THE CONFIGURABLE PRODUCT SALES PLAYBOOK:
How to Win More Deals in B2B Manufacturing
A playbook helping B2B sales teams navigate the challenges of configurable product sales
Who This Playbook Is For
This playbook is designed for B2B sales teams selling modular, configurable, and customizable products. Whether you're working with residential or commercial equipment, outdoor living products, railings, or other modular solutions, this guide will help you shorten sales cycles, reduce friction, and scale your sales process through automation.
Why Traditional Sales Methods Fail for B2B Products
Selling modular products is different from selling off-the-shelf items. Without the right system, sales teams struggle to keep up with customizations, approvals, and production constraints. Here’s why traditional sales methods fail:
Buyers struggle with complexity
Too many options lead to hesitation
Sales cycles are too long
Endless back-and-forth with engineering and buyers
Quoting is too slow
Customizations make manual quoting inefficient
Miscommunication kills deals
Sales, buyers, and production teams work in silos
They automate repetitive sales tasks to avoid errors and scale efficiently.
What Top-Performing B2B Sales Teams Do Differently
They focus on collaboration between sales, engineering, and production.
They position themselves as trusted advisors, not just sales reps.
They make buying easier for multi-stakeholder deals.
They personalize the buying experience using automation and data.
This playbook will show you how to streamline modular sales, automate manual processes, and scale your business without increasing overhead.
1
Understand Your Buyers
Modular sales are not one-size-fits-all. Different stakeholders—whether they’re buying, specifying, or influencing decisions—have unique priorities, approval processes, and production considerations.
Below are five key personas involved in modular sales. Understanding their needs and challenges will help you tailor your approach and accelerate the sales process:
The End Customer (Homeowner, Business Owner, Facility Manager)
Indirectly purchases your modular products through a dealer or contractor.
“I want to be confident I’m choosing the right product, but if I have to wait hours—or even days—to see every small change, I'll probably just go somewhere else.”
What They Care About
- Customization options to match their specific needs
- Transparent pricing to avoid unexpected costs
- Confidence in the final product before purchase
Biggest Friction Points
- Long waits after every requested change
- Limited customization forcing them to compromise
- No way to visualize the final product before committing
How to Sell to Them
- Clear, upfront pricing to set expectations
- High-quality 3D visuals and AR previews
- Simple ordering process to reduce friction
The Contractor / Builder
Purchases and installs products for clients
"I need a product that’s easy to install, fits project requirements, and won’t delay my timelines."
What They Care About
- Precise measurements ensuring products fit on-site
- Installation-ready documents to reduce labor time
- Reliable lead times to keep projects on schedule
Biggest Friction Points
- Incorrect specifications, causing installation issues
- Missing technical documents leading to delays
- Unclear delivery timelines making planning difficult
How to Sell to Them
- Pre-validated configuration solving sizing errors
- Auto-generated BOMs, CAD, and install guides
- Real-time order tracking to avoid project delays
The Dealer / Distributor
Buys and resells to contractors or end-customers
"I need a product that’s simple to configure, showcase, and quote, so my customers understand it easily."
What They Care About
- Fast quoting to respond quickly to customers
- Clear product options to avoid confusion
- Accurate orders to minimize returns
Biggest Friction Points
- Slow quoting making them lose customers
- Too many manual steps causing errors
- Unclear product options confusing their buyers
How to Sell to Them
- Instant pricing without waiting on sales reps
- Automated quotes ready to send to customers
- Interactive previews they can show to their buyers
The Architect / Designer
Doesn’t buy directly but specifies products that contractors must use
"I need a product that fits my design vision while meeting all technical requirements."
What They Care About
- Design flexibility to match aesthetics and functionality
- Regulatory compliance to meet building codes
- Seamless integration into project workflows
Biggest Friction Points
- No CAD files or 3D models for their designs
- Limited customization restricting creativity
- Unclear material and spec details
How to Sell to Them
- High-quality visualizations to validate aesthetics
- Pre-made CAD files for direct use in plans
- Flexible configurations within defined constraints
The Manufacturer/OEM
Buys modular pre-assembled sections to integrate into their production
"I need reliable modular parts that fit my production process without delays or errors."
What They Care About
- Error-free order data to streamline procurement
- Production-ready specifications to avoid rework
- Predictable lead times to keep manufacturing efficient
Biggest Friction Points
- Required engineering approval for every order
- Inconsistent specs leading to production delays
- Manual order handling slowing down production
How to Sell to Them
- Real-time validation to prevent order errors
- Instant BOMs and spec sheets for fast processing
- Lead time estimates upfront to streamline planning
2
The B2B Sales Process: Step-by-Step Guide
You know the key decision-makers—now it’s time to close deals. Use these tips to create a structured sales process that moves opportunities forward and drives more conversions.
STEP 1: Keep Deals Moving with the Right Sales Approach
Why It Matters?
The problem with configurable product sales isn’t rejection, it’s indecision. Buyers stall when they don’t have the clarity or confidence to move forward.
How Buyers Get Stuck
- They don’t fully understand the configuration possibilities
- They struggle to visualize how the final product will look or function
- They don’t understand pricing & lead times
- TApprovals require multiple back-and-forths
Common Sales Pitfalls
- Misalignment between sales and production
- No interactive visualization to confirm designs before ordering
- Time-consuming, manual quoting prone to errors
- Missing technical details in quotes slows down approvals
How Smart Sales Teams Win
- Ensure buyers only see options that can be manufactured
- Provide interactive visuals for real-time validation
- Generate instant quotes with clear breakdowns
- Deliver CAD files, BOMs, and spec sheets upfront to speed up approvals
STEP 2: Handle Large Orders Without Slowing Down Sales
Why It Matters?
Modular B2B sales often involve high-volume or multi-phase orders, but without the right process, scaling up slows down sales teams instead of increasing revenue.
How Buyers Get Stuck
- Coordinating multiple product variations is overwhelming
- Tracking order progress is unclear across different teams
- Buyers expect volume discounts but pricing is inconsistent
Common Sales Pitfalls
- No structured system to configure multiple products at once
- Lack of visibility into lead times for large-scale projects
- Manual bulk pricing adjustments create delays and negotiation friction
How Smart Sales Teams Win
- Automate customizations to manage more opportunities at once
- Provide a centralized dashboard to track order status
- Use CPQ to instantly calculate bulk pricing and discounts
STEP 3: Turn One-Time Buyers Into Long-Term Clients
Why It Matters?
Clients come back when reordering is fast and effortless. If the first purchase was smooth, they expect the next one to be even easier. Make repeat business a no-brainer.
How Buyers Get Stuck
- They lose track of past orders and struggle to reorder
- They don’t receive proactive recommendations for future needs
Common Sales Pitfalls
- Lack of a client dashboard to track order history and reorders
- Failure to leverage CRM and ERP data for personalized follow-ups
How Smart Sales Teams Win
- A dashboard with past orders and easy reordering
- CRM and ERP to suggest relevant products
3
Tools & Technology for Smarter Modular Sales
Now that you know your buyers and have a proven sales process, the next step is using the right tools to streamline sales, reduce friction, and scale efficiently.
3D Product Configurators
In modular sales, trying to combine multiple components and features without real-time visualization simply doesn’t work. Buyers, and especially architects, contractors, and distributors, need an interactive way to see and validate configurations before committing.
How it Helps Sales Teams
- Speeds up sales cycles by eliminating back-and-forth with engineering to show a preview to buyers.
- Reduces pre-sales workload by allowing buyers to explore options on their own.
- Minimizes revision requests by ensuring accurate configurations upfront.
How it Helps Buyers
- Helps buyers visualize complex modular products in a simple and clear way.
- Eliminates back-and-forth with sales reps.
- Reduces lead times by autogenerating production-ready CAD files, BOMs, and spec sheets.
What You Can Use
- Salsita 3D Configurator
- Threekit
- Zakeke
- Expivi
CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) Software
As we saw, all buyers, and especially dealers and manufacturers, need fast, accurate pricing. Calculating quotes with outdated methods like spreadsheets is unsustainable for multi-component products
How it Helps Sales Teams
- Eliminates pricing errors by automating quote generation.
- Speeds up sales cycles by generating quotes instantly.
- Reduces approval bottlenecks by applying predefined rules for discounts and configurations.
How it Helps Buyers
- Provides instant, transparent pricing without waiting on sales reps.
- Allows buyers to make decisions faster without delays.
- Ensures consistent, pre-approved pricing for smoother transactions.
What You Can Use
- Salsita 3D Configurator
- Salesforce CPQ
- PandaDoc
- DealHub
Customer Portals & Dashboards
Once a buyer completes their first purchase, they expect a seamless way to reorder, download necessary documents, or track orders without having to go through a sales rep every time.
How it Helps Sales Teams
- Reduces inbound requests by enabling buyers to generate their own reorders.
- Frees up sales reps to focus on new opportunities instead of processing repeat orders.
- Ensures buyers always have up-to-date product options and pricing.
How it Helps Buyers
- Allows easy reordering of past configurations without starting from scratch.
- Provides order tracking, lead times, and status updates in real time.
- Gives buyers a single location to access order details, receipts, and technical files.
What You Can Use
- Salsita 3D Configurator
- HubSpot Service Hub
- Zoho Commerce
ERP & Fulfilment Systems
Even after closing a deal, errors in order processing can cause delays, production issues, and frustrated buyers. Buyers, and especially manufacturers and contractors, need a seamless transition from sales to production.
How it Helps Sales Teams
- Eliminates manual data entry by syncing sales orders directly with production.
- Ensures smooth handoffs between sales, production, and logistics.
- Provides visibility into stock levels and lead times, preventing overselling.
How it Helps Buyers
- Ensures all order details are correct before manufacturing begins.
- Gives buyers accurate delivery estimates upfront.
- Reduces errors caused by miscommunication or missing order details.
What You Can Use
- NetSuite
- SAP
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
Why Not Have All These Technologies in One Solution?
Each tool we saw plays a role in making modular product sales faster, more accurate, and easier to scale. But managing multiple systems can create its own set of challenges.
With Salsita 3D Configurator, sales teams get everything they need in one solution.
Live 3D visualization with modular-friendly features like multi-component designs and parametric models that follow your product logic.
Built-in CPQ engine – Automated pricing based on real-time configurations.
Instant BOM & CAD exports – Ensures orders are error-free and production-ready
Customer dashboard – Clients can track, modify, and reorder with ease
CRM & ERP integrations – Keeps sales, production, and logistics fully aligned
Lead qualification insights – Helps sales focus on the right buyers at the right time
Salsita 3D Configurator Brings Real ROI to Your Sales Team
