Getting discounts approved shouldn’t feel like herding cats. If you’re tired of chasing down emails, waiting on managers, or watching deals stall because someone missed a spreadsheet, it’s probably time to automate. This guide is for pricing managers, sales ops folks, or anyone who has to wrangle discount approvals and wants less chaos.
We’ll walk through automating discount approvals using Vistaar’s workflow tools. I’ll show you what works, what to skip, and how to avoid ending up with a system that’s more trouble than it’s worth.
Why bother automating discount approvals?
Let’s be real. Manual discount approvals are a mess:
- Approvals get stuck in inboxes.
- Everyone’s using their own spreadsheet.
- No audit trail, so good luck explaining who approved what.
- Sales loses deals because it takes too long.
Automation can help if you set it up with your real process in mind—not some idealized “future state” that never arrives. But don’t expect magic. Automating a broken process just gets you faster chaos.
Step 1: Map your current approval process (warts and all)
Before you even log in to Vistaar, sketch out how discount approvals actually happen today. Not how they’re supposed to happen—how they really go down. Use sticky notes, a whiteboard, or whatever works.
- Who can request a discount?
- What triggers an approval? (E.g., discount % thresholds, deal size, customer type)
- Who needs to approve—and in what order?
- Where do things get bogged down?
- What exceptions crop up all the time?
Pro tip: If you can’t explain your process in a few steps, it’s too complicated. Simplify before you automate.
Step 2: Get the right people in the room
Don’t try to do this solo. You’ll miss steps or automate the wrong thing. Pull in:
- Someone from sales (they’ll tell you where it slows them down)
- One or two actual approvers (not just their bosses)
- Whoever runs pricing
- An IT or Vistaar admin (they know what’s possible)
Have them walk through a real-life deal—from request to final approval. Note the pain points and the “unwritten rules” that always pop up.
Step 3: Sketch your ideal (but realistic) workflow
Here’s where you turn the messy reality into something that makes sense. Using your notes:
- Identify steps you can cut. (Does the VP really need to approve $500 discounts?)
- Decide on clear approval thresholds. For example:
- Discounts up to 10%: auto-approved
- 10-20%: manager approval
- 20%+: VP approval
- Pin down rules for exception handling. (E.g., “If the customer is strategic, escalate to pricing.”)
- Write it all down, step by step.
Don’t try to cover every rare scenario. Focus on the 90% of deals that follow the standard path.
Step 4: Build your workflow in Vistaar
Now, log in to Vistaar and head to the workflow tools. Here’s the usual flow, but check your version—screens and terms can change.
- Create a new workflow template.
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Name it something obvious, like “Standard Discount Approval.”
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Define workflow steps.
- Add each approval stage: Sales, Manager, VP, etc.
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For each step, set who the approver is (by role or specific person).
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Set up approval rules.
- Use Vistaar’s rule engine to route requests based on discount % or deal attributes.
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Example: “If discount ≤ 10%, auto-approve. If 10% < discount ≤ 20%, route to Sales Manager.”
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Add notifications and reminders.
- Make sure approvers get notified when it’s their turn.
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Set up reminders—people forget, and you don’t want stalled deals.
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Define exception paths.
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For cases that don’t fit the normal flow (e.g., competitor match, strategic customer), create an “escalate” step or flag for manual review.
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Test your workflow.
- Run a few sample deals through it. Use real data, not toy examples.
- Watch for bottlenecks or steps that don’t make sense in practice.
What works: Vistaar’s workflow tools are pretty good at routing and rules. They’re better than email chains or spreadsheets. You get audit trails and a clear process.
What doesn’t: Don’t expect the user interface to win any design awards. Some screens feel clunky. If you have a super-complex process, you might hit limits—try to keep it simple.
Step 5: Roll it out (but expect hiccups)
Don’t just flip the switch and hope for the best. Start small:
- Pick one region or sales team to pilot.
- Train them on the new workflow—show, don’t just tell.
- Collect feedback. Where are people getting stuck? Is anything missing?
- Tweak your workflow based on real feedback, not just theory.
Pro tip: Incentivize people to actually use the workflow. If folks keep going around the system, figure out why—it’s usually a sign your process is too slow or too strict.
Step 6: Track, measure, and adjust
Automation isn’t a “set it and forget it” deal. Check in regularly:
- Are deals moving faster?
- Are approval times actually dropping?
- Are people finding new ways to bypass the process?
- Any weird exceptions piling up?
Use Vistaar reports (they’re decent, not perfect) or export data for a deeper dive. If you see new bottlenecks, fix them. If steps keep getting skipped, maybe they’re not needed.
Common traps (and how to dodge them)
Trap 1: Overcomplicating the workflow - If you try to build a flowchart that covers every edge case, you’ll end up with a beast no one can use. Solve for the common cases first.
Trap 2: Ignoring real user behavior - If sales keeps calling the VP directly for approvals, ask why. Maybe the thresholds are too low, or the process is too slow.
Trap 3: Forgetting about change management - People resist new tools, especially if they’re clunky or feel like “just one more system.” Make it easy—embed approval links in emails, keep steps short, and show how it saves time.
Trap 4: Setting and forgetting - Processes drift. Roles change. Keep your workflow up to date, or you’ll be back to square one.
A few things to ignore
- Fancy “AI-driven” approval suggestions: These rarely deliver real value for discount approvals. Focus on clear, simple rules.
- Overly granular reporting: You don’t need 50 different approval metrics. Track time-to-approve and bottlenecks—ignore the rest.
- One-size-fits-all templates: Your process is unique. Start with a template, but don’t force-fit.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple and keep tweaking
Automating discount approvals with Vistaar isn’t rocket science, but it does take a clear head and a willingness to question how things are done. Start simple, listen to real users, and don’t fall for bells and whistles you don’t need. If you’re not sure about a step, leave it out—you can always add it later.
Bottom line: The best workflow is the one people actually use. Keep it clean, keep iterating, and you’ll spend less time chasing approvals—and more time closing deals.