ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Built to Sell® 2025
How Manufacturers Are Leveraging Digital Investments to Quote Fast, Close Faster and Scale Smarter
Original research based on a survey of 200 U.S. mid-sized B2B manufacturers on what is moving the needle to drive growth and agility in an unpredictable market.
What Is the Built to Sell® Report Series?
The Built to Sell® report series is a three-part research initiative focused on one core question:
What are mid-sized manufacturers doing and planning to sell faster, smarter, and more profitably today and in the future?
Based on a survey of 200 U.S.-based B2B midsized-manufacturers and interviews with manufacturing executives and leaders across IT, Marketing and Sales as well as their go-to-market partners, digital agencies, Built to Sell goes beyond theory to answer these key questions:
Where are deals stalling — and why?
What is the state of front-office and back-office systems and integration to drive growth?
How is quoting managed and how is it impacting sales success and efficiency?
What are high-growth manufacturers doing differently with AI, automation, quoting and B2B commerce?
Our goal is to provide a clear, in-depth view of manufacturing quoting and selling to help teams build go-to-market and sales strategies that win today and into the future.
Who Should Read Built to Sell®
Built to Sell is designed for mid-market B2B manufacturers with complex products, systems, and sales processes.
Manufacturing Models
Configure-to-Order (CTO)
Engineer-to-Order (ETO)
Make-to-Order (MTO)
Hybrid manufacturing models
Manufacturing Roles & Functions
Marketing & Sales
IT & Digital Transformation
ERP & CPQ Owners, Managers & Admins
Sales & Revenue Operations
Digital consultancies & GTM partners
If your manufacturing Sales team struggles with slow quoting, manual sales processes, and/or disconnected systems, lack of front-office investments, this research is for you.
What You’ll Learn Across the Series
Each Built to Sell volume explores different layers of the modern manufacturing sales engine.
Quoting as the Revenue Bottleneck
The Rise of Connected Commerce
AI-Assisted Selling in Manufacturing
Customer & Dealer Self-Service
How portals, reorders, and digital buying reduce sales friction without losing control.
Revenue Leakage & Margin Risk
What “Good” Looks Like in 2026+
A forward-looking view of how top manufacturers are designing their sales stack.
Built to Sell® — The Volumes
VOLUME 1
How AI, Automation & Connected Commerce Are Transforming Manufacturing Sales
Why disconnected front-office systems are costing manufacturers growth
How quoting delays kill sales momentum
What high-performing sales teams do differently
How manufacturers are modernizing their front office
VOLUME 2
AI Investments in Sales Ramp Up – and Pay Off
How manufacturers are prioritizing AI Sales Agents and headcount
Where manufacturers are investing in AI-Guided Selling
Why front office AI initiatives stall before they start
The reason AI-assisted CPQ and quoting is a top opportunity to drive growth
Volume 3
How Manufacturers Are Preparing for Go-To-Market Success 2026-2027
What predictive insights mean for AI-guided selling
How GTM success depends on system connection - ERP extensibility key
Why SEO is no longer enough - prioritizing visibility in AI search as a growth driver
Where manufacturers are investing to drive growth gains
Why Built to Sell Is Different
Grounded in real manufacturing conversations
Focused on execution, not buzzwords
ERP-aware (not ERP-replacement fantasy)
Designed for complex, configurable products
Written to help bridge Sales and IT stakeholders
Draws from vetted data
This series reflects what manufacturers are actually experiencing and planning
How Manufacturers Can Leverage Built to Sell
Built to Sell is designed for mid-market B2B manufacturers with complex products and sales processes to develop and deliver GTM wins while working with stakeholders, existing systems and evolving market conditions.
Benchmark Your Maturity
Internal Alignment
Build Business Case
ERP Modernization
Shape Future Strategy
About the Research
The Built to Sell® Report Series is produced by Aleran Software. It is based on a survey of 200 U.S. B2B mid-sized manufacturers conducted in July 2025. Interviews were also conducted from August through November 2025 across manufacturing Sales, Marketing and IT leadership as well as with the digital consultancies and marketing agencies that serve manufacturers.
Aleran helps manufacturers simplify and accelerate sales so their teams are built to win.