If your sales reps are juggling spreadsheets, manual approvals, and endless back-and-forth with engineering, you already know how costly and frustrating the process can be. This is what complex manufacturers deal with while selling in a configure-to-order (CTO) environment. While customers expect every quote to be tailored to unique specifications and delivered quickly, manual sales processes simply can’t keep pace with the requirement.
Slow quotes cost more than time—they invite errors, reduce profitability, and push customers toward competitors who can respond faster. However, modern sales process automation tools, especially Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) software, can take this challenge head-on and turn complexity into clarity. As Harvard Business Review reports, responding to an inquiry within an hour makes you seven times more likely to win business.
In this blog, we’ll explore the challenges of manual CTO sales, how CPQ transforms the process, the benefits of automation, and practical steps to build a smarter sales strategy.
Challenges of Manual Sales Processes in Configure-to-Order Environments
Selling configure-to-order products is not simple. Each quote is like a mini project—requiring accurate configuration, competitive pricing, and seamless handoff to production. Without automation, sales teams face several pain points:
1- Configuration Complexity
Sales reps often lack deep technical knowledge. They depend heavily on engineers to validate whether it’s possible to deliver what a customer requests. This often creates a discrepancy between what is promised and what’s deliverable.
2- Inconsistent Pricing
When sales teams rely on spreadsheets or disconnected pricing tools, errors become inevitable. Discounts may be applied inconsistently, regional pricing rules can get overlooked, and margins are often sacrificed without even realizing it.
3- Slow Quoting Cycles
A quote that takes days or weeks signals inefficiency and creates frustration among customers. Manual processes, constant back-and-forth with engineering, and approval bottlenecks stretch the timeline, giving competitors the opportunity to win the deal.
4- Communication Silos
Sales, engineering, and manufacturing teams frequently operate in separate disconnected systems. This communication gap forces employees to re-enter the same data multiple times, increasing the chance of mistakes. It also slows down the entire quote-to-order process, as teams waste hours reconciling information instead of moving deals forward.
5- High Error Rates
In CTO environment, even the smallest mistake can have big consequences. Errors caught late in the process cause production delays, last-minute rework, and expensive returns. For the customer, it damages confidence. For the business, it means wasted time, lost revenue, and potential reputational harm.
For CTO manufacturers, these pain points aren’t just operational challenges, they’re lost revenue opportunities.
How CPQ Software Automates Configure-to-Order Sales
CPQ automates key parts of the sales process and helps manufacturers handle CTO complexity with speed and accuracy.
| CPQ Capability | How It Helps Manufacturers |
| Guided Selling | Acts like a GPS for sales reps—asks the right questions and walks them through complex product configurations without heavy engineering involvement. |
| Automated Pricing | Applies rules-driven pricing in real-time, factoring in discounts, regional rules, and margins—eliminating spreadsheet errors. |
| Automated Quoting | Instantly generates proposals, complete with technical specs, CAD files, warranties, and branded documents. |
| Document Automation | Ensures every quote follows a consistent, professional format, maintaining brand credibility across the sales team. |
| Approval Workflows | Enforces automated approval rules, replacing endless email threads and speeding up deal progression. |
Start Building a Smarter Sales Process. Reach Out to Cincom Experts.
5 Benefits of Sales Automation for Manufacturers of Complex Products
Automation doesn’t just solve problems; it creates new opportunities for growth. Here’s what manufacturers gain by adopting CPQ:
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Accuracy & Consistency
With CPQ, every quote is generated from a centralized set of pre-approved rules, product logic, and pricing structures. This eliminates the risk of guesswork or “one-off” errors that often slip in with manual spreadsheets. The result is consistent, compliant, and error-free proposals across your entire sales team, no matter who creates them.
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Scalability
Manual quoting quickly becomes a bottleneck as deal volume grows. CPQ scales effortlessly, allowing your sales team to handle more opportunities simultaneously without increasing headcount. By automating repetitive tasks, sales reps can focus on selling instead of chasing approvals or rechecking data.
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Margin Protection
Discounting can be a silent profit killer. CPQ applies intelligent, rules-driven pricing that enforces guardrails on discounts, prevents unnecessary price cuts, and ensures every deal stays profitable. This not only protects margins but also builds pricing discipline across the organization.
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Improved Win Rates
Speed and accuracy matter to buyers. By delivering quotes that are both fast and error-free, CPQ helps sales teams inspire trust and confidence. Customers see you as responsive and reliable, which makes them more likely to choose your solution over a competitor’s.
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Shorter Sales Cycles
Every delay in quoting creates room for competitors to step in. CPQ accelerates the entire process by automating configuration, pricing, approvals, and proposal generation. Quotes that once took days or weeks can now be turned around in hours, helping you close deals faster and capture revenue sooner.
Integration with CRM, ERP, and Manufacturing Systems
Automation delivers its full value when systems are connected. A standalone tool can never deliver the best result. That’s why CPQ integrates seamlessly across your business ecosystem:
- CRM integration: Sales reps can generate quotes directly inside tools like Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce, ensuring customer data flows seamlessly.
- ERP integration: Pricing, inventory, and fulfillment data sync in real-time with ERP systems like SAP or Oracle.
- CAD/PLM integration: Product rules and engineering data feed directly into the CPQ engine, reducing reliance on manual validations.
CPQ ensures there’s a single source of truth across sales, operations, and production.
Next Steps to Implement a Configure-to-Order Automation Strategy
If you’re ready to automate your sales process, here’s how to start:
- Audit your current process: Identify bottlenecks in quoting, pricing, or approvals.
- Pinpoint automation opportunities: Decide where CPQ can make the biggest impact.
- Choose the right CPQ solution: Look for flexible, integration-friendly software that works with your CRM, ERP, and manufacturing systems.
- Plan for adoption: Provide training and change management to ensure your team embraces the new process.
- Measure success: Track KPIs such as quote cycle time, win rate, and margin improvements to validate ROI.
Cincom CPQ is designed for manufacturers of complex products with deep integration capabilities and a focus on simplifying CTO sales.
Conclusion
Manual sales processes may have worked in the past, but in today’s configure-to-order world, they’re no longer sustainable. Slow quotes, inconsistent pricing, and constant errors don’t just frustrate your team, they drive customers straight to competitors.
By embracing sales process automation with CPQ software, manufacturers can eliminate these bottlenecks. Faster quoting, greater accuracy, and seamless integration with CRM, ERP, and other manufacturing systems turn complexity into a competitive advantage.
The takeaway is simple: automation isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about survival and growth in a market where speed and accuracy win. With Cincom CPQ, you can simplify even the most complex sales processes, protect margins, and deliver the buying experience customers expect.
Ready to move past manual struggles? Start building a smarter, automated sales process today with Cincom CPQ.
FAQs
1- What does it mean to automate your sales process in configure-to-order environments?
Automating your sales process means using tools like CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote) software to handle product configurations, pricing, approvals, and quoting automatically. This reduces manual work, minimizes errors, and speeds up deal cycles for configure-to-order manufacturers.
2- How does CPQ software improve the sales process?
CPQ software improves sales by guiding reps through complex product configurations, applying rules-driven pricing, and generating accurate, professional quotes instantly. It eliminates delays, ensures consistency, and integrates with CRM and ERP systems for a seamless quote-to-order process.
3- What sales challenges can CPQ help manufacturers solve?
CPQ helps solve challenges such as long quoting cycles, pricing inconsistencies, errors in product configuration, and reliance on engineering for validation. It enables faster quotes, protects margins, and improves customer satisfaction in complex sales environments.
4- How does sales automation reduce lead times?
Sales automation eliminates manual bottlenecks like spreadsheet pricing and email-based approvals. By streamlining configuration and quoting, lead times shrink from days or weeks to just minutes, helping manufacturers respond to customers faster and win more deals.
5- Can CPQ software integrate with CRM, ERP, and manufacturing systems?
Yes. Modern CPQ solutions like Cincom CPQ integrate with CRM platforms (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce), ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle), and CAD/PLM. This creates a single source of truth across sales, operations, and production.
