CPQ Podcast

Frank Sohn
  • 4.9 (14)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The CPQ Podcast is your go-to source for all things Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ). Each episode features in-depth interviews with industry leaders, innovators, and practitioners who share real-world insights, strategies, and success stories. Whether you're in Sales Ops, RevOps, IT, or Product Management, this podcast helps you stay ahead in the evolving CPQ landscape — from CPQ tools and processes to digital selling, product configuration, pricing strategy, and Quote-to-Cash trends. Tune in to expand your CPQ knowledge, explore new solutions, and hear from the voices shaping the future of B2B sales automation.

  1. 6H AGO

    From CPQ to a Configurable Product Platform: Tacton's Nils Olsson

    In this CPQ Podcast episode, Frank Sohn sits down with Nils Olsson, Chief Strategy, Product, and Customer Officer at Tacton, to discuss how Tacton is evolving beyond traditional CPQ into a broader platform for configurable products. Nils shares his unique perspective as a former Tacton customer who joined the company in 2015, and explains why staying close to manufacturing customers—through regular conversations across North America, Europe, and Japan—is central to Tacton's strategy. He outlines why 2026 will be a transformative year, with new offerings planned not only for CPQ, but also for engineering, order fulfillment, and services. The conversation also explores how customers are responding to Tacton's recent acquisitions of Variantum and Serenytics, and where AI is delivering real value today. Rather than replacing core CPQ logic, AI is primarily being used to support product modeling, helping customers turn unstructured data into usable configuration knowledge faster and with less effort. Additional topics include hybrid sales models in manufacturing, the shift from ETO to CTO, and why trust, security, and enterprise certifications matter more than ever. Topics covered: The shift from CPQ to end-to-end configurability AI adoption in real-world CPQ projects Manufacturing sales and automation trends What's next for Tacton in 2026 A must-listen for anyone tracking the future of CPQ, configurable products, and manufacturing transformation. 🔗 Learn more about Tacton at https://www.tacton.com/  📬 Contact Nils on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nils-olsson-400715/

    35 min

  2. FEB 8

    What CPQ Headlines Miss — and Why That Matters for 2026

    2025 was full of CPQ and Quote-to-Cash headlines: AI agents, platform transitions, consolidation, and promises of faster execution. Following those announcements is important — but it rarely tells the full story. In this episode, I look at what often gets lost between public messaging and real-world CPQ decisions. Drawing on patterns observed throughout 2025, I explore where market narratives diverged from evaluation and delivery reality — and why that gap becomes even more important as we head into 2026. The discussion covers AI and agent-based capabilities, platform transitions, consolidation, and delivery constraints — not to judge vendors or predict winners, but to explain how execution, readiness, and sequencing shape actual outcomes. If you're involved in CPQ as a buyer, vendor, system integrator, or investor, this episode offers a practical lens for reading headlines without mistaking them for reality. Contact Frank at Frank.Sohn@NovusCPQ.com for any questions LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/franksohn/

    17 min

  3. FEB 1

    New Year CPQ Search? Why CPQ Is So Hard | 125+ Vendors, Too Much Info & What Matters

    It's the beginning of the year — a common time when companies evaluate a new CPQ or Revenue Management solution, or consider replacing what they have. If you've started researching and feel more confused than before, you're not alone. In this solo episode, Frank Sohn explains why CPQ selection is uniquely challenging: there are 125+ CPQ vendors, plus analyst rankings, review sites, partner input, Reddit threads, and now AI tools — all creating information overload. In this episode, you'll learn: Why there are so many CPQ vendors (and what that really means) The difference between CPQ and Revenue Lifecycle Management Why CPQ is a system decision, not just a sales tool What a unified data model is — and why it matters for AI Why subscriptions, amendments, and usage-based pricing change requirements How to build a smarter shortlist without relying on demos or rankings alone If you're in the market for CPQ — first-time or replacement — this episode will help you cut through the noise and focus on what matters. Any questions: Send an email to Frank.Sohn@NovusCPQ.com  Check out our CPQ Briefing Subscription @ https://novuscpq.com/cpq-briefing-subscription/  Check out our CPQ Sales Report @ https://novuscpq.com/cpq-sales-report/

    13 min

  4. JAN 25

    Vinay Toomu on ScaleFluidly's Revenue Orchestration Platform, AI & Adoption

    In this CPQ Podcast episode, Frank Sohn sits down with Vinay Toomu, who leads both ScaleFluidly (CPQ / quote-to-order platform) and CommerceCX (a systems integrator working with Salesforce and Conga). Since Vinay's last appearance in 2023, ScaleFluidly has matured into a full quote-to-order revenue orchestration platform—built on a composable core engine that customers can extend with their own apps. Vinay shares what he sees across real implementations: the biggest wins come from improving adoption, reducing friction for sales teams, and putting the right governance in place. They discuss support for direct sales, partner sales, and ecommerce, ScaleFluidly's low-code/no-code approach, and how their architecture differs for SMB (multi-tenant)versus enterprise (environment separation). The episode also covers newer capabilities like role-based controls, security certifications (ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2), and a Chrome assistant designed to streamline CRM workflows. Finally, they unpack ScaleFluidly's practical view of AI in CPQ—where it works today, what's harder at enterprise scale, and how consolidation in the CPQ market could influence innovation. 🔗 Learn more about ScaleFluidly at https://scalefluidly.ai/  📬 Contact Vinay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinaytoomu/

    32 min

  5. 12/21/2025

    Salesforce Revenue Cloud, Agentforce & Usage-Based Pricing with Slalom

    In this CPQ Podcast episode, Frank Sohn talks with Calvin Chow, Senior Director at Slalom Consulting, about what it really takes to move from Salesforce CPQ to Salesforce Revenue Cloud (RCA/ARM). Calvin has hands-on experience with multiple CPQ platforms — including PROS, Apttus (now Conga), Salesforce CPQ / Revenue Cloud, Zuora CPQ, and Vlocity — and shares what he wishes he had known about the end-to-end quote-to-cash process earlier in his career. Calvin explains how Slalom supports mid-size to Fortune 500 customers with strategy, process improvement, data management, and CPQ/Billing transformations, and walks through lessons learned from nearly 10 Salesforce CPQ to RCA/ARM migration projects. He highlights why RCA is more complex than many teams expect, why data migration is the single most critical success factor, and how to rethink processes when moving to usage-based and consumption billing models. The conversation also explores the growing role of AI, agents, and Agentforce in Revenue Cloud. Calvin shares real use cases where agents help create quotes, support renewals, and provide product and pricing recommendations — and why he believes AI will augment sales teams rather than replace them, with over 50% of Slalom's recent projectsnow involving AI and Agentforce. On a lighter note, Calvin also reveals his passion as a coffee connoisseur and aspiring future barista, adding a personal touch to a highly practical, insight-rich episode for anyone serious about CPQ, quote-to-cash, and Salesforce Revenue Cloud migrations. 🔗 Learn more about Slalom at https://www.slalom.com/us/en  📬 Contact Calvin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvin-chow-3179425/

    30 min

  6. 12/14/2025

    Salesforce CPQ to ARM/RCA: Max from Prodly on DevOps & Migration

    In this CPQ Podcast episode, Frank talks with Max from Prodly about the shift from Salesforce CPQ to Revenue Cloud Advanced (now Agentforce Revenue Management, ARM) and what it really takes to manage that transition successfully. They look at how Salesforce is moving customers to ARM, why this is not a simple upgrade but a separate implementation project, and what that means for CPQ teams, partners, and customers. Max reflects on the early Steelbrick days and how it helped democratize CPQ, his path from engineer and product manager to founder, and why he had to learn marketing, sales, and go-to-market the hard way. He also shares a few personal stories, including a 48-hour round-trip flight to Munich for a four-hour meeting, and his view on the coming agentic revolution in enterprise software. You'll also hear how Prodly has grown into an Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) / DevOps platform for Salesforce with ~35–40 employees and a global, mostly North American, customer base. Max explains how Prodly helps larger organizations automate complex CPQ and quote-to-cash deployments (configuration, price rules, discount schedules, install base data, etc.), and why one of their biggest differentiators is that the platform is not limited to CPQ—it also supports use cases like field service, e-commerce, and rebate management. Today, Prodly works with any CPQ solution built on the Salesforce platform, with plans to expand beyond Salesforce in the future. Topics covered: Salesforce CPQ, Revenue Cloud Advanced, Agentforce Revenue Management (ARM), CPQ migration strategy, Salesforce DevOps, application lifecycle management (ALM), Prodly, Steelbrick, quote-to-cash, agentic revolution in enterprise software. 🔗 Learn more about Prodly at https://www.prodly.co/  📬 Contact Max on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxrudman/

    32 min

  7. 12/07/2025

    How Ignize Uses AI Pricing & CPQ to Boost Manufacturing Profits

    In this CPQ Podcast episode, host Frank Sohn talks with Andreas Westling, CEO and co-founder of Ignize, about how modern AI pricing and CPQ help B2B manufacturers increase EBIT, improve price fairness, and react faster to market volatility. Drawing on more than 20 years of pricing experience,  including his time as CEO of Navetti (acquired by Vendavo). Andreas explains why pricing fundamentals haven't changed, but the way manufacturers execute pricing has transformed. He also shares how Ignize supports mid-market and enterprise manufacturers with complex, multinational pricing operations that require both speed and precision. Andreas introduces Ignize's concept of Generative Precision Pricing (GPP) and the role of the Ignizer, a modern engine that turns pricing expertise into data-driven, explainable recommendations. You'll also hear how Ignize integrates with CRM systems such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics, ERP systems including SAP, Oracle, and legacy platforms, and CPQ solutions like Tacton to deliver consistent, value-based pricing across the commercial stack. We discuss why black-box AI pricing often fails in B2B manufacturing, and why explainability and transparency are essential to earn trust from pricing teams, product managers, sales, and customers. Andreas also outlines what manufacturers can expect from an Ignize implementation. From 8–12 week quick-start value phases to broader enterprise rollouts, and how modern pricing platforms help companies navigate tariffs, commodity swings, currency shifts, and other forms of market disruption. Ignize also operates on an enterprise-grade security foundation, backed by ISO 27001:2013 certification and SOC 2 Type II compliance, ensuring that sensitive pricing and commercial data is handled with the highest standards of information security and compliance. If you're interested in CPQ, B2B pricing, or how AI can strengthen price quality, win rates, and overall financial performance, this episode is for you. 🔗 Learn more about Ignize at https://ignize.com/ 📬 Connect with Andreas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-westling/

    32 min

  8. 11/30/2025

    Next-Gen Salesforce Quote-to-Cash: RCA, RCB, and Agentforce AI

    In this episode of the CPQ Podcast, Frank Sohn sits down with Suren Reddy, founder of Cloudely, for a deep dive into where Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) is heading—especially inside the Salesforce ecosystem. If you're evaluating Salesforce CPQ, or wondering what Revenue Cloud Advanced really changes, this conversation is for you. Suren breaks down Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) and Revenue Cloud Billing (RCB) in practical terms: why Salesforce is positioning them as the next-gen replacement for traditional CPQ, what's new in product, pricing, and catalog architecture, and how quote-to-cash is becoming a single, unified revenue platform. He shares real implementation expectations too—why RCA projects are now trending closer to 4–8 months due to expanded analysis and design, and how that tradeoff can pay off in fewer downstream touchpoints and stronger ROI. The discussion also explores the fast-moving AI layer around CPQ. Suren explains Salesforce's move toward multi-agent workflows through Agentforce, the role of Model Context Protocol (MCP) as an open standard for secure tool/data interaction, and what "Agentforce Vibes" (agentic development) could mean for accelerating CPQ and revenue applications. You'll hear a concrete AI use case he's seeing today: the Margin Optimization Agent, designed to recommend profitable product bundles while improving customer outcomes. Finally, Suren shares what he's hearing from customers about the Conga/PROS acquisition, why many are re-evaluating their CPQ options, and what demand signals he expects to rebound in 2026. Plus, a look at Cloudely's growth in India and emerging verticals like dairy, cement, and textiles. Tune in for a grounded, forward-looking CPQ conversation packed with Salesforce Revenue Cloud insights, AI realism, and customer-driven market perspective. Subscribe to the CPQ Podcast for more interviews on CPQ software, quote-to-cash, pricing, and revenue transformation. 👉 Listen now to learn how SMBs are achieving enterprise-grade automation without enterprise-grade complexity. 🔗 Learn more about Cloudely at https://cloudely.com/  📬 Contact Suren on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/surenreddykatta/

    30 min
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4.9
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

The CPQ Podcast is your go-to source for all things Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ). Each episode features in-depth interviews with industry leaders, innovators, and practitioners who share real-world insights, strategies, and success stories. Whether you're in Sales Ops, RevOps, IT, or Product Management, this podcast helps you stay ahead in the evolving CPQ landscape — from CPQ tools and processes to digital selling, product configuration, pricing strategy, and Quote-to-Cash trends. Tune in to expand your CPQ knowledge, explore new solutions, and hear from the voices shaping the future of B2B sales automation.

Information

  • Creator
    Frank Sohn
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Novus CPQ Consulting, Inc.
  • Show Website
    CPQ Podcast