This surge is driven by a convergence of market forces. Companies across industries face mounting pressure to improve sales efficiency and effectiveness, particularly in high-competition environments where speed and accuracy can determine deal outcomes.
CPQ solutions address this demand by enabling businesses to automate and optimize quoting processes, reducing errors and compressing sales cycles.
At the same time, the growing complexity of product and service offerings in sectors such as manufacturing, technology, telecommunications, and healthcare requires tools that can manage intricate configurations and dynamic pricing structures without sacrificing compliance.
Customer expectations are also rising, with buyers demanding personalized, tailored offers that reflect their specific needs.
CPQ platforms meet this challenge by allowing sales teams to customize solutions rapidly, while integration with CRM and ERP systems ensures that data remains consistent and visible across the organization.
At its core, CPQ streamlines three critical stages of the sales process.
First is Configuration, where the right combination of products, services, and bundles are selected to meet customer needs. This is vital for businesses with complex product catalogs, where manual selection can lead to errors or missed opportunities.
Second is Pricing, which involves applying the right discounts, account-specific rates, contract terms, or volume-based adjustments to ensure profitability while maintaining competitive offers.
Finally, the Quoting stage generates professional proposals, often branded and pre-approved, that can be sent directly to customers.
Without CPQ, organizations often rely on spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes that slow down sales cycles and increase the risk of errors.
A rep might pull pricing from one source, product SKUs from another, and then draft a quote in Word or Excel, leaving plenty of room for inconsistencies.
With CPQ, all of these processes are automated and governed by rules: sales reps select and configure products guided by logic, pricing is instantly validated against corporate policies, and quote generation happens in a matter of seconds.
For B2B and D2C businesses, it ensures the right product is always offered at the right, or most accurate price, with minimal friction and maximum confidence.
CPQ has evolved from niche manufacturing software to a must-have tool for B2B, D2C, and hybrid businesses. The right platform accelerates quoting, protects margins, drives upsells, and creates a seamless quote-to-cash experience.
The key to success is not just picking the biggest vendor - it is choosing the solution that aligns with your sales model, tech stack, and growth strategy.
Salesforce leads for CRM-driven firms, Oracle and SAP dominate in enterprise ERP-driven contexts, Conga owns the contract-heavy niche, Infor serves visual/engineer-to-order products, and Revalize empowers mid-market firms.
Deployed thoughtfully, effective product configuration does not just make sales faster - it makes every deal smarter, bigger, and more profitable.
Deal governance (the framework and processes that guide how an organization manages strategic transactions like mergers, acquisitions, or partnerships), is one of the defining strengths of CPQ platforms, but not all vendors approach it equally. In this context, governance refers to approval workflows, discount controls, audit trails, and margin protection mechanisms.
For example, if a sales rep tries to discount a product below a certain margin threshold, CPQ systems with strong governance will automatically flag the quote, require approvals, or even block it entirely. This is essential in industries where profit margins are slim, or compliance requirements are strict.
Salesforce CPQ offers excellent deal governance by leveraging its native CRM platform. Approvals are tied directly into Salesforce workflows, so a discount can be flagged not only based on the size of the deal but also based on account history or strategic importance.
Salesforce also provides visual indicators, such as stoplights, that alert reps when they are pushing into risky pricing territory.
Oracle CPQ, meanwhile, is renowned for its governance features at the enterprise level. It provides highly granular approval rules, robust audit capabilities, and delegation functions for global operations - making it a preferred option for industries like telecom or finance where compliance is critical.
SAP CPQ focuses heavily on governance when integrated with SAP ERP, pulling in margin and financial data to ensure quotes align with real-time business conditions.
Conga CPQ shines in governance when combined with contract lifecycle management (CLM), ensuring that every quote aligns with existing contractual obligations.
By contrast, Infor CPQ and Revalize CPQ tend to prioritize usability and vertical-specific rules rather than deep governance, though both offer practical guardrails suitable for mid-market firms.
In short, Salesforce offers the most balanced governance for CRM-driven organizations, Oracle dominates in enterprise governance, SAP is unbeatable when governance must connect directly to ERP financials, and Conga leads when contracts drive governance needs.
MSEs face unique challenges: they are too large for basic quoting tools but often lack the budget or appetite for the overhead of enterprise-grade platforms.
Choosing a quotation platform for this segment requires balancing functionality, integration, usability, and cost-efficiency.
The first question is whether the organization already uses Salesforce CRM. If so, a CPQ starter is often the logical, more accessible choice. It offers deep integration with Sales Cloud, strong governance, guided selling, and subscription management. While it requires skilled administration, it is flexible enough to grow with the business.
If contract management is central to sales - for example, manufacturers or distributors negotiating long-term wholesale deals - Conga may be the best fit. Its strength lies in bridging quote-to-contract, ensuring that every agreement is tightly aligned and enforceable.
It is particularly appealing for mid-sized companies with distributor networks or reseller models. For companies seeking faster deployment and lower overhead, Revalize is often ideal. Revalize provides vertical-specific solutions out of the box, with practical workflows that are easier to implement than Salesforce or Oracle, making it attractive to mid-market firms that prioritize usability and time-to-value.
Meanwhile, Oracle and SAP are powerful, but often too resource-intensive for medium enterprises unless those firms are already deeply invested in Oracle ERP or SAP.
Their cost structures and complexity can outweigh the benefits for mid-market buyers. Therefore, medium-sized enterprises typically choose between Salesforce, Conga, or Revalize, depending on whether their priority is CRM integration, contract governance, or quick implementation.
The best CPQ sales tool depends on what criteria matter most: governance, CRM alignment, ERP integration, contract management, configurability, or cost efficiency.
Salesforce is the most popular choice across industries because of its seamless CRM integration. It ties customer data directly into quotes, enabling personalized selling, automated discount rules, and streamlined subscriptions. Its balance of governance, guided selling, and usability make it the go-to CPQ for companies already on Salesforce CRM.
For enterprises needing extreme governance, Oracle is often more appropriate. Its mature approval workflow builder, deep audit capabilities, and scalability across subsidiaries make it ideal for global operations and highly regulated industries. SAP is strongest where ERP integration is the priority, ensuring quotes reflect supply chain and finance data in real-time.
If contracts drive revenue, Conga stands out by linking quoting tightly to CLM (popular with fintech), ensuring compliance and reducing friction between sales and legal. For companies selling visually configurable products like furniture or machinery, Infor excels with its visual product configurator. And for mid-sized businesses needing a balance of features and ease of deployment, Revalize offers vertical-specific solutions with fast time-to-value.
Thus, the best CPQ depends on your context: Salesforce for CRM-driven firms, Oracle for enterprise governance, SAP for ERP-heavy industries, Conga for contract-heavy sales, Infor for visual products, and Revalize for mid-market practical deployments.
Quote-to-cash (QTC) extends CPQ beyond quoting into contracts, order management, billing, and revenue recognition. Not all professional quotes systems are built to handle this full cycle.
Salesforce Revenue Cloud (which combines CPQ with Billing and Subscription Management) is widely considered the most complete QTC solution. It ties seamlessly into Salesforce CRM, so quotes flow directly into contracts, invoices, and renewals, making it particularly effective for subscription-based or hybrid sales models.
Oracle also delivers strong QTC when combined with Oracle ERP or NetSuite. It connects quoting directly into financial systems, supporting global scale and complex billing models. Similarly, SAP integrates with SAP S/4HANA and Billing, ensuring QTC is aligned with supply chain and finance in real time, which is especially important for manufacturers and global enterprises.
Conga differentiates itself by focusing on quote-to-contract-to-cash, ensuring that agreements flow seamlessly into billing and renewals. This is highly valuable in contract-heavy industries like distribution or wholesale. By contrast, Infor and Revalize provide practical CPQ functions but depend on integrations with external billing systems for full QTC.
In summary, Salesforce Revenue Cloud offers the strongest all-around QTC, Oracle and SAP dominate for enterprise ERP-driven QTC, and Conga excels for contract-to-cash scenarios.
This is not just an IT project; it is an organizational transformation. A successful rollout follows several phases:
CPQ implementation is iterative; organizations often begin with a narrow scope (e.g., one product or service line or region) and expand as adoption grows.
For field sales teams, CPQ must support mobile-first experiences, offline functionality, closing deals, and quick approvals. Field reps need to generate quotes in front of customers, often without reliable internet access.
Salesforce works well here thanks to its integration into the Salesforce Mobile App, where reps can access guided selling and approvals on the go. However, offline capabilities are limited unless specifically configured.
Infor is particularly valuable for field sales because of its visual product configurator, which helps reps demonstrate options interactively during client meetings. It is especially effective in industries like furniture or machinery. Revalize also supports mobile use cases and often includes offline quoting options, making it practical for mid-market firms.
Oracle supports global field sales with mobile integration, robust governance, and approval workflows, but is heavier to implement. SAP provides accuracy by pulling live ERP data into quotes, but its mobile experience can be less smooth without add-ons.
Thus, Salesforce is best overall for CRM-driven field sales, Infor for visual/engineer-to-order sales, Revalize for practical mid-market field quoting, and Oracle for enterprise field governance.
They can directly contribute to revenue growth in multiple ways:
- Speed: Faster quote turnaround means more deals closed before competitors.
- Deal size: Guided selling promotes upsells and cross-sells, increasing average order value.
- Margin protection: Pricing guardrails prevent reps from discounting too deeply.
- Conversion rates: Personalized offers based on CRM data improve win rates.
- Time-to-market: enabling faster rollout of new products and bundles.
- Recurring revenue: Automated renewals and amendments strengthen subscription revenue.
- Error reduction: Eliminating quote errors ensures more deals progress to booked revenue.
In practice, quote tools don't just cut costs - it makes every deal more profitable and every rep more effective, driving measurable top-line impact.
Manufacturers face complex challenges: configurable products, multi-tiered pricing, global operations, and channel sales. Salesforce works well for mid-to-large manufacturers, especially those using Salesforce CRM, with guided selling and strong channel partner support.
Oracle is ideal for large/global manufacturers needing robust governance and ERP integration. SAP stands out when real-time supply chain and financial data are critical.
Conga is strongest for contract-heavy manufacturers where distributor agreements dominate sales. Infor is particularly effective for engineer-to-order or design-heavy products, offering visualization tools that simplify complex configurations.
Revalize, with its manufacturing-specific vertical solutions, is ideal for mid-market manufacturers seeking quick deployment and industry-tailored workflows.
Thus, Salesforce leads for CRM-driven manufacturing, Oracle for governance, SAP for ERP-driven accuracy, Conga for contracts, Infor for configurability, and Revalize for mid-market industry fit.
Selecting a CPQ vendor is challenging because organizations must balance features, integration, scalability, cost, and adoption. Key challenges include:
- Complex product and pricing models: Not all CPQs can handle your specific discounting or configurability.
- Integration requirements: CPQ must connect with CRM, ERP, and billing systems seamlessly.
- Scalability vs. overhead: Enterprise tools may be too heavy for mid-market firms; lightweight tools may lack depth.
- Governance vs. usability: Too much governance can slow sales; too little can erode margins.
- User adoption: CPQ that is hard to use will be bypassed for spreadsheets.
- Total cost of ownership: Licenses are just one part; implementation and maintenance often cost more.
- Vendor ecosystem: Larger vendors (Salesforce, Oracle, SAP) have strong partner ecosystems, while smaller players may pose long-term stability risks.
The right vendor is the one that balances these factors in line with your sales strategy and growth trajectory.
Integrating product configuration technology with CRM transforms sales operations by creating a single, customer-centric workflow. CRM stores customer data, preferences, and deal history, while CPQ ensures pricing and quoting accuracy and enhanced product configuration. Together, they deliver:
- Unified data: No more reconciling quotes in one system and customer info in another.
- Faster quoting process: Account-specific discounts apply automatically.
- Smarter selling: Guided recommendations use CRM insights.
- Stronger governance: Approvals consider both deal size and account health.
- Accurate forecasting: Pipelines reflect configured quotes, not rough opportunity estimates.
- Better customer experience: Quotes are accurate, timely, and consistent.
In short, integrating with a CRM = faster sales cycles, higher win rates, and stronger revenue governance.
Pricing varies significantly between vendors and depends on scope, integrations, and user counts. Publicly available data suggests:
- Oracle: ~$240 per user/month, with a three-year minimum contract.
- Conga: ~$85 per user/month (starting price).
- Salesforce: ~$75–$150 per user/month (estimated, often part of Revenue Cloud bundles).
- SAP: Custom enterprise pricing, typically on the higher end.
- Infor: Quote-based pricing only.
- Revalize: Custom mid-market pricing, often more affordable than enterprise tools.
Beyond licenses, organizations must budget for implementation, integration, and maintenance, which can exceed subscription costs.
B2B and D2C firms need a tool that helps them sell smarter and faster. CPQ platforms enable sales teams to easily configure complex products or services, apply dynamic pricing rules, and create accurate proposals without the delays of manual processes.
Instead of spending days navigating spreadsheets, reps can be creating a quote in minutes, improving sales efficiency and freeing time to focus on customers.
For organizations already invested in Benioff's world-renowned CRM, choosing a solution that integrates seamlessly with Salesforce ensures quoting is embedded directly into existing workflows.
Ultimately, CPQ delivers the ability to quote in minutes, reduce errors, and streamline the path from opportunity to closed deal.
Salesforce CPQ becomes even more powerful when paired with the right expertise, and this is where FortéNext plays a vital role. With more than two decades of experience delivering Salesforce implementation, staff augmentation, managed services, and consulting, FortéNext ensures that Salesforce CPQ is not only deployed correctly but also optimized for long-term success.
Our team helps businesses align CPQ with existing sales processes, extend internal capabilities through on-demand experts, and maintain peak performance with proactive managed services. By combining its technology's ability to streamline quoting and pricing with our proven delivery model, organizations can achieve faster adoption, greater sales efficiency, and measurable revenue growth, while minimizing risk and internal resource strain.
