How to Prepare for Revvy CPQ Implementation

‍Align Corporate Strategy with Sales, and CRM strategy with CPQ

Technology can be very different, yet the fundamental challenges it creates are similar. The same problems we have as consumers - choosing the right apps that will lead to value instead of distraction - and learning how to capitalize those apps effectively in our daily lives - is the same fundamental challenge brought by a B2B software implementation: New capabilities need to be selected, customized, and learned with a vision for future value.

As a business, I might want to roll out all of Revvy CPQ’s features, but how many features would I actually use? Similarly, I would not want to bother with fleshing out a comprehensive list of business rules, bundles and cases, yet this process and information infrastructure, once settled upon and programmed, would generate untold value for the business in the years to come.

Preparing for Revvy CPQ implementation requires the business to answer strategic questions about how the CPQ will achieve value, questions such as:

Which capabilities are most critical for success? What insights do we want the new system to give the Sales Rep? Can the CPQ enable us to track and structure data that will help us become more data-driven? Does the CPQ have the capacity we need, and can it scale?

The CPQ’s purview is configure-price-quote, but its placement in the picture, its data and its choices impact much more than the sales organization. Ostensibly, a smartwatch is for telling time, sending alerts and measuring heart rate. Under the surface, it is enabling marketers to gain critical insights on purchasing behavior. The story is much deeper than it seems.

Prepare for Revvy CPQ Implementation with a Cross-Functional Discussion

CPQ is the quintessential Sales Operations tool; the real story of which moves well past the sale itself, reaching every corner of the organization, from Operations, to Marketing, to Accounting. Configuration can only be performed in collaboration with Operations. Negotiation can only be performed with Finance. Bundling and segmentation is the purview of Marketing. Salesforce-Native CPQ ties the Sales Rep to the CRM, increasing adoption. Reliable CRM usage increases reliability of data, enabling real sales-driven analytics to drive decisions in the C-Suite. Everyone cares about CPQ implementation. Everyone.

How does the organization make the cross-functional decisions to set-up Revvy CPQ for success?  

Make It Real with a Prototype

Prior to CPQ implementation, it is important to understand what capabilities and features will have the most value for the corporate strategy — both now and in the future. This poses a major challenge for businesses that are unaccustomed to cross-functional collaboration, and it is a significant challenge for everyone who has not experienced the tool’s capabilities. The solution to all of these concerns is to bring everyone into the same room and give them a look at one possible shape of things to come: a prototype.

The goal of the prototype is to engender productive discussion around core issues, ultimately resolving a cross-functional consensus of what the CPQ should achieve - not just for Sales, for everyone. Having the broad company perspective helps to make the results consistent and on-target with corporate strategy.

A Great Implementation Partner Helps You See the Forest (Capabilities) for the Trees (Features)

Consider for a moment how this prototype session could go. The CPQ function is full of rudimentary actions. Quoting starts with configuration and moves through pricing and approvals. The natural tendency with such processes is to focus on features, essentially looking to mirror the traditional process in code. Can we automate that process too?

Although automation is a large part of what will empower the Sales Rep to be more effective, the features-focus can miss the bigger picture of corporate strategy, insight, and data analytics. The CPQ Implementation partner should keep the focus on the value. Can the CPQ improve bundling to make bigger sales? Can we show the Sales Rep profitability / incentive metrics to improve negotiation? How much value do we attach to each of these capabilities?

Takeaway | Let Business Acumen Lead CPQ Implementation

ALTAVI has used the cross-functional prototype discussion to drive successful CPQ implementations for middle market B2Bs and up. For our implementations, we deploy an implementation partner with GM-level experience or above. This allows the partner to ask value-driving questions, insist on organizational change, and deliver real outcomes. The only way to act strategically is to let experience lead.