What New Data Reveals About the Best CPQ for Manufacturing

Manufacturers are at a crossroads. Buyer expectations are climbing, competition is heating up, and supply chains are as unpredictable as ever. But one silent killer is draining growth faster than all the rest: outdated manufacturing quoting processes.

In our 2025 Built to Sell Report, based on a survey of 200 U.S. manufacturers, 86% admitted they’ve lost deals due to slow or manual quoting. Even worse, quoting inefficiencies leak an average of 5% of annual revenue — that’s about $2.5M per year for a mid-sized manufacturer. For organizations already navigating thin margins, that’s a direct threat to competitiveness.

Why Manufacturing Quoting Must Change

For too long, manufacturing quoting has run on spreadsheets, email threads, and siloed ERP data. That might have been “good enough” a decade ago. Today? It’s a deal-killer.

B2B buyers expect fast, accurate, and transparent quotes. If you can’t deliver, they’ll move to a competitor who can.

Manual workflows don’t just slow you down — they create costly errors and frustrate both buyers and sales teams. Our survey revealed the top reasons manufacturers lose deals to slow quotes:

• Complex approval processes (53%)
• Insufficient pricing flexibility (47%)
• Misaligned customer requirements (45%)

Every time you rely on outdated processes instead of generating accurate, automated manufacturing sales quotes, you’re letting profitability slip away.

Why the Best CPQ for Manufacturing Matters Now

This is where CPQ (Configure Price Quote) software for manufacturing comes in. The best CPQ solutions don’t just speed up quoting — they turn quoting into a growth engine.

• Instant accuracy – AI-driven pricing ensures every manufacturing sales quote reflects the latest costs, inventory, and customer terms.
• Faster cycle times – Configurable products that once took days to quote can now be delivered in hours or less.
• Integrated workflows – ERP and CRM integration eliminates errors, accelerates approvals, and connects quoting to the rest of your business.
• Scalable sales – CPQ software helps teams manage more quotes with fewer resources while enabling self-service options for distributors, dealers, and buyers.

Here’s the paradox: while CPQ consistently ranks as a top investment priority for manufacturers, adoption is still lagging. Only 22% of manufacturers in our study currently use CPQ software, and just 11% are actively eliminating manual order entry. Translation? There’s massive opportunity for early movers.

From Revenue Leakage to Growth

Let’s be blunt: every day you stick with manual quoting is another day you’re losing revenue, customers, and time.

The upside is just as clear. With the right CPQ solution for manufacturing, you can:

• Stop revenue leakage from errors and delays
• Win deals with faster, more reliable manufacturing sales quotes
• Empower sales teams with AI-guided selling and automation
• Deliver a buyer experience built for today’s digital-first supply chain

That’s exactly why we built the Aleran Connected Commerce platform — to unify quoting, CPQ, ERP/CRM integration, and digital commerce in one streamlined flow. No bolt-ons. No band-aids. Just faster, smarter, and more resilient manufacturing quoting that keeps pace with today’s buyers.

Final Takeaway

The truth is simple: the era of manual manufacturing quotes is over. Buyers won’t wait weeks for answers. Competitors that embrace manufacturing CPQ software and automation are already pulling ahead.

If you’re ready to stop the leakage and start scaling, now’s the time to explore how the best CPQ for manufacturing can transform quoting from a cost center into a growth engine.

Let’s Talk 

If you are reassessing how you sell, including quoting – or have questions to help assess your requirements, please send me a message at sales@aleran.com. Also learn more about AI for manufacturing sales in our latest Built to Sell report.