How to destroy a sales configurator implementation project

Since product configuration, and many other IT-projects in manufacturing, requires lots of technical knowledge it is crucial for success to have a willing and change oriented engineering team onboard when implementing a new sales tools for quotations and configuration (CPQ).

So if you don´t respond well to guidlines of what to do when implementing CPQ, we thought that you might enjoy the opposite approach and focus on what guarantees certain failure.

To guarantee disaster in your sales configurator implementation project the Engineering team can do the following.

Typical setup for Visual CPQ with Customer/Distributor Portal

With the rapid developments in technology these days there exists no single software solution that handles everything for a modern manufacturing company. You need to combine a few different specialized systems to achieve everything from marketing to logistics. Therefore we have provided a system overview of the typical functionalities required for a full setup of a Visual CPQ from CMS (website) to ERP. See our CPQ dictionary for abbreviations.

IT Map for Manufacturing Companies

We often get asked about the IT structure and systems needed to make product configuration and process automation happen. How are different parts connected to each other? Which departments in the company uses which systems? And how do they relate to the flow of products from purchase to delivery? Have a look at this IT map for manufacturing companies – this what we can expect to find when we look at the IT structure of a manufacturing company.

Common User Stories for B2B CPQ

When developing new products and solutions for others its always good to have some kind of description on what the intended users might want to do with the solution. A good way to handle this is to create a list of numbered User Stories that can be referenced and used for discussion throughout the project.

We have collected a few common user stories here that apply for online configurable products where the users should be able to customize and request quotation themselves without prior knowledge of the product.

Building & Interior – B2B sales process

As a B2B company supplying products such as windows, doors, interior or similar to larger building projects, the journey to a closed deal is long and complex, but it usually follows the same pattern. In this article, we have created a template that can help you create your own process and decide on how your digital sales tools should support it.