Alternative to Salesforce CPQ

Proposals

While you can send proposals to your clients using CPQ, it is not exactly clear how the details will work. The main concern here is the fact that Salesforce CPQ doesn't provide an exact number of templates available to the users. In addition to that, it's unclear how customizable the proposal and quote templates are. Now, we don’t know why that is, but we do know that it makes matters more uncertain for the end user. Ultimately, you want to know what kind of document you'll be sending out on behalf of your company.

With Better Proposals, you can do just that. There are more than 260 pre-written and pre-designed templates at your disposal, and you can easily customize them to suit your needs. On top of that, you have the option to search by industry and make sure that your proposal's design fits the job. And if you want to speed up the process of getting your proposal signed, Better Proposals has got your back. By using the digital signature feature it offers on all plans, the process of emailing back and forth is completely eliminated.

Ease of use

When it comes to usability, implementing Salesforce CPQ seems to be more complicated than Better Proposals. Users have left numerous reviews reporting a steep learning curve with CPQ. And while the factor of familiarity goes in favor of CPQ due to the recognizable Salesforce interface, the setup might not be worth the hassle. By all accounts, Salesforce CPQ is not an intuitive tool to use, and it will take some time for your staff to figure it out.

On the other hand, Better Proposals can save you time (and resources) not only during the proposal stage, but also during implementation. Its simple editor doesn't require training to figure out, but it's available if you want some extra support.

Pricing

In the pricing category, Salesforce CPQ is hands down the more expensive option. Starting at $75/month per person for the basic plan, the cost can go up substantially for larger teams. And if you need to set up your system in a way that requires manager approval, you'll need to scale up to the next plan - for $150/month per user. Another important thing to notice is the fine print that comes with the pricing, namely the contract duration. For all plans that offer pricing per user, you'll need to sign a contract for at least a year.

When it comes to Better Proposals, there are more pricing options. Depending on the size of your team and the features you need, the software will cost you as little as $19/month. There's also the option of setting up manager approvals with the $49/month plan. To top it all off, Better Proposals also offers you a free trial so you can see first hand what the software can do for your company. And once you’re ready to commit, you can keep your subscription on a monthly basis.

Payment integrations

When it comes to collecting payment, Better Proposals once again offers you more affordable options. You have three integrations available: PayPal, GoCardless, and Stripe. Whereas Better Proposals allows you to get those integrations on all plans, Salesforce CPQ is a bit more complex.

If you don't want to send your proposals and invoices separately, but you want to use CPQ, you'll need to get the CPQ & Billing plan. Since there's no set price for it, you'll also need to request a custom quote through their website.

Conclusion

Salesforce CPQ is a powerful tool, but the subscription is only part of the cost. You also need to account for setup, maintenance, and the time it takes to train your team. If your pricing doesn’t require complex configuration rules, you could be paying for more than you need.

If you’re looking to create, send, and track proposals with a straightforward way for clients to sign and pay, consider Better Proposals instead. Try it free to see how it fits your workflow.