Getting started with HubSpot CPQ

With HubSpot's AI powered CPQ, you can manage your quote creation, negotiation, and closing processes, providing consistency for sales teams, their revenue operations, and sales leadership, as well as visibility into the quote-to-close process.

Below, learn about the tools available as part of HubSpot's CPQ, and common use cases for the tool.

HubSpot CPQ tools

Learn more about which features require a Commerce Hub seat in the product and services catalog.

Quotes

Create branded quotes in the quote editor. Add your own information or use AI to populate modules based on deal and line item information, and your inputs.

• AI generated quotes: use Breeze, HubSpot's AI, to generate quotes based on deal and line item information.

• Quote branding: apply your company branding including colors, typography, and logos to all quotes using CPQ templates.
  

• Quote editor: update your quote using customizable modules on a single page editor, including the ability to add custom cover letters, executive summaries, and terms to the quote.

• Line item editor: use the line item editor to add, edit, or remove line items from your product library to your quote. Line items will automatically populate on the quote from an associated deal. Set discounts and billing terms, and use line items in reporting and workflows.

• Attachments: add attachments, and have them form part of the signing envelope. Buyers can review attachments as part of the quote acceptance process.

• Closing agent: turn on the closing agent on quotes to allow buyers to ask questions about the quote. The agent can answer questions based on the quote, its attachments, and additional attachments uploaded to your settings.

• Acceptance: decide how to accept your quote: print and sign, e-sign, or click to accept (accept without signature). Add countersigners from your organization as part of the acceptance process.

• Billing and payment: adjust payment terms, automatically create invoices and subscriptions and automate payments on the quote. Accept payments online using HubSpot payments or Stripe as a payment processing option, or integrate accounting platforms like Quickbooks to sync payment information to HubSpot.
• Engagement tracking: track views, downloads, and prints of quotes, and track activities via the quote activity log.

Quote approvals

Ensure standardization by using quote approvals. Set simple rules, or use advanced rules, to set triggers via workflows of when a quote should be approved.

• Standard approvals: simple rules that allow quotes to be approved by any or all of the approvers set up in your HubSpot account.
• Advanced approvals: logic-based approvals using workflows. Set rules based on quote information such as discounts, amounts, term lengths, and more. Fully customizable based on properties available on the quote. Set priorities of different approvers for approvals to be approved in a specific order.
• Approval notifications and tracking: approvers are notified, and approval activity is available in the quote activity log, visible by HubSpot users.

Products, pricing, and packaging

• Add flat-priced or tier-priced products to your product library, based on the goods or services you sell, to add to deals and quotes.
• Product builder: add up to 100,000 products to your product library, and add them as line items to your deals and quotes.
• Pricing: set up flat priced products, or use tier pricing (volume-based, stair-based, graduated) to customize the products you're selling.

Next steps

• Create and manage products.
  
• Set up and use the closing agent.
• Set up quotes.
• Set up quote approvals.
• Create and send quotes.
• Manage quotes.
• Manage quote approvals.

HubSpot CPQ use case

To help bring the features of HubSpot CPQ to life, see a use case example below.

Deal and quote management for sales teams

Growing sales organizations face inefficiency and friction introduced by manual quoting and complex approval processes. This often leads to delays in closing deals, inconsistencies in pricing, and a lack of clear visibility into sales performance.

Pain points

• Time-consuming quote creation: sales representatives spend excessive time manually configuring quotes, especially with varied product offerings, tiered pricing, or bundles, often leading to errors.

• Bottlenecks in approvals: getting necessary approvals for discounts or specific terms involves multiple manual steps, resulting in delays and a cumbersome experience for both the sales team and the approvers.

• Fragmented systems: relying on disconnected tools for quoting, CRM, and billing can lead to data silos, inconsistent reporting, and additional training burdens for revenue operations teams.

• Limited visibility: sales managers lack real-time insight into the status of quotes, buyer engagement, or overall deal progress, making it difficult to accurately forecast revenue and coach their teams effectively.

How HubSpot's CPQ tool can help

• AI quote creation: sales representatives can generate draft quotes using AI, automatically populating line items, and personalizing content like cover letters and executive summaries based on deal information. They can use the single-page editor to customize complex pricing models, such as tiered or ramp pricing, reducing manual effort.

• Approval workflows: use standard or advanced approvals, including logic-based rules tied for discounts or terms. Sales teams receive insights into what triggers an approval, with appropriate notifications to approvers.

• Enhanced buyer experience: buyers are able to digitally sign quotes and select billing and payment methods directly within the quote interface, helping deals along in the process.

• Visibility and control: sellers can track buyer engagement with quotes, including views, downloads, and prints, and receive notifications about these activities. This data is integrated into the sales workspace, providing insights for sales managers to monitor performance, analyze revenue activity, and create forecasts. Revenue operations teams have centralized control over templates and pricing rules.