Salesforce CPQ End of Life: Understanding the Announcement and Planning Your Transition

Introduction

In March 2025, Salesforce announced that CPQ has entered "End of Sale." That means no new customers, no new features, and a clear signal that the product is being phased out.

If you're currently using Salesforce CPQ, you can still use it. Licenses can be renewed. Support continues for now. But the product is frozen. No updates. No innovation. And eventually, full End of Life is coming.

This matters because thousands of companies depend on Salesforce CPQ for quote generation, pricing automation, and approval workflows. The transition won't happen overnight, but it will happen. Companies that plan now have more options and less risk than those who wait.

The challenge is figuring out what to do next. Salesforce is pushing Revenue Cloud Advanced, but it's expensive and requires a complete rebuild. Third-party CPQ platforms offer alternatives, but choosing the right one takes research. And staying on CPQ longer than necessary creates technical debt and a competitive disadvantage.

This guide covers what you actually need to know: what End of Sale (EOS) means, the timeline to expect, the risks of waiting, and your realistic options for moving forward. Whether you're evaluating alternatives now or planning for next year, this will help you make a smarter decision.

What is the Salesforce CPQ End of Life Announcement?

The terminology matters here because "End of Sale"(EOS)  and "End of Life" (EOL) mean different things.

End of Sale (EOS) is what Salesforce announced in March 2025. It means Salesforce stopped selling CPQ to new customers. If you're already using it, nothing changes immediately. You can renew licenses, add users, and continue receiving support. But the product is in maintenance mode with no new features or enhancements.

End of Life (EOL) is different. That’s when End of Support happens, and Salesforce stops providing fixes and assistance. Salesforce hasn't announced an official EOL date yet, but industry analysts expect it around 2029-2030 based on typical enterprise software lifecycle patterns. That gives current customers roughly 4-5 years from the Salesforce CPQ End of Sale to full sunset.

Here's what End of Sale (EOS) means in practice right now:

• No new CPQ licenses available to companies not already using it
• Feature development has stopped completely
• Bug fixes and security patches will continue, but with slower response times
• Support teams are redirecting feature requests toward Revenue Cloud
• Partner ecosystem focus is shifting away from CPQ

The product works today. It will keep working for a while. But it's frozen in its current state, and the clock is running toward eventual retirement.

For current CPQ customers, End of Sale (EOS) creates a decision point. You can stay on CPQ for now, but you're working with a product that won't evolve. The gap between what CPQ can do and what modern alternatives offer will keep growing.

Why Salesforce Is Sunsetting CPQ: Strategic & Technical Drivers

Salesforce isn't ending CPQ because it failed. They're ending it because their strategy has evolved, and the product couldn't keep up.

Here are the real reasons behind the decision:

1. Architectural Limitations

Salesforce CPQ runs as a managed package, not native platform code. That architecture made sense in 2015 when SteelBrick was acquired, but it creates problems today.

Managed packages are harder to maintain, slower to update, and more expensive to support. They don't integrate as smoothly with Salesforce's core platform features. As Salesforce evolved its underlying architecture, CPQ became increasingly disconnected from new capabilities.

Revenue Cloud Advanced is built natively on the Salesforce core platform. That means faster performance, better integration with other Salesforce products, and easier access to platform-level features like Einstein AI and Agentforce.

2. Shift to Unified Revenue Operations

Salesforce wants customers on end-to-end revenue platforms, not point solutions.

CPQ handles quoting. But modern revenue teams also need billing, subscriptions, contract management, and revenue recognition. Salesforce sees more value in selling a unified Revenue Cloud platform than maintaining separate products for each function.

This mirrors trends across the enterprise software market. Companies are consolidating vendors. They want fewer systems, cleaner data flows, and unified workflows from quote to cash.

3. AI-First Strategy

Salesforce is betting heavily on AI. Einstein GPT, Agentforce, and AI-powered workflows are central to their product roadmap.

CPQ's older architecture makes it harder to integrate AI capabilities. Revenue Cloud was designed with AI in mind from the start. Salesforce wants quoting embedded in AI agents, not isolated in a separate tool.

For Salesforce, maintaining CPQ means supporting a product that can't fully leverage its AI investments. That's not sustainable long-term.

4. Rising Support Costs

Every product has a total cost of ownership for the vendor, not just the customer.

Salesforce has to maintain CPQ's codebase, support its unique architecture, train partners on its quirks, and fix bugs in aging infrastructure. Meanwhile, they're also building and supporting Revenue Cloud.

Supporting two overlapping products doesn't make business sense. By consolidating to Revenue Cloud, Salesforce reduces support complexity and focuses resources on one platform.

5. Slowed Innovation Cycle

If you've been watching CPQ release notes over the past two years, you've noticed the slowdown.

Updates became smaller. New features stopped appearing. Partner training shifted focus. Those are signs of a product in wind-down mode, not active development.

Salesforce wasn't investing in CPQ's future because it was investing in Revenue Cloud instead. The End of Sale announcement just made official what many partners and customers already suspected.

What Salesforce CPQ End of Life Means for Customers (Short-Term & Long-Term Impact)

If you're running Salesforce CPQ today, here's what to expect over the next few years.

Short-Term Impact (0-12 Months)

1. Slower support response times: Your CPQ tickets still get answered, but priority shifts to Revenue Cloud customers. Expect longer resolution times for bugs and technical issues.

2. No new features: The product is frozen. That pricing model you wanted to build? That workflow improvement you've been requesting? Not happening.

3. Integration friction: As Salesforce updates its core platform, CPQ integrations may break more often. You'll spend more time maintaining connections between CPQ and other systems.

4. Higher admin workload: Without product updates to simplify workflows, your team handles more manual fixes and workarounds. Rules get more complex. Maintenance takes longer.

5. Limited training resources: Fewer partners offer CPQ training. Documentation stops getting updated. New hires take longer to ramp up because learning materials are outdated.

Long-Term Impact (12+ Months)

1. Growing technical debt: Modern CPQ platforms add capabilities for usage-based pricing, AI-driven discounting, and flexible subscription models. CPQ doesn't. The gap between what you can do and what competitors can do keeps widening.

2. Compliance and security risks: As regulations evolve and security standards tighten, CPQ may not keep pace. Audit trails, data governance, and compliance reporting become harder to maintain.

3. Scaling challenges: Your business evolves. New products launch. Pricing models change. Revenue models shift. CPQ becomes harder to adapt because it wasn't designed for what you need today.

4. Rising costs: You'll rely more on expensive consultants and specialized partners to maintain aging infrastructure. Internal teams spend more time on workarounds. ROI drops while costs climb.

5. Competitive disadvantage: Other companies migrate to modern CPQ. They quote faster. They handle complex pricing better. They close deals while you're still generating quotes.

6. Recruitment problems: Top RevOps talent wants to work with modern tools. Recruiting gets harder when your tech stack is built on legacy CPQ software.

These impacts don't stay isolated. They compound over time. Slower support leads to more workarounds. More workarounds create technical debt. Technical debt makes migrations harder and more expensive. The longer you wait, the messier the eventual transition becomes.

Companies that plan migrations now have options. They can evaluate vendors carefully, clean up data properly, and implement on their timeline. Companies that wait until 2028 or 2029 will be forced into rushed decisions with limited negotiating power.

Key Risks of Staying on Salesforce CPQ During EOL

As Salesforce CPQ reaches its End of Life (EOL), businesses that continue using this platform face a range of operational, technical, financial, strategic, competitive, and compliance risks. Ignoring these risks can lead to inefficiencies, increased costs, and missed opportunities. 

Here’s a breakdown of the key risks companies may face by staying on Salesforce CPQ during its EOL phase:

1. Operational Risk

Staying on Salesforce CPQ as it reaches its EOL introduces the risk of operational inefficiencies. Without regular updates and improvements, companies could experience quoting delays, approval bottlenecks, and reliance on outdated pricing engines. 

As the platform becomes less reliable, your sales reps might struggle with slow or inaccurate quotes, leading to frustration and delays in deal closure. This can impact both the speed of sales cycles and customer satisfaction, resulting in missed revenue opportunities.

2. Technical Risk

Salesforce CPQ’s outdated architecture, especially as support begins to phase out, leaves companies vulnerable to technical challenges. With no ongoing improvements, the system’s integration with other tools and platforms may deteriorate, causing API conflicts or failures. 

This could result in inefficient data flow between systems, broken integrations, and manual processes that waste time and increase error rates. Additionally, companies could face compatibility issues when trying to scale their tech stack with newer tools and technologies.

3. Financial Risk

Continuing to use Salesforce CPQ during the EOL phase can lead to rising maintenance costs. As Salesforce reduces its support for CPQ, businesses will need to allocate more resources to maintain the system, either through custom development or reliance on costly third-party vendors. 

Additionally, with reduced innovation and updates, the platform’s return on investment (ROI) will likely diminish over time, especially when compared to modern alternatives that provide better scalability and functionality at a similar or lower cost.

4. Strategic Risk

One of the most significant risks is the inability to adopt AI-enabled pricing and automated deal insights. Modern CPQ systems are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize pricing, recommend discounts, and provide real-time insights for smarter decision-making. 

Staying on Salesforce CPQ will prevent businesses from accessing these advanced features, which can put them at a strategic disadvantage. AI-driven pricing and deal automation have the potential to reduce manual work, enhance pricing accuracy, and accelerate sales cycles, advantages that companies using outdated CPQ systems will miss out on.

5. Competitive Risk

As your competitors adopt modern CPQ platforms, they gain significant speed and accuracy advantages. With faster, more accurate quoting capabilities and access to advanced automation features, your competitors can respond to opportunities more quickly, close deals faster, and optimize pricing strategies more effectively. 

Staying on an outdated Salesforce CPQ system could leave you at a disadvantage, hindering your ability to compete in a rapidly changing market.

6. Compliance Risk

In an increasingly regulated environment, using outdated CPQ systems could lead to compliance violations, especially when quoting and pricing processes are no longer in line with internal or external audit controls. 

Many industries require strict adherence to pricing regulations and documentation, and relying on a system that isn’t actively supported or updated could lead to gaps in compliance. This could expose your company to legal risks, fines, and reputational damage.

To prepare for these risks, companies must be proactive in understanding the Salesforce CPQ End of Life timeline and what each phase entails. By planning ahead and transitioning to a more modern, supported solution, businesses can mitigate these risks and ensure their sales processes remain efficient, compliant, and competitive.

Salesforce CPQ End of Life Timeline (What You Need to Know Now)

Salesforce hasn't announced an official End of Life date, but we can project a realistic timeline based on typical enterprise software lifecycle patterns and what's already happening in the market.

March 2025: End of Sale (Current Phase)

Salesforce stopped selling CPQ to new customers. If you're not already using it, you can't buy it. Existing customers can continue using CPQ, renew licenses, and add users to their current contracts. Feature development has stopped completely. All product investment shifted to Revenue Cloud Advanced. Support continues, but resources are gradually reallocating away from CPQ toward Revenue Cloud.

2025-2026: Maintenance Phase

Bug fixes and security patches continue, but with slower response times than active products receive. Support ticket resolution takes longer as experienced CPQ specialists move to other Salesforce products or leave for other companies. Partners and implementation firms quietly shift their focus and resources toward Revenue Cloud certifications and projects. 

Training materials stop getting updated. Documentation becomes outdated as the broader Salesforce platform evolves. Companies start noticing more integration issues as their other systems update, but CPQ remains frozen.

2026-2027: Aggressive Migration Push

Salesforce ramps up direct outreach to CPQ customers, encouraging migration to Revenue Cloud Advanced. Sales teams start offering time-limited incentives, migration credits, or bundled pricing to accelerate transitions. 

Legacy product discounts shrink or disappear as Salesforce uses pricing pressure to encourage migration. Partner ecosystem support for CPQ becomes genuinely scarce as most consulting firms have moved their expertise elsewhere. 

Companies still on CPQ start facing real operational challenges that can't be easily fixed because qualified help is expensive and hard to find.

2027-2028: Formal End of Life Announcement

Based on typical software lifecycle patterns, this is when Salesforce would formally announce a final Salesforce CPQ End of Support date, likely giving customers 12-18 months' notice before full sunset. 

Companies that haven't started migration planning yet face compressed timelines with limited vendor options and reduced negotiating leverage. Migration costs increase significantly due to urgency premiums from implementation partners and less favorable contract terms from alternative CPQ vendors. 

Internal teams experience higher stress as they try to execute complex migrations under deadline pressure while maintaining current operations.

2029-2030: End of Support (Projected)

All official support ends. CPQ continues functioning in its current state, but Salesforce provides no bug fixes, security patches, or technical assistance. Integration failures become more frequent and harder to resolve without vendor support. 

Security vulnerabilities discovered after the End of Support don't get patched, creating real compliance and risk management issues. Companies still running CPQ at this point face serious operational challenges and may need emergency migrations under the worst possible conditions.

What Happens to Your CPQ Configuration?

Throughout this timeline, your pricing rules, approval workflows, product configurations, quote templates, and custom integrations all need to move somewhere. They don't migrate automatically. You can't simply export from CPQ and import to another system. 

Every rule needs to be reviewed, often rebuilt, and tested in the new platform. Complex customizations may need to be redesigned entirely. Integration points with your CRM, billing system, ERP, and other tools all need reconfiguration.

Planning Window Reality

Most mid-market companies need 3-6 months to properly evaluate alternatives, select a vendor, and execute implementation. Enterprise organizations with complex CPQ setups often need 6-12 months. 

That doesn't include the time to get budget approval, build internal consensus, and assemble the right project team. If you're starting evaluation in 2028, you're cutting it extremely close. Starting in 2029 means you're already in crisis mode.

Companies that start evaluation and planning in 2025-2026 have significant advantages. They can learn from early adopters' experiences rather than being among the last customers scrambling for help. The timeline is predictable. The question is whether you'll use that predictability to your advantage or let it catch you unprepared.

Evaluating Your Options: What Companies Can Do Next

The path you choose will depend on your current needs, budget, and long-term growth plans. Here’s a breakdown of your main options and what to consider for each:

1. Stay on Salesforce CPQ Short-Term

This works if you need 6-12 months to plan properly. Your CPQ keeps running, and quotes still generate. But you're working with frozen software that won't improve. Support gets slower, integration issues increase, and technical debt accumulates. Use this as a planning window, not a long-term strategy.

2. Migrate to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced

Revenue Cloud is Salesforce's replacement, built natively on the core platform with AI features, unified billing, and contract management. But it's not an upgrade. You're rebuilding everything from scratch. Pricing starts at $200 per user per month, and implementation takes 6-12 months. 

Many CPQ features don't have direct equivalents yet. This makes sense if you're deeply invested in Salesforce and need broader revenue operations capabilities beyond quoting.

3. Build Custom CPQ Internally

Some companies consider building their own solution in Salesforce. This is almost always more expensive and time-consuming than expected. You need ongoing developer resources for every pricing change or product launch. Most companies that try this end up buying commercial CPQ within 18-24 months anyway.

4. Migrate to Modern Third-Party CPQ

This is where most companies land. Modern platforms handle complex pricing, including SaaS, usage-based, and hybrid models. Implementation takes 8-16 weeks for mid-market companies. Admin interfaces are designed for RevOps teams, not developers. Integration with Salesforce is straightforward.

Everstage CPQ is built for this scenario. It's designed for smooth Salesforce migrations with simplified data mapping, handles subscription and usage models, and implements in weeks instead of months. The platform includes AI-driven pricing intelligence and connects with compensation management and revenue planning.

How to Decide

Answer these questions: How complex is your CPQ setup? What's your timeline? What's your budget for software and implementation? Do you need just quoting or broader revenue operations?

If you're heavily customized with tight Salesforce coupling, Revenue Cloud might work despite the cost. If you need faster implementation and lower costs, third-party platforms deliver better value. If you need time to plan, staying on CPQ short-term is fine as long as you're actively planning the next move.

What to Look for in a Salesforce CPQ Replacement

When evaluating alternatives, focus on capabilities that actually matter for your business.

1. No-Code Rule Engine

Your RevOps team should be able to build and adjust pricing logic without waiting for developers. Look for platforms where admins can create rules, configure products, and update approval workflows through an interface, not custom code. This determines how fast you can respond to pricing changes and new product launches.

2. Modern Pricing Support

Your CPQ replacement needs to handle the pricing models you use today and the ones you'll need tomorrow. That includes SaaS subscriptions, usage-based billing, hybrid models, product bundles, and tiered pricing. If you're moving toward consumption or usage-based models, make sure the platform handles metering and variable pricing without workarounds.

3. Fast Implementation

Implementation should take weeks, not months. Mid-market companies should be up and running in 8-12 weeks. Even complex enterprise setups shouldn't take longer than 4-6 months. Ask vendors for realistic timelines based on companies similar to yours, not their best-case scenarios.

4. Strong Salesforce Integration

Real-time sync with Salesforce is non-negotiable. Data should flow automatically between your CPQ and CRM without manual exports or batch updates. Reps should be able to generate quotes from within Salesforce without switching systems. Look for native integrations, not middleware that adds complexity.

5. Approval Workflows and Automation

You need flexible approval routing based on deal size, discount level, product type, or any combination of factors. Automated workflows should handle most standard deals while flagging exceptions that need review. Clear audit trails matter for compliance and internal controls.

6. AI-Driven Capabilities

Modern platforms use AI for discount recommendations, pricing optimization, and deal insights. This isn't just a nice-to-have. AI helps reps price deals more accurately, and finance teams protect margins without slowing down deals.

7. Transparent Pricing and TCO

Know what you're paying upfront. Watch for hidden costs in implementation, training, ongoing support, and user overages. Calculate the total cost of ownership over three years, not just first-year costs.

If a vendor can't clearly explain pricing or gives vague timeline estimates, keep looking. The right platform should make complex quoting simpler, not add new complexity to your tech stack.

Salesforce CPQ vs Modern CPQ Platforms: Capability Gaps

Here's where Salesforce CPQ falls short compared to modern alternatives.

Where Salesforce CPQ Falls Short:

1. Limited Innovation
   Salesforce CPQ has reached a plateau in terms of new feature development. As Salesforce shifts its focus to other products, CPQ users will experience fewer innovations, limiting their ability to take advantage of new tools, technologies, and integrations.
   
   
2. Slower Administration for Rules & Pricing
   Managing pricing and configuring rules in Salesforce CPQ can be time-consuming, especially for businesses with complex pricing structures. Changes require more time and technical resources, slowing down the agility needed to respond to market shifts or pricing updates.
   
   
3. No Native AI Capabilities
   Unlike modern CPQ solutions, Salesforce CPQ lacks native AI-driven features. AI-enabled capabilities such as automated pricing suggestions, deal insights, and intelligent quote optimizations are not part of the Salesforce CPQ offering, putting users at a disadvantage when competing with companies leveraging AI technologies.
   
   
4. High Dependency on Technical Resources
   Salesforce CPQ is heavily dependent on technical resources for setup, maintenance, and modifications. Customization and rule updates often require skilled Salesforce developers or administrators, leading to higher costs and delays in implementing necessary changes.
   
   
5. Complex Approval Workflow Updates
   Salesforce CPQ’s approval workflow system is complex and difficult to modify. As approval processes evolve or require adjustments, companies face challenges in making quick updates, which can slow down the sales cycle and introduce bottlenecks.
   
   
6. Slower Quote Document Updates
   Updating quote templates or making changes to quote documents in Salesforce CPQ is often a slow process. As market conditions or product offerings change, updating documents to reflect new pricing, terms, or configurations becomes a tedious and time-consuming task.
   
   
7. Rigid Product Configuration Model
   Salesforce CPQ’s product configuration system can be rigid, making it challenging to accommodate highly complex product offerings or fast-evolving sales models. As businesses scale and diversify their products, Salesforce CPQ may struggle to keep up with their growing and changing needs.
   
   
8. Higher Long-Term Cost of Ownership
   While Salesforce CPQ may have lower upfront costs for some businesses, the long-term cost of ownership can be high. Ongoing maintenance, reliance on technical resources, and slow updates can lead to higher operational costs, especially as the platform becomes less efficient and harder to manage.

Modern CPQ Strengths:

1. AI-First Quoting
   Modern CPQ platforms are built with AI at their core, providing intelligent pricing, automated deal recommendations, and predictive insights. AI-driven quoting can enhance accuracy, improve speed, and reduce the manual work involved in generating quotes, giving businesses a competitive edge.
   
   
2. Real-Time Pricing Simulations
   Modern CPQ solutions offer real-time pricing simulations, allowing sales teams to instantly see the impact of different pricing models, discount structures, and configurations. This capability enhances decision-making and allows reps to respond to customer needs more quickly and effectively.
   
   
3. Faster Edits to Product Catalog & Rules
   With modern CPQ platforms, updating product catalogs, pricing rules, and configurations is significantly faster and more flexible. Admins can make changes in real time without relying on technical resources, reducing the time it takes to implement new products or pricing strategies.
   
   
4. Easier Integrations (API-First)
   Modern CPQ solutions are designed to be API-first, ensuring that integrations with CRM systems, ERP solutions, and other tools are quick, seamless, and easy to manage. This enhances overall sales efficiency and improves the flow of data across systems.
   
   
5. More Powerful Discount Guardrails
   Modern CPQ platforms provide advanced discount guardrails, helping sales teams manage discounting policies more effectively. With built-in rules and limits, these systems ensure that discounts stay within approved boundaries, improving margin control and reducing revenue leakage.
   
   
6. More Intuitive UI for Reps and Admins
   Modern CPQ platforms boast user-friendly interfaces that are easy for both sales reps and admins to navigate. These intuitive UIs improve efficiency, reduce training time, and enhance user satisfaction by simplifying the quoting and configuration process.

These capability gaps are exactly why companies are looking beyond Salesforce CPQ. With modern CPQ platforms offering enhanced flexibility, AI-driven features, and faster, more intuitive administration, businesses are migrating to solutions that better support their evolving sales needs.

Why Companies are Choosing Everstage CPQ After Salesforce CPQ EOL

Everstage is the first platform to unify both CPQ and Incentive Compensation Management (ICM) into one seamless solution, allowing sellers to view pricing, commissions, and earning impacts in a single place. This integration reduces errors, improves deal quality, and accelerates approval processes. 

Apart from this game-changing feature, customers have reported various factors that influenced their decision to migrate, including:

1. Strong Salesforce-Native Integration for Minimal Change Management

Everstage CPQ offers seamless integration with Salesforce, which means businesses can transition without the need for drastic changes to their existing systems. The strong native connection ensures that your CRM, quoting, and sales processes continue to operate smoothly, reducing the complexity and cost associated with migration. 

This familiar, consistent environment helps your team adapt quickly without disrupting ongoing operations.

2. Modern Rule Engine with No-Code Administration

One of the standout features of Everstage CPQ is its modern rule engine, designed for simplicity and flexibility. With no-code administration, your team can easily manage and modify pricing rules without relying on technical resources. 

This intuitive setup reduces dependency on developers and allows for faster adjustments, meaning your team can respond to market changes or new pricing strategies with minimal delay.

3. Faster Migration from Salesforce CPQ Due to Simplified Data Mapping

Migrating from Salesforce CPQ to Everstage CPQ is faster and more streamlined thanks to Everstage’s simplified data mapping process. This means less time spent on complex migration tasks and more time spent optimizing your new solution. 

The migration tools and processes are designed to ensure that your data transitions smoothly, so you can maintain business continuity without worrying about data loss or errors.

4. AI-Driven Pricing Intelligence and Discount Governance

Everstage CPQ leverages AI-driven pricing intelligence to help optimize pricing decisions and improve profitability. The platform’s advanced discount governance ensures that sales teams stay within approved discount limits, helping protect margins and prevent revenue leakage. 

With real-time pricing adjustments and AI recommendations, Everstage CPQ empowers sales teams to quote faster and more accurately, enhancing overall sales efficiency.

5. Better Support for SaaS + Hybrid Pricing

Everstage CPQ is specifically designed to support modern pricing models, including SaaS and hybrid pricing. Whether your pricing structure is based on subscriptions, usage, or a combination of both, Everstage CPQ provides the flexibility to manage these models effortlessly. 

This makes it an ideal solution for businesses in fast-growing industries that need to adapt quickly to evolving pricing strategies.

6. Customers Migrating Off Salesforce CPQ See Faster Quoting and Fewer Approval Delays

One of the key advantages of migrating to Everstage CPQ is the significant improvement in quoting speed and the reduction in approval delays. With Everstage’s intuitive UI and streamlined approval workflows, sales teams can generate quotes in record time, while management can approve deals with fewer bottlenecks. This efficiency boost leads to faster deal closures and happier customers.

Everstage CPQ works as part of a unified system with incentive compensation and revenue planning. Your quoting connects directly to commission calculations and forecasting. That integration matters when you're trying to align pricing decisions with sales compensation and revenue goals.

Migration Roadmap: How to Transition Off Salesforce CPQ Smoothly

Migrating away from Salesforce CPQ can be a complex process, but with careful planning, you can ensure a seamless transition to a more modern CPQ solution. Here’s a high-level roadmap to guide you through the process:

Phase 1: Discovery & Audit

Begin by cataloging all products, pricing rules, and dependencies, ensuring that you understand every element of your current CPQ setup. Identifying customizations and edge cases early will help prevent complications during migration.

Phase 2: Clean-Up & Rationalization

Simplify your pricing logic and remove unused product configurations to streamline your data for the migration. This phase is crucial for reducing complexity and ensuring only relevant data is moved to the new system.

Phase 3: Platform Selection

Evaluate modern CPQ vendors to find the best fit for your business needs, focusing on features like scalability and ease of integration. Mapping these features to your requirements will ensure a smooth transition to a platform that supports your goals.

Phase 4: Build & Testing

Rebuild your pricing logic in the new CPQ system and validate quote accuracy across different scenarios. Rigorous testing of workflows and integrations ensures that everything functions as expected before going live.

Phase 5: Rollout

Train your sales reps on the new system and, if necessary, run a parallel process to catch any issues before full deployment. Once live, monitor the system closely to address any challenges and ensure smooth operation.

Most mid-market migrations take 8-16 weeks. Enterprise implementations with complex customizations may need 4-6 months. Start planning early to avoid rushed timelines.

Common Migration Mistakes to Avoid

While migrating from Salesforce CPQ to a new platform, companies often make several common mistakes that can hinder the success of the transition. Here are the most critical pitfalls to avoid:

• Trying to Replicate Old CPQ Rules 1:1: Avoid the temptation to replicate your old Salesforce CPQ setup exactly as it was. Instead, take the opportunity to optimize and simplify your pricing rules to be more flexible and efficient in the new system.
  
  
• Migrating Unused Products & Outdated Logic: Don’t carry over unused products, outdated configurations, or legacy pricing logic that no longer serve your business. This only clutters the new system and adds complexity.
  
  
• Not Involving RevOps Early Enough: RevOps should be involved early in the process to help align sales, operations, and finance. Their insights will be crucial for streamlining workflows, ensuring data accuracy, and designing efficient approval systems.
  
  
• Underestimating Integration Complexities: Don’t underestimate the time and resources required for integrating the new CPQ system with your existing CRM, ERP, and other tools. Complex integrations can cause delays if not planned carefully.
  
  
• Forgetting Approval Workflow Redesign: Approval workflows are often a critical part of the CPQ process. Make sure to redesign and test these workflows early in the migration process to avoid bottlenecks when the new system goes live.
  
  
• Insufficient Testing of Quote Output: Testing the accuracy of quote generation is critical. Ensure that quotes generated by the new CPQ system match customer expectations and internal pricing standards across all scenarios.
  
  
• Lack of User Training Leading to Poor Adoption: Even the best CPQ platform can fail if your users aren’t properly trained. Invest time in training sales reps and admins to ensure a smooth transition and successful adoption of the new system.

By following the migration roadmap and addressing potential pitfalls early, your business can move off Salesforce CPQ successfully and adopt a modern CPQ solution that improves efficiency, scalability, and sales performance. Let’s conclude with the best move forward.

Final Recommendation: Is It Time to Move On From Salesforce CPQ?

Here's the reality. Salesforce CPQ is declining. Support is slowing down. Features stopped developing two years ago. The product won't improve from here.

You have roughly 4-5 years before full End of Life, based on typical enterprise software patterns. That sounds like plenty of time. It's not as much as you think.

Why Waiting Is Risky?

Most companies need 3-6 months to properly evaluate vendors, select a platform, and execute implementation. Enterprise organizations with complex setups need 6-12 months. Add the time to get budget approval, build internal consensus, and assemble a project team. 

If you start the evaluation in 2028, you're already rushed. Starting in 2029 means you're in crisis mode with limited options and no negotiating leverage.

Companies that plan migrations in 2025-2026 have real advantages. They can evaluate multiple vendors without time pressure. They negotiate better contract terms because they're not desperate. They clean up data and configurations properly. They choose implementation timing that fits their business calendar instead of being forced into disruptive schedules.

Modern CPQ platforms are faster, smarter, and easier to manage than Salesforce CPQ. AI-driven pricing, flexible revenue models, and clean admin interfaces aren't optional anymore. They're standard. The gap between what CPQ offers and what modern platforms deliver grows every quarter.

If you're ready to future-proof your sales process, consider Everstage CPQ, built for faster rule setup, seamless Salesforce integration, and optimized for modern, AI-driven pricing strategies. 

Book a demo with Everstage to see how companies are migrating off Salesforce CPQ and moving faster than they did before.