands to benefit from guided selling solutions. We’ve had the most success in industries like industrial equipment, where part compatibility and spec requirements are critical, as well as OEMs and component manufacturers, where bundling, pricing tiers, and optional features require rule-driven logic.
Guided selling software works because it reduces the cognitive load on the rep and customer. Instead of forcing them to remember product rules, the system walks them through a logical path that leads to valid, buildable, and profitable configurations.
What hesitations do customers express before they try a guided selling configurator?
The biggest hesitation we hear is that CPQ guided selling will “oversimplify” the sales process or take too much decision-making power away from experienced reps. There’s a fear that the tool will act like a script instead of a dynamic, helpful guide. We always clarify that the goal isn’t to replace the sales rep, but rather to help them ask the right questions, faster, and reduce errors along the way.
Another concern is whether the configurator will be flexible enough to handle their product complexity. Our answer is always that guided selling software is most powerful when it’s tailored. We don’t offer cookie-cutter solutions. We work closely with clients to build paths that reflect how they actually sell, and how their buyers actually buy.
Finally, some clients worry about the time and effort it takes to build a tool like this. That’s where our phased, collaborative implementation approach comes in. We start simple, then layer in complexity as confidence builds.
What are the most common implementation pitfalls and how do you avoid them?
One common guided selling technology pitfall is trying to build the perfect experience upfront. That often leads to long timelines, overcomplicated logic, and slow adoption. We avoid this by launching with a focused MVP, usually for a core product or use case, then expanding based on usage and feedback.
Another trap is building the guided selling software tool in a vacuum, without enough input from actual users (like sales reps or dealers). We make sure the people who will use the tool daily are part of the design and testing process.
Finally, some companies forget to connect guided selling with backend systems, so quoting happens in isolation. Because we specialize in CPQ integration, we ensure that the guided experience connects seamlessly with pricing, product rules, ERP, and CRM data.
How do you handle customizations for CPQ guided selling software?
Clients often want a guided selling flow that reflects their sales playbook – specific terminology, customer types, or application-based questions that help narrow down options. We support that.
But we also encourage clients to think modularly. We build guided paths using reusable building blocks (questions, filters, logic) that can be adapted across multiple products or regions. This ensures the system stays scalable and easier to maintain. The result is a tool that feels custom-built for each user but is maintainable over time as products, markets, and selling strategies evolve.
How has your configurator evolved based on client feedback or technological advances over the past 1–2 years?
Two major trends have shaped our approach recently:
User experience – Clients want guided selling solutions that look and feel modern, not clunky. We’ve placed more focus on responsive, intuitive interfaces with dynamic logic that adapts as users make selections.
Data integration – More clients want their guided selling to reflect real-time inventory, pricing, or engineering constraints. We’ve built stronger bridges between CPQ and ERP/CRM to make the sales process smarter and more connected.
We’ve also seen rising demand for visual configuration and image-driven questions (e.g., “which layout looks most like your application?”). Our platforms can support these, and we’ve helped clients move toward more visual, customer-friendly selling experiences.
What does your team do differently when onboarding clients to ensure success?
We provide hands-on training that focuses on how to use the CPQ guided selling tool in real selling scenarios, not just where to click. Our team doesn’t just launch and disappear – we stay engaged to collect feedback, monitor adoption, and tweak the tool as needed.
Plus, we build momentum with small wins. Instead of a massive rollout, we start with high-value use cases that get attention and build buy-in. That phased approach drives real adoption because people see value quickly.
Need Reliable Guided Selling Software? Contact Us
Reach out to RenaissanceTech if you want to learn more about guided selling in Infor CPQ. Our team is standing by to assist you.
Expanding into new countries is one of the key steps for any company that is trying to grow their consumer base. This is especially true when you take into account that the largest country in the world only has 18% of the population in it. This leaves 82% of other people completely out of that group of potential customers. However, with going global there are some hurdles to work through regarding currency exchange, time zone differences and language barriers.
How To Break Into International Markets
Using a robust product configurator built for multi-language use will grow your businesses success in home and international markets. Read on to learn all the ways that product configuration software can help you navigate international markets.
Eliminate Currency Exchange Hurdles
Exchanging currency is a key obstacle businesses face when embarking on new territory. To remove the risk of human error and navigate exchange hurdles, invest in a product configurator. A tool such as this streamlines currency exchanges with pre-programmed software. With less quality checks along the way, you can maintain business as usual in every time zone - even when it comes to customer support.
Time Zones Are No Longer An Issue
Even when you have currency exchange figured out being available is still one of the most important things when it comes to finding new opportunities. If a customer doesn’t receive a response quickly, they will often forget about the opportunity. This risk is elevated when the customer potentially does not live in the same time zone of hemisphere. That is where a CPQ would solve this problem. When a customer stumbles across your product while it the middle of the evening in your time zone there is no issue when the CPQ can create a customized quote for them straight from the website. Just like that you can sell your product anytime, anywhere from your website.
The Language Barrier Is Now Non-existent
One of the best options that Infor makes available when it comes to language barriers is being able to have your entire catalog switched over to another language. Every part of this program has been translated into 8 of the largest languages. With this capability it makes entering into new markets much easier and gives your sales reps one less thing to worry about.
Open New Doors Of Opportunity With Product Configuration Software
Investing into a product configurator software has shown through many different companies and studies that it is well worth the decision to implement it. Infor CPQ returns $6.22 on every $1 spent. The opportunities that a CPQ provides to a company in both streamlining their current sales while also being the next step towards expanding globally or with new partners makes it invaluable. At RenaissanceTech we specialize in Configure Price Quote solutions and can equip your company for the next steps of breaking into new markets that previously seemed impossible.
When people investigate guided selling, they often ask, “What is CPQ software?” and wonder how it will impact their operations. The experts at RenaissanceTech are here to give you a better understanding of the platform and how it can help your manufacturing business reach its goals. Check out our full guide below.
What Does CPQ Mean? – Configure, Price, Quote
The abbreviation “CPQ” stands for “Configure, Price, Quote.” CPQ allows you to create a structured, scalable sales process through guided selling and configuration. This tool is used by manufacturers to quickly and accurately turn complex products into quotes and orders, streamlining their operations. In order to truly understand what CPQ is, however, each aspect needs to be examined.
Configure
Your complex products will be easier to design with a real-time product configurator. Perhaps there are a lot of moving pieces and parts on your product, or there are a million combinations, or your customers require customization and special pricing, or maybe all those things are true for your business!
With customized products like yours, your first step should be to configure your product by asking a series of logic-based questions. Because the configure price quote pricing tool uses logic, it will remove noncompatible options as you select answers. This eliminates the chance for errors and unsupported combinations
Pricing
Manufacturers and service businesses rarely stick to a rigid pricing structure. Perhaps you offer bundles and volume pricing, or any other type of special pricing. CPQ guided selling gives you the ability to keep pricing clearly defined for everyone inside and outside of your organization, while still having the ability to customize pricing for certain dealers and customers.
It’s important to your bottom line that discounts are applied correctly and consistently throughout your business. With a CPQ system, prices are automatically calculated while you are configuring the product. Any special deals, discounts, promotional codes, and product bundles can be added at any time.
Quote
Once you’ve configured your product and you have an accurate price for it, you can finally turn it into a formal document. The quote can be emailed immediately or created as a PDF document, and this document can include product specifications, warranty information, drawings, detailed pricing, and terms.
Sales representatives can generate a quote, send it in an email, and send a follow up, with just a few clicks. Configure price quote guided selling software streamlines the quoting process for both manufacturers and dealers.
Integration
Lastly, there’s one more key feature of CPQ that’s not in the acronym, but it is equally as important – integration with ERP and CRM.
The same CPQ solution that services your dealers and outside sales reps is also the same configurator that runs within your ERP and CRM. This alleviates having to maintain more than one CPQ pricing tool and your product changes will take place across the whole system.
After you create your quote it is quickly turned into an order when integrated with your ERP system. Starting with the quote, your order can be completely fulfilled by passing BOMs and routings to the shop floor. This is why it is important that ERP integration is an option with the CPQ system you choose.
So Why Is CPQ Important? Here Are Just 4 Examples
By incorporating CPQ guided selling into your processes, you will be able to accomplish the following:
Efficiency – Help your sales reps and dealer network quote and close deals faster by eliminating disparate systems and removing siloed information. Automate approvals and create or maintain your workflows. Even the most complex quotes are easily managed with CPQ guided selling.
Control – Use a guided sales CPQ pricing tool to control what’s being offered and what’s being sold, while eliminating pricing, costing, and inventory errors. Your sales reps can become product experts in minutes by capitalizing on guided selling tools that only allow for approved configurations.
Innovation – Using our guided sales CPQ means that you can create product specs with a simple click. This allows your engineers, dealers, and sales teams to get creative and innovative, producing new product lines that differ from what is already available on the market. You can also use a configure price quote pricing tool to wow your customers with precisely customized deliverables, ensuring they are produced exactly as they were ordered.
Competitive edge – Companies learning what CPQ is and how it will benefit them should know they can get to market faster than competitors while launching new revenue models and upsell opportunities quickly. Today’s customers demand more flexibility in what they buy and how they buy it. Enabling a scalable technology platform will support your company now and in the future with advanced guided sales CPQ platforms available via Infor CPQ.
Further Configure Price Quote Guided Selling Advantages
With an advanced CPQ guided selling platform, your dealers and sales network can configure the right product offerings and generate an appropriate pricing and discount structure to meet the goals of your company. You can also fully customize quotes quickly while seamlessly integrating with your existing enterprise software, resulting in more sales and satisfied customers.
Using a guided sales CPQ can also provide you with the following:
Higher customer satisfaction
A central data catalog
Insights from reporting
Lower costs and fewer errors
Shorter sales cycles
Brand consistency
Better sales pipeline visibility
Best yet, the benefits don’t stop there. There is an abundance of featured add-ons that can be used to create an even better user experience. Below, you will find our most in-demand product extensions for CPQ products:
Stitch images for CPQ configurator
Requested ship date blocking for sales portal
Order status for sales portal
Multi-line configuration for Infor sales portal/Infor CPQ
CPQ Designed for You
Your products and systems are unique and complex, so you need a provider who is willing to customize the software to fit the needs of your organization. That’s what our CPQ company stands for, a tailored solution designed for each client.
RenaissanceTech has over 200 successful CPQ implementations across a wide variety of industries, and the founders of RenaissanceTech worked on the initial development of the Infor CPQ solution. Let our CPQ team boost your operations with our expertise.
Want to Know More About Our Guided Sales CPQ?
Now that you understand what CPQ is, let us help to create a streamlined vision for your sales team, giving them the resources they need to secure more orders.
We can use our expertise to help your company grow with our customizable CPQ software that is tailored to your unique needs. Request more information today!
How To Simplify The Sales Process & Close More Deals in 2022
If you’re trying to find new ways to make the sales process less bloated, there’s a great chance you’ve been in the industry for a while! Software options have become more sophisticated. Demands have rapidly changed. Your target demographics (and how you reach them) have evolved.
Let’s dig into some tangible and intangible ways to simplify the sales process, increase ROI and minimize costly screw-ups!
The Who: Create Customer Profiles For Target Audiences
We get it - the past few years have thrown sales through a loop. Many companies started going after any business they could get, while others restricted their scope to make more money off fewer leads. It’s time to physically get back to the drawing board!
Take time to clearly define who you’re going after - and who you don’t want to go after. Who are these perfect people? Where do they shop? Not just where do they shop, but where do they make their actual buying decisions? Is it in-store, in the car with their family or in the trenches of Reddit forums?
It’s not about the product - it’s about what the product does for the buyer. Establish a playbook of primary talking points to quickly earn that invaluable trust based on consumer needs. Learn the pain points of your target audience by looking at Google News and exploring forums. (Sometimes, you can just let Google fill in the blanks for you!)
Here are a variety of phrases you can search to generate topics of interest:
Problems with [product]
Alternatives to [product]
Negatives of [product]
Does [product] ______
Why won’t [product] _____
[product] vs _____
Once you get a solid list going, rank these pain points, challenges and insecurities as they pertain to each target demo. Assign 2-3 of them to each and avoid bringing up the other headaches if possible. Your service or product probably tackles those challenges, but you don’t need to create unnecessary land mines or time sinkholes during your pitch!
Remember: people really like talking about themselves and their company, so ask questions - even if you already know the answers. “What solutions do your competitors use?” “I know you’re looking for this product, but what are you really looking for out of this product?” “What just really sucks for you on a daily basis?”
Taking a little extra time to be real with a hot lead can make you more money than spending not enough time on three cool leads.
The When: Make Scheduling Demos & Appointments As Easy As Possible
It’s hard to get everyone to agree on much, but there are two things we all really enjoy: simplicity and options. Your sales team can piggyback on this desire for convenience by offering a variety of different contact points for customers.
Your website, specifically, should have a clearly-labeled online scheduling link, at least one general Contact Us form and a phone number someone can use at any given time to ask questions. Some folks feel comfortable scheduling a demo right now, while others may want to send in a form while they’re on the go and respond at a time when they’re able to make a decision. Other people just want to see the options laid out in front of them!
It’s comforting to know that the choice for communication is yours and you can make it when you want to.
The How (& How Much): Use An Accurate CPQ Software To Wow Buyers
We’ve mentioned simplicity, accessibility and empathy - but there is one tangible solution that can wrap up everything while making everyone happier: Infor CPQ.
As the best configure price quote solution on the market, Infor minimizes the time it takes to create accurate quotes and generates true-to-life, customized product models that will help your customer truly visualize what they’re getting.
By experiencing the visualization in front of them, the customer can envision how the product will fit in their daily life. There’s no guessing. This is what they get and here’s how much they get it for!
Looking To Capture The Power of Infor?
We invite you to take a spin on an example configurator here or to get in touch with us directly to discuss the needs of your customers and your sales team.
Using 3D Modeling To Meet New Consumer Habits & Demands
Recent events have caused a significant upward trend of consumers buying items online. Whether it be for common convenience or health and safety, more people are switching their shopping bags for slippers. With more consumers turning to online shopping, manufacturers are finding it difficult to change along with these trends. Those that sell more on display - through large distributors & retail stores - particularly struggle with this online shift.
Questions You'll Likely Face When Transitioning To Virtual Sales:
How do you transition products that are mainly sold in stores to online?
How can you capture everyone who’s interested, like you would on the show room floor?
How do you open a virtual display room for potential customers to truly see your products?
CPQ Software Will Be Vital To Your New Online Operation
Although this may take some time, transitioning your sales strategy and ordering process to incorporate eCommerce online, is simple. First, start with establishing a product configurator or Configure Price Quote (CPQ) application that quickly incorporates pricing and all product specifications for creating your item. A CPQ system with a fully optimized ERP integration is the best combination for a solid foundation of organizing and allowing customers to view and even order your products online. Once you have an organized configurator and pricing structure established, you want to start thinking about how to accurately show your products on your personal and dealers websites.
3D Product Visualization: Seeing Is Believing - & Believing Is Buying
The next best thing to seeing something in person is a stunning 3D model of what you plan to buy. 3D visuals are no longer a new/innovative feature and a standard need for any manufacturer that typically displays their products in-store. These visuals are shown online and do not limit or take away from sales in person. These models expand the capability of sales to occur confidently between customers who prefer to shop online. There are several different virtual image shops available like Threekit or Cylindo.
You do not need to partner with a 3D model shop immediately when transitioning to online sales, your choice may vary depending on suggested integrations from your configurator software. Some manufacturers may not require a 3D product rendering for their customers, this is an optional feature. It’s best to decide if an eye-catching visual would be helpful for your sales team and talk to your configuration consultant.
Harnessing The Benefits of A Virtual Showroom
Based on the stage of your company’s digital transformation, starting online sales will be a massive transition. Once you have an internal configurator for your product established, create an external shop for eCommerce that is integrated with these elements. SWIFTSELL is a high-quality shop front with a standard integration for the solutions listed above. These virtual shop displays can show pricing to potential customers on your site and present accurate 3D models based on preferred displays. Having a virtual display room and shop floor available for customers increases buyers’ trust and interest in your products. When the internal configurator, optional 3D models, and virtual shop floor application are established, they create a simple way to gauge interest from customers and close more deals or sell your products straight from your website.
Looking For More Information On How To Open Up A Virtual Shop Floor?
