Choosing the Right CPQ Partner
Choosing the right CPQ partner is important. Here are some critical questions to ask.
At this point, you likely have decided to purchase Salesforce CPQ. (If you are still deciding if it might be right for you, check out our previous post.) You may already have bought licenses and are trying to figure out what to do now or, you’ve had a false start and need to regroup. Regardless, here are some important questions you should be asking:
Your first logical question might be, “Do I need a partner to help support me?” (Yes. Let’s talk.) or “Can my current team do this?” (Probably not.) Here are a few reasons to use a partner:
Change is hard and you will need help rallying support for CPQ at your organization. Let us share the ROI of CPQ with you and your leadership team and get you off and running.
You are concerned with the timeline to get CPQ up and running effectively. Your team is busy and CPQ licenses are pricey! A partner can help you define your MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to get you moving.
You want to maximize your investment in CPQ by understanding all that it can offer. To do this, discuss trade-offs with someone who has done this many times before and can help you see the downstream impacts of your decisions. Examples of a few things to consider: product and pricing setup, renewal automation, amendments, and maximizing sales rep efficiency.
I assume you agree that a partner makes sense. Next, you’ll be asking, “How do I find qualified Salesforce partners, and which one should I pick?”
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 who they have used for Salesforce Consulting. You can also check with your Salesforce AE or search for partners on the AppExchange or on Google.
Now who to pick?
Pre-COVID, I would have said that working with a local partner who can sit with you at the same table was a huge benefit, but now that many of us are working remotely, this doesn’t seem as important. I recommend focusing on CPQ Experience, Communication and Aligned Expectations, and Push Back.
CPQ Experience: You want a partner with CPQ chops who has a proven track record of successful 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 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.
Can you give me a reference?
Communication and Aligned Expectations: Find a partner who tells you how they will work with you and what 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?
How can I get a hold of you when I have an urgent question?
This is a lot of change. What is your recommended testing approach?
What is your approach to go-live and post deployment support?
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 this 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 me 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. This isn’t brain surgery.
Final advice: CPQ projects take time and a good amount of internal change management. Choose a partner you won’t mind spending time with 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 internal teams up for success.
Holly is the Chief Operations Officer at Cloud Giants. A 5x Salesforce certified professional, Holly has a passion for helping global companies optimize processes, systems and tools.
Holly is a Salesforce Certified Administrator, Sales Cloud Consultant, Platform App Builder, CPQ Specialist, and Service Cloud Consultant.