Before Configuration, Pricing, and Quoting
Move pricing decisions earlier, before configuration, pricing, and quoting begin
Most sales processes push configuration, pricing, and quoting late in the cycle.
By then, the decision is already shaped, often around Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud.
Compare IQ gives sellers the ability to model and compare real backup and archive scenarios in the first conversation—so they lead the decision, not react to it.
Most buyers default to hyperscalers before alternatives are even considered
Did you know:
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70–90%+ of enterprise buyers begin with:
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Amazon S3
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Microsoft Azure
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Google Cloud
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It feels:
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Safe
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Familiar
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Already approved
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Not because it’s best
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Because it’s easiest to default to
By the time alternatives are considered, the direction is already set
Pricing and configuration happen after the decision is already forming
Most organizations follow the same pattern:
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Early conversations stay high-level
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Real pricing comes later
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Meaningful comparison is delayed
Then the heavy work begins:
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Configuration
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Pricing validation
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Internal approvals
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Quoting
What this creates:
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Time is invested before direction is clear
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Internal teams are pulled in too early
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Deals slow down just as momentum should build
The process works. It just starts too late.
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The Cost of Late Pricing
Late-stage pricing adds cost, time, and friction
Across enterprise sales teams:
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4–10 stakeholders involved per deal
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15–50+ hours spent on pricing and quoting
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$1,500–$8,000 internal cost per opportunity
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1–3 weeks added to the cycle
Supported by:
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Gartner (pricing complexity impacts cycle time and win rates)
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Forrester (large buying groups and late-stage friction)
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Salesforce (time lost to non-selling activities)
And all of this happens after resources are already committed
This isn’t a CPQ problem, it’s a timing problem
Configuration, pricing, and quoting are necessary.
But they happen:
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After buyer assumptions are formed
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After hyperscalers are positioned as the baseline
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After the momentum is already set
Sellers are reacting instead of leading
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Move pricing insight into the first customer conversation
What changes:
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Sellers model real scenarios live
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Buyers see actual cost comparisons immediately
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Decisions are shaped before internal escalation
Instead of:
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“We’ll get back to you with pricing”
You get:
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“Let’s look at this together now”



What this changes
Turn early conversations into decision moments
Give your sellers the ability to model real backup and archive scenarios live with customers, compare against hyperscaler pricing, and guide decisions before complexity, delays, and internal dependencies slow the deal down.
Anchor deals against hyperscaler pricing early
Build trust through transparency
Reduce reliance on sales engineering and finance
Eliminate late-stage rework
Move opportunities forward faster
Before vs. After
From delayed pricing to real-time decision making
Before
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Pricing comes later
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Hyperscalers define the baseline
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Internal teams drive the process
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Sellers wait for answers
After
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Pricing happens in the first conversation
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Workloads are compared side-by-side
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Sellers guide the decision
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Customers see the difference instantly
