The Danger of CPQ Exceptions

Gabriel Marechal

9/28/20261 min read

The Danger of CPQ Exceptions

Every exception in CPQ feels reasonable when it is created.

And that's precisely why exceptions are so dangerous.

It sounds like this:
🤔 "This customer needs a special term."
🤔 "This product needs a unique bundle."
🤔 "This approval rule only applies in this case."
🤔 "This pricing path is temporary."

And suddenly, the quote process has:
😵‍💫 14 approval paths
😵‍💫 five versions of the same bundle
😵‍💫 logic that only works in a specific order
😵‍💫 a support channel where people ask who can “fix” a quote

That is called the exception tax and you pay it when you build the exception.

Then you pay it again:
😵 when onboarding sales reps
😵 when updating pricing
😵 when changing packaging
😵 when someone leaves
😵 when Finance asks why a deal was approved that way

CPQ needs flexibility... But flexibility without guardrails is just customization with better branding.

The goal is not a quote path that handles every imaginable scenario.

It is a quote path that handles the business you actually want to run.

ForecaaS Software

The Recurring Revenue Specialists for Salesforce

Questions?