Salesforce CPQ: How to Find Your Ideal Consulting Partner
A while back I posted about how to select a CPQ partner. Today, I am building upon that foundation while sharing new thoughts and insights.
Choosing the right CPQ partner can be overwhelming. You may even consider going it alone and having your internal team take the lead on the implementation. This post is meant to share why it makes sense not to go it alone and provide insight into identifying an ideal consulting partner.
Why Work with a Salesforce Consulting Partner
Change is hard and you will need help rallying support for CPQ at your organization. A consulting partner can share the ROI of CPQ with you and your leadership team and get you off and running. Some of the data we like to track at Cloud Giants include Quote Accuracy, Time to Quote, and Discounts. Here are some of the measurable results our clients have received.
You are concerned with the timeline to get CPQ up and running effectively. A partner can help you define your MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and get you moving in the right direction quickly. At Cloud Giants, we use a backlog to capture long term ideas for CPQ while being laser focused on your MVP. With this approach, you go live with your MVP and you have a roadmap for future enhancements.
You want to maximize your investment in CPQ by understanding all that it can offer. At Cloud Giants, we use a Revenue Cloud Feature Map to show what you own, what you are using and what you are not using. This is especially impactful when working on your MVP. We discuss trade-offs including the downstream impacts of your decisions and third party tools. Examples of a few things to consider: product and pricing setup, renewal automation, amendments, and maximizing sales rep efficiency.
CPQ deployments can be tricky as CPQ relies on both data and metadata. A partner with experience will have learned how to master CPQ deployments and may recommend using a tool like Gearset to save many hours and increase accuracy at time of the go live. This tool also streamlines further development efforts by helping spin up sandboxes.
Finding a Salesforce Consulting Partner with CPQ Expertise
To find a partner (in addition to Cloud Giants who obviously should be in the running), I recommend you start by asking your LinkedIn network. Find out who has CPQ, how it was implemented and what their experience has been. Would they recommend the firm they used?
You can also check with your Salesforce Account Executive or search for partners with CPQ experience on the AppExchange or on Google.
Who to Pick
I recommend focusing on CPQ experience, strong communication and aligned expectations, and looking for partners who aren’t afraid to push back.
You want a partner with solid CPQ chops - one who has a proven track record of successful implementations and re-implementations. This tool is big and complex, so choosing a partner with a focus in CPQ is incredibly important.
Here are a few potential questions to ask a prospective consulting partner to vet their CPQ expertise:
How do you think CPQ will improve my business? What metrics do you think I should be tracking based on what I have told you?
What project that you’ve completed is most similar to ours? What went well and what didn’t?
Does your team have CPQ Certifications? How does your team stay current on the latest Salesforce and CPQ functionality?
What structure is needed on my team to be successful in the long term with CPQ? Hint: you likely need a dedicated CPQ admin or a Salesforce admin who you are willing to train.
What has changed about your CPQ approach over time? A great partner will be growing with the tool.
What are the integrations and add ons you typically support?
Find a partner who tells you how they will work with you and what type of communication to expect. Questions to ask:
How will I be able to know what has been done and what is coming up next?
Where will you track my requirements so that we have a single source of truth? What kind of documentation can I expect?
My life is busy. How will you hold me accountable? What are some of the ways you have kept projects on track when a client was slow to provide answers?
How can I get a hold of you when I have an urgent question?
This is a lot of change. What is your recommended change management and testing approach?
What is your approach to go-live and post deployment support?
Look for push back: A great partner will push back. They will respectfully explain when they disagree with a decision but leave the ultimate choice up to you. Questions to ask:
What are the areas where you think our CPQ project might trip up?
I want CPQ up and running in 30 days. Can you do that? Hint: if your project is even slightly complex, this is unrealistic. If you’d like to learn more about why, shoot us an email.
I want to migrate my historical opportunities to CPQ Contracts. Do you recommend this?
Ask any obscure Salesforce (or sales process/pricing) question on your mind and see what they say. Seriously, have fun (Cloud Giants core value). This is your chance to play game show host.
Final advice: CPQ projects take time and a good amount of internal change management. Choose a partner you won’t mind speaking with regularly for the next few months, who you trust will guide you in the right direction and who has a proven track record of knowing how to set teams up for success.
Visit our CPQ page to learn more about our track record of success and how we work with clients.
Holly Cullen is the Chief Operating Officer at Cloud Giants.