If you’re a B2B sales ops lead or sales engineer, you know that pricing isn’t just a math problem—it’s a minefield. Custom products, special discounts, wild customer requests, and about a dozen “exceptions to the rule.” If you’re using Tacton to manage your product configuration and pricing, good news: it’s powerful—but it can also be a headache if you’re not careful. This guide is for anyone who needs to create or fix custom pricing models in Tacton, and wants real-world advice, not just vendor cheerleading.
Why custom pricing models matter (and where teams get stuck)
Standard price lists are easy—until they aren’t. Most B2B sales teams run into at least one of these:
- Products with endless configuration options (think: industrial machines, not t-shirts)
- Special pricing agreements for big customers
- Regional pricing, currency issues, or rebates
- Sales reps who “just need to tweak something” for a deal to close
Tacton can handle all of this, but only if you set it up right. The most common pain points:
- Overcomplicated models: Too many variables, rules layered on rules, and nobody remembers why.
- Manual workarounds: Sales reps export to Excel to ‘fix’ a price. Now you’ve lost control.
- Maintenance nightmares: A change for one product breaks pricing everywhere.
Let’s get to the heart of how to build pricing models that are flexible, accurate, and don’t make everyone miserable.
Step 1: Start simple and map out your real pricing logic
Don’t start by building in Tacton. Start with a whiteboard or scratch paper. Seriously.
What to do: - List every price driver: Product features, add-ons, customer types, regions, volume breaks, service options, etc. - Draw the relationships: Does adding a feature change the base price? Do certain combinations trigger a discount? Who can override what? - Find the “weird cases”: Special deals, legacy agreements, or anything handled outside the system.
Pro tip:
If you can’t explain your pricing logic to a new rep in five minutes, it’s too complicated. Cut where you can.
What to ignore:
Don’t model edge cases you handled once in 2014. Focus on what happens 95% of the time.
Step 2: Choose the right pricing strategy in Tacton
Tacton supports a few main pricing approaches:
- Table-based pricing: For products with clear options and set prices (good for simple modular products).
- Formula-based pricing: For calculating prices dynamically based on selected features or attributes.
- Rule-based adjustments: For adding discounts, surcharges, or account-specific pricing.
What works: - Start with tables when possible—they’re easier for others to understand and maintain. - Mix in formulas only where you need dynamic calculations (length, weight, custom dimensions). - Use rules sparingly—only for exceptions or customer-specific tweaks.
What doesn’t:
Don’t use rules to patch bad data or broken logic. That makes for a maintenance mess.
Step 3: Build pricing data to be readable and audit-friendly
Future you (or someone else) will need to update this. Make it easy.
How: - Name everything clearly: Use real product and feature names, not cryptic codes. - Comment your formulas: Tacton lets you add documentation—do it. Explain what each rule or formula does and why. - Keep tables tidy: One row per logical combination. No hidden columns or magic numbers.
Pro tip:
Separate pricing data from configuration data. Don’t bury price info in the same place as product logic.
What to ignore:
Don’t build pricing logic that relies on “tribal knowledge” or notes outside Tacton. Everything should be in the system.
Step 4: Set up approval workflows and guardrails
If anyone can override a price, you don’t have a pricing model—you have chaos.
How: - Define who can approve what: In Tacton, set clear approval levels for discounts, special prices, or exceptions. - Automate flags: Have Tacton flag quotes that fall outside normal ranges or break pre-set rules. - Lock down critical fields: Prevent reps from editing key pricing data unless they’re authorized.
What works:
Automated workflows save time and keep deals moving without constant manager check-ins.
What doesn’t:
Manual approvals for every quote. It’ll slow everything down and eventually, people will just work outside the system.
Step 5: Test, test, and test again—with real deals
The only way to know if your model works? Try to break it.
How: - Use real-world scenarios: Run a few actual quotes from recent deals through the model. - Check edge cases: Test those “special” deals you mapped out in Step 1. - Involve sales reps: Let them try to use (and abuse) the system. They’ll find holes you missed.
Pro tip:
Document your test cases and keep them. Every time you update the model, run these tests again.
What to ignore:
Don’t get caught up in theoretical combinations nobody ever sells. Focus on what actually happens.
Step 6: Plan for change—make updates easy
Pricing isn’t set-and-forget. Customers, costs, and strategies change.
How: - Centralize pricing tables and rules: One place to update, not fifty. - Version control: Keep copies of old models so you can roll back if something breaks. - Train someone else: Don’t be the only person who understands the pricing model.
What works:
A simple change process: tweak, test (see Step 5), then publish.
What doesn’t:
Letting the model grow into a monster nobody wants to touch. If updates are hard, something’s wrong.
What makes a good custom pricing model in Tacton?
Here’s the honest checklist:
- It fits 95% of your deals, not every possible scenario
- It’s clear enough for a new hire to understand
- It’s easy to update without breaking everything
- You can trust the prices it outputs, every time
- You’re not constantly firefighting “exceptions”
If you’ve got those, you’re ahead of most teams.
Final thoughts: Keep it simple, keep it moving
Complexity is the enemy. Start simple, get it working, then layer on what you need. Document as you go, involve your sales team early, and don’t be afraid to cut features nobody uses. Tacton can handle a lot—but only if you keep your model as clean as your logic.
Build, test, revise, repeat. That’s how you get a pricing model that works in the real world, not just in a demo. Good luck!