Manufacturers are accelerating digital transformation, but for IT and transformation leaders, securing executive buy-in for new technology remains a challenge amid competing priorities and tight budgets. While CPQ software promises faster, more accurate quoting and sales automation, that alone won’t justify the investment.
To build a compelling business case for CPQ, use this framework to tie CPQ to high-impact business goals—margin protection, revenue growth, better customer experiences—and gain the executive buy-in needed to move forward.
1. Start with strategic goals, not features
Though new features like automated configuration engines or AI sales assistants can be a major draw for teams, executive leadership looks at investments with a birds-eye view of the company, prioritizing initiatives that support scale, efficiency, and competitive advantage.
How does CPQ feed into larger business initiatives and long-term strategic goals?
For example, your company may be looking to unify the brand by making multiple divisions deliver a consistent experience across channels and regions. In turn, this positions CPQ as a tool to standardize quoting, pricing, and the buyer experience.
Whether the goal is to enhance customer experience, increase sales speed without adding headcount, or improve dealer satisfaction, the first step is to start with strategic goals.
Making the CPQ business case for top strategic goals
CPQ feeds into high-level business strategy in a number of ways:
| Strategic Goal | How CPQ Supports It |
|---|---|
| Margin protection |
|
| Deal Velocity |
|
| Process Efficiency & Modernization |
|
| Product & Service Bundling |
|
| Omnichannel Selling |
|
| International Growth & Expansion |
|
2. Think operationally about what CPQ changes in the day-to-day
CPQ makes it possible to handle more product complexity, serve more channels, and move faster without overloading sales, engineering, or IT. The tools, processes, and people you already have get you from A to B, but CPQ makes them work better, together.
Do you understand the daily challenges and workflows of your end users? How can they achieve what they do today more easily and with fewer resources?
Consider the before and after picture for sales quoting processes or engineering CAD designs and product modeling. What does this look like in real life, and how can you speak to each stakeholder in a way that is most relevant to their role? For the CFO, it may be talking about ROI, cost control, and revenue uplift. For the COO, it may be how the technology translates into error reduction.
3. Quantify the impact with real metrics
Be specific about CPQ’s value proposition. What is the measurable outcome that can justify CPQ investment?
Use metrics that leadership can measure, such as:
- % reduction in quote turnaround time
- % reduction in order errors
- % increase in average order value / cross-sell rates
- Cost savings from automation
For example, you may propose that companies implementing CPQ typically see quote times drop from eight days to under five. Or that average order value increases by 10% with a CPQ recommendation engine. It helps to show leadership very specific case studies of similar companies and their outcomes with the CPQ platform.
4. Pilot before you scale
To build a proper CPQ business case, you need a proof of concept that can prove ROI before scaling the technology.
A crawl-walk-run approach gives your leadership team more confidence that the company’s investment executes on its goal, has ample adoption, and sees measurable gains.
Start with one product line or region to minimize risk, then use your success metrics to justify a broader roll out over the long term.
5. Build cross-functional support
A modern CPQ platform isn’t just a back-end tool. It provides value to sales, engineering and product teams, IT, supply chain, and more.
Align these teams by having an executive sponsor from each function that can act as an internal champion to help you build a business case, understand daily challenges, and hit on the most relevant strategic goals.
Cross-functional alignment ensures that all stakeholders agree on goals, priorities, and success metrics from the start. A shared understanding reduces the risk of last-minute changes, conflicting requirements, and misaligned expectations, which are the primary drivers of scope creep and failed adoption.
6. Build a CPQ cost-benefit analysis with financial rigor
In order to tell the most compelling financial story, your executive team needs to understand the monetary value of their investment through both tangible ROI and intangible savings.
- Can you put a monetary value on CPQ benefits, such as fewer quote errors, rework costs, onboarding costs, or short sales cycles?
- Can you put a value on less tangible benefits, such as higher customer satisfaction or additional time and resources for R&D and engineering innovation?
Tie metrics to the things that finance leaders care about, such as profit margin, revenue growth, average deal value, and even total cost of ownership (TCO).
7. Know your data landscape before you start
To build a business case that leadership can act on, you need a clear view of your current data environment. Where does your product, pricing, and customer data live? Is it accessible, accurate, and ready to support automation?
Understanding your data readiness is foundational for scaling CPQ and assuring leadership of minimal risk.
8. Prepare for objections
With change comes resistance. Be prepared for common executive pushbacks:
“We already have an ERP/CRM.”
“This seems too complex to implement.”
“We don’t have the resources to maintain this system.”
This is where working with your vendor can help you build a business case that fits your unique technology ecosystem. Tie the investment back to how it can consolidate disparate systems or integrate with key data sources. Take advantage of potential services or off-the-shelf solutions that help you implement and maintain your system without IT overhead.
Your CPQ vendor or partner has seen these objections before and can help you fill your gaps.
Build your CPQ business case with Tacton
At Tacton, we do more than just deliver a CPQ buyer engagement platform. We help manufacturers build alignment, create measurable impact, and modernize without disruption. From identifying the right use case to quantifying ROI and preparing your data, we partner with you to make sure your CPQ investment supports your goals and wins executive support.
Connect with our team to see how Tacton helps you simplify complexity in digital manufacturing sales.