In B2B sales, staying ahead of the competition is paramount. As technology advances, businesses constantly seek innovative ways to streamline their sales processes, enhance customer engagement, and boost conversion rates. One such innovation that has been making waves recently is using 3D configurators and CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) solutions.

These powerful tools are revolutionizing the B2B sales cycle, offering interactive quoting experiences that can't be ignored. In this blog post, we'll explore how 3D configurators and CPQ are transforming B2B sales cycles and why they are becoming essential for businesses in various industries.

What is B2B Sales

Before delving into the impact of 3D configurators and CPQ, let's take a moment to understand the traditional B2B sales cycle. Historically, B2B sales have been characterized by lengthy and complex processes involving multiple stakeholders, face-to-face meetings, and reams of product documentation. This traditional approach has its merits but is often time-consuming, resource-intensive, and needs more engagement than modern buyers crave.

How 3D Configurators and CPQ Work

3D product configurators and CPQ solutions work hand-in-hand to revolutionize how companies interact with their customers and streamline the sales process.

At its core, a 3D configurator is a tool that allows customers to design and visualize a product in 3D.

With the help of a user-friendly interface, customers can select colors, materials, and additional product features to create a custom product that's tailored to their preferences. Not only does this level of customization increase customer satisfaction, but it also helps to reduce potential returns and increase customer loyalty.

CPQ, on the other hand, is software designed to automate the product configuration, pricing, and quoting process.

This tool utilizes the information inputted into the 3D configurator to automatically generate a quote for the customer. This ensures that the customer receives an accurate quote and reduces the chances of human error.

By using 3D configurators with CPQ features, companies can drastically reduce long sales cycles and give customers what they want – a product that is tailored to their needs.

Interactive Quoting - A New Era of Pricing with CPQ

One of the most significant ways 3D configurators and CPQ transform B2B sales cycles is through interactive quoting. Traditionally, obtaining a quote for a complex B2B product or service involved a back-and-forth exchange of emails, phone calls, and negotiations, often taking days or even weeks.

With 3D configurators and CPQ, this process becomes instantaneous and highly interactive. Users can configure a product to their exact specifications within the 3D interface, and the CPQ system generates an accurate, real-time quote based on their selections.

This speeds up the sales cycle and provides customers with a transparent and personalized pricing experience. It empowers buyers to make informed decisions quickly.

Enhanced Product Experience with 3D Configurators

3D configurators also offer a unique advantage when it comes to product visualization. Traditional sales materials, such as brochures and catalogs, can only go so far in helping customers understand a complex product.

With 3D configurators, buyers can explore every detail of a product in a visually immersive manner.

Whether it's examining a piece of machinery from all angles or customizing the interior of a car, these tools provide a level of engagement and understanding that static images or text descriptions can't match.

This enhanced visualization reduces misunderstandings and builds trust between buyers and sellers.

How CPQ Improves Sales Processes

When it comes to B2B sales, time is often of the essence. Sales teams constantly juggle multiple leads, manage customer relationships, and ensure a smooth and efficient sales process.

One of the key advantages of using 3D configurators in the CPQ process is the ability to streamline internal processes within the selling organization.

Traditionally, sales teams would spend significant time manually creating custom quotes for each customer. This involved gathering product information, calculating prices, and creating a tailored quote. However, with CPQ systems in place, this entire process can be automated, saving sales teams valuable time and resources.

By utilizing a 3D configurator, customers can design their custom product, selecting various options, such as modules, colors, materials, and additional features. This information is then seamlessly transferred to the CPQ system, automatically generating a quote based on customer preferences.

This automation speeds up the quote creation process and reduces the risk of human error, ensuring greater accuracy in pricing and quoting.

Moreover, CPQ systems frequently integrate with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This integration allows sales data to flow seamlessly throughout the organization, eliminating the need for manual data input and ensuring a consistent and up-to-date view of sales activities.

Sales teams can easily access customer information, track interactions, and monitor the progress of quotes and deals, all within a single system.

Advanced 3D Configurators with CPQ Functionality

There are various 3D configurators with CPQ features available in the market which are designed to streamline the sales process and improve customer satisfaction.

VividWorks is a great example of a software company offering a 3D product configurator with advanced functionalities and CPQ features.

The VividWorks' 3D Configurator allows customers to build, visualize, and customize a product in 3D to their desired specifications.

The tool then utilizes this information to generate a quote for the customer automatically with the help of their CPQ software. This makes product configuration, pricing, and quoting much quicker, easier, and more accurate.

Combining 3D configuration and CPQ features greatly simplifies the product configuration, pricing, and quoting processes. It significantly reduces the potential for errors that often occur in manual tasks and ensures consistency in pricing and quoting across different customer interactions.

The company offers additional features like augmented reality (AR) to enhance the customization process further and improve the overall customer experience. AR allows customers to virtually place products in their real-world environment, providing a realistic preview of how the customized product will look in their space.

Book your free demo today to experience the power of personalized product visualization, automated quoting, and enhanced customer satisfaction with VividWorks.