How To Shorten The Sales Cycle with Epicor CPQ

When we speak with customers, one of the first things we want to know is what critical business challenges they’re trying to solve. Almost invariably, they tell us they need to accelerate their sales cycle–and for good reason.

In today’s digital landscape, every minute spent on manual configuration, pricing adjustments, and quote generation represents lost revenue opportunities and frustrated sales teams watching deals grow cold.

The complexity of modern product offerings means that without the right tools, sales reps spend countless hours double-checking configurations and pricing, going back and forth with engineering, and revising quotes instead of focusing on what they do best: building relationships and closing deals.

In this article, we’ll show exactly how Epicor CPQ transforms your sales cycle, and help you determine if your company can achieve—or even exceed—the 38% faster closing times our customers typically experience.

Why Sales Velocity Counts

We’ve all felt the frustration of nurturing a sale for months only to be ghosted at the last minute. While estimates vary, research from Implisit found the average B2B journey from lead to close takes 102 days – during which leads can go cold, decision-makers can change roles, budgets can freeze, or competitors can swoop in.

Needless to say, any steps you can take to shorten sales cycle length will have a huge impact on your bottom line. Shaving off a few weeks can dramatically increase your annual revenue and commission. With a visual CPQ solution, you can do much, much better than that.

Automation and Intelligence = Speed

Traditional sales of configurable products typically involve a complex process fraught with multiple handoffs, delays, and potential points of friction. Let’s deconstruct this conventional journey and illustrate how Epicor CPQ delivers comprehensive automation and speed.

Let’s explain how these features can benefit your business.

AI-Powered Product Selection and Configuration

Epicor CPQ’s intelligent product selectors leverage AI to instantly guide customers through your entire product portfolio, automatically surfacing the most relevant options based on their specific needs and use cases.

The interactive configurator presents choices in a logical, step-by-step flow, eliminating confusion and preventing incompatible selections before they happen. This means customers can confidently explore and customize complex products without technical expertise, while sales reps spend less time explaining basic product details and more time adding strategic value to the conversation.

Gartner research shows that 77% of B2B buyers rate the traditional purchase experience as extremely complex or difficult. Epicor CPQ makes it easy and transparent.

Real-Time Visual Configuration and Validation

Epicor CPQ’s visual configurator transforms intricate technical requirements into an intuitive, visual experience that instantly validates choices as they’re made.

The system continuously checks configuration rules and compatibility parameters in the background, alerting users immediately if a selected combination isn’t feasible. Customers can see their configured product come to life on screen in 3D and augmented reality (AR), while the system ensures every detail meets your exact manufacturing standards and capabilities.

Automated Pricing Engine

Traditional pricing calculations for complex configurations often involve spreadsheets, manual calculations, and multiple stakeholder approvals–a process ripe for errors and delays.

Epicor CPQ’s automated pricing engine performs sophisticated calculations in real-time, factoring in volume discounts, custom configurations, bundled offerings, and regional variations. Sales teams can provide accurate, consistent pricing on the spot, even for highly customized solutions.

Bill of Materials Automation

Manual BOM creation is notorious for bottlenecking the B2B sales process and introducing costly errors. Epicor CPQ dynamically generates comprehensive Bills of Materials the moment a configuration is complete.

Every part, component, and specification is documented with precision, eliminating the need for manual compilation and cross-checking. This automation not only accelerates the B2B sales cycle but provides manufacturing teams with the exact details they need to begin production as soon as the deal closes.

Built-in Configuration Validation

Engineering validation bottlenecks can stretch sales cycle length by weeks or even months. Epicor CPQ’s sophisticated rules engine eliminates these delays by validating technical feasibility in real-time as configurations are built.

The system enforces your engineering rules and manufacturing constraints, ensuring every configuration that reaches production is already pre-validated. B2B sales teams can confidently propose solutions knowing they’re technically feasible.

CAD Integration and Drawing Generation

The manual process of requesting, waiting for, and revising technical drawings creates significant delays in the B2B sales cycle. Epicor CPQ’s seamless CAD integration transforms this time-consuming sales process into a single-click operation.

Quote Generation

The painstaking process of manually assembling quotes and professional documentation in Excel is replaced by Epicor CPQ’s automated quote generation system. The moment a configuration is finalized, the system creates comprehensive, branded quotes that include all relevant details.

Automated Approval Workflows

Legacy approval processes with multiple stakeholders and manual handoffs create frustrating delays that can jeopardize deals. Epicor CPQ streamlines this process with intelligent workflow automation that keeps deals moving forward at optimal speed. The system routes approvals based on predefined rules, automatically escalating when needed and tracking every  step of the process.

The Ultimate Sales Accelerator: Self-Service CPQ

While streamlining the sales process delivers significant benefits, forward-thinking manufacturers are discovering an even more powerful opportunity: removing manual touchpoints entirely through online self-service configuration. This shift aligns with evolving buyer preferences–McKinsey reports that two-thirds of B2B buyers now prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service over traditional sales interactions.

By embedding Epicor CPQ’s visual configurator directly into their website or eCommerce platform, enterprises enable customers to independently explore, configure, and purchase even highly complex products. This transformation from high-touch to self-service carries profound implications for scalability and customer experience.

For sellers, this means the ability to handle exponentially more opportunities without proportionally increasing sales headcount. Sales teams can focus their expertise on strategic accounts and truly custom requirements, while the configurator handles standard product configurations 24/7 across all time zones and markets.

The customer benefits are equally compelling. Rather than waiting for sales responses or engineering validation, buyers can progress their purchase journey at their own pace. They can experiment with different configurations, instantly see pricing implications, generate quotes, and share this information with their team whenever it suits them––whether that’s during business hours or at 3 AM.

This self-service approach aligns perfectly with the growing preference among B2B buyers for digital-first purchasing experiences. Research shows that younger procurement professionals, in particular, prefer to conduct initial product research independently online, only engaging with sales teams when they have specific questions or are ready to finalize deals.

Discover how a leading manufacturers achieved 55% sales growth with self-service configuration →

In Summary

Today’s B2B buyers demand speed, accuracy, and digital self-service options. Epicor CPQ meets these expectations by eliminating manual bottlenecks and automating complex processes throughout the B2B sales journey. Whether you’re struggling with engineering delays, seeking consistent pricing, or aiming to scale efficiently, modern CPQ technology positions you ahead of evolving market demands.

Our customers consistently report 38% faster closing times and up to 55% sales growth through self-service configuration, proving that the right tools don’t just accelerate sales, they fundamentally transform how manufacturers do business.