Author: Ethan Garonzik

If you're in Operations at a SaaS company, and you're leading the charge on evaluating a CPQ platform, you already know that it’s not a quick decision.

You’ve got a list of vendors. You’re booking demos. You’re trying to figure out how to compare platforms that all promise the same thing—faster quotes, fewer errors, better revenue visibility. 

The problem? Most RFPs don’t actually help you make the right call.

We’ve been through the process, and we’ve helped dozens of teams navigate it. This blog covers the biggest mistakes we see in CPQ evaluations—and how to avoid them.

Not totally sure if CPQ is what you need yet? Check out our breakdown: CPQ vs CRM: Why SaaS Teams Need Both.

Mistake #1: Starting With the Wrong Questions

Too many RFP templates are just giant checklists. Hundreds of features. Yes/no boxes. It feels thorough, but it’s not helpful.

We’ve seen teams get 7 responses back and still not know who to pick—because the questions weren’t tailored to what actually matters for their business model.

For example,renewals, expansions, invoice schedules, and flexible pricing models are way more important to a SaaS company than a manufacturing firm.

Better approach: Start with a template that was actually built for SaaS teams. (We created one—link at the bottom.)

Mistake #2: Treating Every Feature Like It’s Equal

One of the biggest traps? Overweighting surface-level features and underweighting features that drive velocity and control.

You’ll see a “yes” next to “supports custom pricing,” but that might mean:

• You need a developer to configure it

• There’s no approval guardrails

• The quote breaks when something like the CRM deal stage changes

We’ve seen it happen. And it’s a painful surprise post-implementation.

Make sure your RFP forces vendors to explain how things work—not just whether they exist.

Mistake #3: Leaving Out the Teams Who Actually Use the Tool

This one stings. Too often, the RFP is written by one team—Operations, Sales, IT—without input from Finance or Customer Success.

Then the CPQ gets implemented, and you realize:

• Finance can’t sync billing schedules

• Customer Success can’t see subscription changes

• Legal’s stuck editing PDFs for every quote

Bring those teams in early. Ask what they need before you send the RFP. Trust us—it’s way easier than trying to fix it later.

Mistake #4: Underestimating the Time and People It Takes to Go Live

Every vendor says “fast implementation,” but what does that really mean?

• Will you need consultants?

• Can you make updates without engineers?

• How long until your team can send quotes in production?

Ask those questions in your RFP. Ask them again in the demo. And again before you sign the contract.

We’ve seen projects stall for months because someone assumed “no-code” meant “no work.”

Mistake #5: Trying to Compare Vendors Without a Real Framework

It’s easy to go with your gut instinct or to pick the tool that has the slickest demo.

But when you're dealing with a platform that touches pricing, discounting, invoicing, and forecasting—you need something more structured.

That’s why we built a CPQ vendor scorecard—to help your team evaluate what actually matters, across every function.

Get the CPQ Toolkit That Will Save You Hours

After going through this process ourselves (and helping others through it), we decided to package everything we wish we’d had from the beginning.

The Vendori CPQ Toolkit includes:

• A customizable RFP template with 50+ purpose-built questions

• A vendor comparison scorecard you can share with your full team

• Built-in guidance from people who’ve implemented CPQ tools firsthand

Whether you're ditching spreadsheets, replacing Salesforce CPQ, or starting from scratch—this toolkit will help you get it right the first time.

👉 Download it here