Salesforce CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is a powerful solution that helps businesses manage their pricing and quoting processes efficiently. If you want to enhance your career prospects in the Salesforce ecosystem and demonstrate expertise in designing, building, and implementing quoting flows through the Salesforce CPQ platform, obtaining the Salesforce CPQ Specialist credential is a significant step. This blog will provide you with a comprehensive guide to becoming a Salesforce CPQ Specialist, including information about the exam, recommended training, and maintaining your certification.
About The Salesforce Cpq Specialist Credential:
The Salesforce Certified CPQ Specialist credential is designed for individuals with hands-on experience implementing the Salesforce CPQ solution. This certification targets Salesforce customers, partners, and employees who want to showcase their skills and knowledge in handling complex CPQ scenarios. As a Salesforce CPQ Specialist, you will demonstrate proficiency in configuring bundles, pricing, output documents, renewals, and amendments.
Target Audience And Prerequisites
To pursue the Salesforce CPQ Specialist credential, you should have experience with the Salesforce CPQ platform, CPQ terminology, and the ability to troubleshoot and solve fundamental platform issues. You should have at least one year of experience in a CPQ Specialist role.
The Following Concepts Are Essential For The Exam:
Product Configuration and Pricing: Understand how to set up bundles, features, options, and configuration attributes. Learn how to define option constraints to ensure valid configurations. Familiarize yourself with price books, entries, and setting product prices.
Product and Price Rules: Configure product rules to automate product selection and enforce business logic. Create price rules using lookup objects and formula fields to determine pricing based on various criteria.
Quote Calculation and Pricing: Understand the quote calculation sequence and how pricing is determined for different quote lines. Be familiar with pricing methods such as discount schedules, block prices, contracted prices, subscription pricing, and percent-of-total calculations.
Quote Templates: Learn to configure dynamic quote templates with quote terms, line columns, sections, and template content. Understand how to generate renewal and amendment quotes based on existing quotes.
Troubleshooting: Be prepared to troubleshoot and resolve basic price rules, product rules, and pricing issues. Understand the data flow and common pitfalls.
User Permissions and Record Types: Know how to set up user permissions to control access to CPQ functionality. Configure record types and page layouts to tailor the user experience.
Approvals: Familiarize yourself with native and advanced approvals in Salesforce CPQ, including the approval process setup.
CPQ Object Data Model: Understand the relationships between various CPQ objects, twin fields, data migration considerations, and localization.
Package Level Settings: Be aware of CPQ package level settings and how managed packages may impact CPQ functionality.
Search Filters and Custom Actions: Learn how to configure search filters and custom actions for product selection and configuration.
Composite Summary Variable: Understand how to use composite summary variables for reporting and calculations.
Remember that the exam will focus on core CPQ functionality and configuration capabilities, excluding advanced topics like CPQ plug-ins, Custom Template Content, Target URL in Custom Actions, integration to third-party web apps, Salesforce Billing, Subscription Management, Legacy data handling, or coding-related skills.
Preparing For The Exam
Salesforce provides several resources to help you prepare for the Salesforce CPQ Specialist exam. Here are some steps you can take to get exam-ready:
Trailhead: Salesforce Trailhead offers a curated Trailmix designed to help you prepare for the CPQ Specialist credential. With this learning path, you can learn at your own pace, spending approximately 31 hours and 5 minutes on the content.
Classes and Workshops: For a more structured learning experience, you can enroll in the “Configure and Administer a Salesforce CPQ Solution (CPQ301)” course offered by Trailhead Academy. This 5-day class provides an in-depth look at Salesforce CPQ and its applications, helping you gain a technical understanding of CPQ administration.
Study with the Community: Join the Trailblazer Community to collaborate and study with fellow Trailblazers preparing for the CPQ Specialist exam. You can find study buddies and mentors to support your learning journey.
Exam
The Salesforce CPQ Specialist exam consists of 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions and 5 unscored questions. The time allotted to complete the exam is 105 minutes, which includes the unscored questions. Passing the exam would be best if you scored 65% or higher. The registration fee for the exam is USD 200, with applicable taxes as required per local law. If you must retake the exam, the fee is USD 100 plus applicable taxes.
The exam focuses on various aspects of the Salesforce CPQ platform and is divided into different sections:
- CPQ Platform: 23%
- Bundle Configurations: 17%
- Pricing: 16%
- Quote Templates: 7%
- Product Selection: 7%
- Orders, Contracts, Amendments, and Renewals: 15%
- Products: 11%
- Approvals: 4%
- Salesforce strongly recommends a combination of on-the-job experience and self-study to increase your chances of passing the exam successfully.
Maintaining Your Certification
Once you earn the Salesforce CPQ Specialist credential, keeping it up to date is essential. Salesforce requires you to complete the CPQ Specialist certification maintenance module on Trailhead once a year. This ensures that you stay current with the latest product releases and updates. Your certification will expire unless you complete the maintenance requirements by the due date.
Conclusion
Becoming a Salesforce CPQ Specialist is a significant milestone in your Salesforce career journey. As businesses increasingly adopt Salesforce CPQ to streamline their sales processes and enhance efficiency, the demand for skilled professionals in this area continues to grow. By obtaining the Salesforce CPQ Specialist credential, you can position yourself as an expert in the field, gaining recognition from employers and peers alike.
To embark on your journey towards becoming a Salesforce CPQ Specialist, it is crucial to understand the exam requirements and the knowledge areas covered. The Salesforce Certified CPQ Specialist credential is tailored for individuals with hands-on experience implementing the Salesforce CPQ solution. This certification targets Salesforce customers, partners, and employees who wish to demonstrate their skills in designing, building, and implementing quoting flows through the Salesforce CPQ platform.
As a Salesforce CPQ Specialist, you will showcase your proficiency in configuring bundles, pricing, output documents, renewals, and amendments. You will be equipped to handle complex pricing structures, manage product configurations, and generate dynamic quotes tailored to customers’ specific needs. This expertise is valuable in manufacturing, technology, and services, where accurate and timely quoting can make all the difference in winning deals.
In conclusion, pursuing the Salesforce CPQ Specialist certification is an investment in your professional growth and a testament to your expertise in handling Salesforce CPQ implementations. By leveraging the recommended training resources, self-study materials, and the Trailblazer Community, you can confidently prepare for the exam. Obtaining and maintaining the Salesforce CPQ Specialist credential will elevate your career prospects and make you a sought-after professional in the Salesforce ecosystem. So, take the next step and embark on your journey toward becoming a Salesforce CPQ Specialist today!
