This comic book themed presentation illustrates 3 common sales challenges faced by many companies, and details how they're solved by CPQ. Enjoy the read!

1. Issue 1
©2015COLONYLOGIC
I need your help Milo!
ADVENTURES OF MILOPRESENTED BY
These sales challenges are
killing my revenue!

2. 01 WHAT IS CPQ?
WHAT’S CPQ?
CPQ stands for ‘Configure-Price-Quote’ and it refers
to the processes involved with building orders, quotes
and proposals for prospects. CPQ software automates
the configure-price-quote process, allowing reps to
create accurate quotes from any device in a fraction of
the time it would manually.
Depending on your role, your relationship with
CPQ can vary. But whether you’re a rep, operations
manager, director or executive, this affects you
because revenue affects you.
Simply put, sales teams armed with CPQ applications
close on 30% more deals, and with increased quote
volume from automation, next-level CPQ solutions can
increase deal revenue by 42%.
With that type of increase, commission checks
double, quota worries become a thing of the past,
and companies put competitors in the rearview
mirror.
If you’re motivated by numbers and the fear of losing
them, read these three sales challenges that are
vanquished by CPQ.
I help sales teams
streamline their sales
process, giving them more
time to close more deals!
Hi, I’m Milo!
We are glad you asked.

3. We need to maximize
sales orders before
this quarter ends!
Building quotes, sending
propsoals, revising
orders. I hardly have any
time with my prospects!
Well, how do you spend
most of your time?
Let me show
you how a
next-level
CPQ can help
you close 30%
more deals!
CP-What?
Hmmm...
CPQ software will
give you more time
to spend working
prospects!
I’ve been asked to
help out at the Honey
Bear factory by their
owner, Mr. Grizz.

4. Sales Challenge No. 1
The Prospect Has a Change of Heart Before You Can Close.
02 CHANGE OF HEART
A CHANGE OF HEART
You’ve worked your magic, and despite some initial
apprehension, got your prospect to relent and agree
to terms verbally. You’re already thinking about how
you’re going to spend that hefty commission check
as you’re sending the finished proposal a couple days
later, until you receive a message that can only be
summed up as follows: they changed their mind and
went with a competitor.
What happened? Two days happened between getting
a verbal ‘yes’ and sending a completed proposal.
In those two days, you left all your hard-fought
persuasion up to chance, as your prospect began to
second-guess and competitors had time to swoop in
with counter-offers.
With a next-level CPQ, sales reps can build quotes right
in front of prospects, then close deals with e-signature or
instantly send a tailored proposal right on the spot.
With zero delays in the sales process, your salespeople
never have to disengage with the customer, delivering
the seamless sales experience modern customers have
come to expect.
Lets see how the Grizz
is doing – hopefully he’s
not losing prospects
due to delays ...

5. NO! You’re
too late!
. . . if only the Grizz
had a faster & easier way
to get his proposals built
and approved!
but I just got
this proposal
approved . . .
As a buyer I can’t afford
to wait for a proposal to
be revised and approved.
I need products now.

6. The Daunting Catalog
03 THE DAUNTING CATALOG
Sales Challenge No. 2
Who can remember thousands of product SKUs?
THE DAUNTING CATALOG
When faced with a complex catalog, sales reps are
faced with two choices: give up on their social lives
to focus on learning the entire catalog intimately,
or concentrate on selling a limited selection of
products.
Given the time and training constraints, most
reps have little choice but to restrict their efforts
towards selling what they know. Attempting to
sell an incomplete catalog is like trying to tie your
shoes with one hand—it severely limits the type of
prospects you target, and worse yet, puts a serious
dent in close rates.
If reps aren’t making the right pitch to each
prospect, their numbers will reflect it.
With a CPQ outfitted with guided selling, reps
can always make the right offer of products and
services, no matter their knowledge of the catalog
or prospect. Easily navigating through an interactive
catalog with product descriptions and filters, reps
are recommended products and packages based on
customer details or manager settings.
The Grizz dislikes his
current system of paper
catalogs. They’re Costly,
difififfififififfiifificult to manage and
train, and come off as
dated.

7. Why don’t you
just tell me what
you want? I’m
sure we can make
it somehow ...
These products
aren’t relevant to
me – Didn’t you
research my
business?!
...If only the
Grizz had
guided selling!
I think this
is the right
product?!

8. 04 COMPETITOR BEATDOWN
Sales Challenge No. 3
Don’t you hate competitors?
COMPETITORS
We’ve all been there. You’ve invested a big chunk
of time into a promising prospect, only to hear that
they’ve chosen a competitor because their offering was
fresher or they undercut you on pricing.
It stings. But it’s not your fault. No company can
guarantee market dominance. You can, however, turn
the above situation into a passing rarity by gaining an
edge over the market with a next-level CPQ.
For most organizations, the process of rolling out
new products, offerings or prices can take months, as
materials, forms and operations all need systematic
updating. With the latest CPQ offerings, the same
objectives can be handled in hours through easy
catalog entry that reflects changes for sales reps in
real-time.
With a best-of-breed CPQ, sales managers can
implement new product and pricing changes as soon
as the market calls for them, giving reps confidence
that their pitch will always be competitive. And if a rival
tries to undercut them on pricing, they can instantly
apply pre-approved discounts to their quote to help
seal the deal.
Imagine how much more
the Grizz could sell if
he wasn’t always being
undercut by his stiff
competition.

9. I reckon if the Grizz’s
prices and products were
more flflflffllexible, he could win
more business against
his bitter rivals ...
But this sale is
mine! We had a
verbal agreement!
You drive a hard sell, Grizz,
but I wasn’t born yesterday ...
If there’s anybody out there
willing to beat the Grizz’s
price, you’ll have my business!
. . . Verbal agreements are
for suckers, Grizz. I’ll
sell for 10% less!
NOT SO
FAST!!

10. 05 SWARM CPQ
Colony Logic’s
A streamlined CPQ application.
The days of entering orders by hand are over.
Build sales orders and send proposals
from any device, anywhere.
Swarm is transforming configure-price-quote software
by making it ... easy. With an award-winning user
experience, out-of-the-box implementation and
streamlined admin, Swarm breaks new ground by
making CPQ uncomplicated and affordable.
WHAT’S THIS?! The
Grizz appears to be
closing the deal?!

11. HONEY
Sampler Deluxe
With SWARM CPQ, the Grizz is
vanquishing all those pesky sales
challenges to win more deals and
make more money!
It was easy!
With live quoting,
I was able to apply
a pre-approved
discount of 15%,
winning the deal
thanks to...
SWARM CPQ!
With the Grizzs’ new
application, he quickly
quoted me the best
price around, then
instantly sent me a
tailored proposal,
giving me the instant
gratification I deserve!
the Grizz closed the deal with the help of