CPQ System
Streamline your sales process with pricing calculators, automated quotes, and product tracking on leads and deals.
What Is CPQ?
CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) lets you create interactive pricing experiences that automatically calculate costs and generate professional quotes. The system consists of three core components:
Products - Your catalog of products and services with pricing
Pricing Calculators - Configurable tools that calculate prices based on customer inputs
Quotes - Professional pricing documents generated from calculator configurations
Getting Started
Prerequisites
Before using CPQ features, enable the Products module:
Navigate to Settings > Platform Settings
Find the Products module
Toggle it to Enabled
Once enabled, "Products" appears in your main navigation menu.
Creating Your Product Catalog
Products are the foundation of your CPQ system. Each product represents something you sell - whether physical goods, software licenses, or services.
Adding a Product
Navigate to Products in the main menu
Click Add Product
Fill in the product details:
Name: A clear, descriptive name
SKU: Optional unique identifier
Description: What the product includes
Price: The base price in cents (e.g., 9900 for $99.00)
Billing Type: One-time or recurring
Billing Period: For recurring products - monthly, quarterly, or yearly
Click Save
Product Status
Products have two states:
Status | Description |
|---|---|
Draft | Being created or updated, not available for use |
Live | Available for use in calculators and quotes |
Creating Pricing Calculators
Pricing calculators allow you to build interactive pricing experiences that automatically calculate costs based on customer inputs.
Step 1: Create a Calculator
Go to Products > Calculators tab
Click Create Calculator
Enter a name for your calculator
Select a currency
Step 2: Add Input Fields
Input fields capture information from users to customize pricing:
Number Fields
Great for quantities, user counts, storage amounts
Configure min/max values and step increments
Checkbox Fields
Perfect for optional features or add-ons
Toggle specific products on/off
Dropdown Fields
Ideal for plan selections or tiers
Each option can have a different value
Step 3: Add Products to Calculator
Associate products with your calculator and configure how quantities are determined:
Click Add Product
Select a product from your catalog
Configure the quantity formula:
Fixed: Always include a specific quantity
Variable-based: Quantity equals a field value (e.g., number of users)
Conditional: Include only when certain conditions are met
Optional Products: Mark products as optional to let customers choose whether to include them. You can also set defaults for optional products.
Step 4: Configure Formulas (Advanced)
For complex pricing scenarios, add formulas to apply discounts, taxes, or surcharges:
Formula Type | Description |
|---|---|
Discount | Reduce the total (e.g., volume discounts) |
Tax | Add applicable taxes |
Surcharge | Add additional fees |
Formulas can be:
Fixed amount: A specific dollar amount
Percentage: A percentage of the subtotal
Step 5: Configure Display Settings
Under Settings, configure how the calculator appears:
Billing Mode: Single period or switchable between monthly/quarterly/yearly
Period Discounts: Offer discounts for longer commitments (e.g., 15% off yearly billing)
Step 6: Set Submission Mode
Choose what happens when someone uses your calculator:
Mode | Description |
|---|---|
Disabled | Calculator cannot submit leads |
Lead with Products | Creates a lead with products attached |
Lead with Quote | Creates a lead with a full quote attached |
Step 7: Publish
When ready, set the calculator status to Live to make it available for use.
Generating Quotes
Quotes are formal pricing documents created from calculator configurations.
Creating a Quote from a Lead
Open a lead's detail view
Go to the Quote tab
If the lead doesn't have a quote, you'll see available calculators
Select a calculator and configure the inputs
Click Create Quote
The quote attaches automatically to the lead, and the quote total syncs to the deal value when a deal is created.
Creating a Quote from a Deal
Open a deal's detail view
Go to the Quote tab
Select a calculator and configure inputs
Click Create Quote
Editing Quotes
If the calculator hasn't been modified since the quote was created:
Open the Quote tab
Click Edit Quote
Adjust the inputs
Click Update Quote
The deal value automatically updates to reflect the new quote total.
Quote Staleness
If a calculator has been modified after a quote was created, the quote is marked as "outdated." You'll need to create a new quote using the updated calculator.
Annual Contract Value (ACV)
When a quote attaches to a deal, the deal value is set to the Annual Contract Value:
Billing Period | ACV Calculation |
|---|---|
Monthly | Quote total x 12 |
Quarterly | Quote total x 4 |
Yearly | Quote total x 1 |
Period discounts apply to the ACV calculation.
Working with Products on Leads and Deals
Manual Product Attachment
You can manually attach products to leads and deals without using a quote:
Open a lead or deal
Go to the Products section
Click Add Product
Select a product and quantity
Click Save
Note: You cannot have both manual products and a quote on the same lead/deal.
Product Sources
Products on leads and deals track their source:
Source | Description |
|---|---|
Manual | Added directly by a user |
Quote | Synced from an attached quote |
Lead | Copied from the lead when a deal was created |
Viewing Product Totals
The Products section shows:
Individual product line items with quantities and prices
Total value of all products
Partnership CPQ Access
How CPQ features work depends on your partnership type.
Referral Partnerships
When you send a lead: Your partner uses their products/calculators (you can view but not edit)
When you receive a lead: You use your products/calculators (full access)
Reseller Partnerships
Always use the vendor's products and calculators:
Vendor: Full CPQ access
Reseller: Can view and create quotes using vendor's CPQ
Distributor Partnerships
Similar to reseller - always use vendor's CPQ. The vendor company's products and calculators are used throughout the distribution chain.
Troubleshooting
Products Menu Not Visible
Check if enabled: The Products module must be enabled in Settings > Platform Settings.
Quote Marked as "Outdated"
Calculator was modified: The calculator used to create the quote has been updated. Create a new quote to use the updated calculator configuration.
Cannot Edit Partner's Quote
Partnership direction: For referral partnerships where you sent the lead, your partner controls the quote. You have read-only access.
Cannot Add Products to Lead with Quote
Mutual exclusivity: Quotes and manual products are mutually exclusive. Either update the quote (if the calculator is still current) or delete the quote before manually adding products.
Deal Value Doesn't Match Quote Total
ACV calculation: The deal value is set to the Annual Contract Value (ACV), not the quote total. Check the billing period - for monthly quotes, ACV = quote total x 12.
Limitations
Quantity values must be between 1 and 10,000
Calculators must be "Live" status to create quotes
Only one quote per lead/deal
Quote editing requires unchanged calculator
Best Practices
Start with Products
Build your product catalog before creating calculators. Well organised products make calculator setup easier.
Test Before Publishing
Use the preview feature to test calculators before setting them to Live status.
Use Meaningful Names
Name calculators clearly so users know which to select:
Good: "Enterprise SaaS Pricing Calculator"
Avoid: "Calculator 1" or "Test"
Document Complex Formulas
Add descriptions to complex formulas for future reference and team understanding.
Monitor Quote Conversions
Review quote-to-deal conversion rates to optimize pricing and identify successful patterns.