Channelnomics research shows that slow, inaccurate quoting is frustrating partners, delaying sales cycles, and putting vendor revenue at risk.
For months, Channelnomics has heard from partners about all the friction they experience in working with their respective vendors. Perhaps the most frustrating friction point is sales quoting. While vendors are often aware that poor quoting systems create poor partner experiences, they don’t realize how much it’s costing them.
In enterprise technology, sales cycles can be excruciatingly long. Some opportunities take six to nine months to convert to a sale — if they even close at all. That process doesn’t start until there’s a quote on the table. While the sales process is a marathon, the quoting process needs to be a sprint.
For many partners, obtaining an accurate quote remains a time-consuming process filled with delays, revisions, and manual approvals. While configure, price, quote (CPQ) systems have become commonplace, the reality is that quoting remains a persistent operational challenge. New research from Channelnomics reveals that the problem is not only frustrating partners but also creating measurable business risk for vendors.
The findings come from a survey of 466 resellers, integrators, and managed service providers across North America and Europe. The results paint a picture of a sales process that struggles to meet the expectations of modern technology buyers.
One of the most striking findings is the amount of time required to generate quotes. While customers increasingly expect near-instant pricing information, many partners report waiting days or even weeks to receive vendor quotes. One-third of partners say it can take one to two weeks to obtain a quote from a vendor. In an environment where customers have multiple purchasing options and shorter attention spans, such delays can create significant competitive disadvantages.
