Every minute a quote sits in limbo is a minute your competitor gets closer to closing the deal.

Pause for dramatics. Too much? Maybe. However, in fast-paced sales environments, quoting delays aren’t only annoying but also expensive.

If your quoting process feels like duct tape and spreadsheets, it’s probably costing you more than you think.

At growth-stage companies, quoting inefficiencies often hide in plain sight. Things still get done, but they take longer than they should. No one can quite pinpoint why deals keep stalling.

Reps scramble to build custom quotes, managers chase down approvals, and somewhere along the way — momentum is lost. And when pipeline velocity suffers, revenue follows.

It’s easy to blame a busy season or an understaffed team. But more often, the root cause is operational: an outdated or overcomplicated quoting process.

The hidden cost of quoting inefficiencies

Most quoting workflows weren’t built for speed — they were patched together to get by. That’s how inefficiencies creep in:

• Quotes take too long to create and approve
• Reps go off-template just to move faster
• Pricing errors slip through
• Legal or finance slows things down at the final mile
• Reporting is inconsistent due to disconnected systems

These delays don’t just annoy your team — they impact your bottom line. Every extra step or bottleneck drags out the sales cycle, reduces rep confidence, and increases the chances of losing a deal altogether.

Worse, the more complex your product catalog or pricing tiers, the more room there is for error. Deals stall. Revenue leaks. Teams burn out trying to hold it all together.

4 signs your quoting process is holding you back

How do you know it’s time to make a change? Look for these red flags:

1. Reps still manually build quotes from scratch.
If your team is piecing together proposals in Word docs or spreadsheets, you’re bleeding time — and consistency.

2. Approvals regularly delay deals.
When approval requests sit in inboxes for days, deals slip into the next quarter. Momentum matters.

3. Your CRM and quoting tool aren’t integrated.
If data isn’t flowing cleanly between systems, you’re setting yourself up for mistakes and extra admin work.

4. Sales enablement is constantly cleaning up after errors.
If enablement is retroactively fixing quote issues, your process isn’t scalable.

Let’s be clear: it’s not your reps. It’s your system.

What “good” looks like

A modern quoting process isn’t just fast — it’s reliable, scalable, and built for sales momentum.

• Templates that minimize manual entry and maintain brand consistency
• Built-in approval rules that keep deals moving without bottlenecks
• CRM integrations that auto-fill accurate customer and product data
• Segmented workspaces so global teams can collaborate without overlap

When quoting is streamlined, reps move with confidence. Sales velocity improves. And your team gets back time to focus on selling — not scrambling.

Even better? Clean process = clean data — and that means better forecasting, reporting, and strategy.

What to do if you’re seeing the signs

If those red flags feel familiar, you’re not alone — and you’re not stuck. A modern CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) system can transform your quoting workflow from bottleneck to strategic asset.

What CPQ does well:

• Standardizes quote creation so every rep builds from the same playbook
• Automates approval logic to prevent delays
• Connects seamlessly with CRMs for real-time accuracy
• Gives visibility into what’s working through document analytics

CPQ doesn’t just save time. It reduces risk, increases accuracy, and gives your team the infrastructure to scale without chaos.

What to look for in a CPQ system

• CRM integration – Your quote data should reflect real-time updates from your sales pipeline.
• Template management – Standardized templates keep reps on-brand and on-message.
• Flexible approval workflows – Let rules handle routine decisions and escalate exceptions automatically.
• Permissions and workspace control – Keep teams focused and secure with role-based access.

When your tools actually work together, quoting becomes a seamless part of the sales flow — not a separate project.

Where to go from here

If your current process is showing cracks, it’s time to explore what a better system can do. You don’t need more meetings or more manual work. You need a quoting process built for scale.

Ask yourself:

• Are my reps empowered or just exhausted?
• Are we quoting fast enough to win — or just fast enough to keep up?
• Are we building a process that scales, or patching holes as we go?

Ready to rethink how you quote?

See how PandaDoc can help you quote faster — and smarter.

If your quoting process is slowing down deals, you’re not just behind — you’re leaving revenue on the table. PandaDoc CPQ helps modern sales teams move faster with fewer mistakes.

Whether you need better templates, faster approvals, or tighter CRM integration, it’s all built in — without the bloat or complexity of legacy tools.

• Slash quote turnaround time
• Eliminate back-and-forth approvals
• Equip your reps with confidence and consistency
• Gain visibility into quote activity and deal progress

Let your sales process work for you — not against you.

Schedule a demo to see how PandaDoc removes the bottlenecks and helps your team close deals with confidence.