If you’re running B2B sales and your product catalog is a mess of spreadsheets, emails, and “where did I put that price list?” moments, this guide’s for you. We’ll walk through a real-world, practical way to set up and manage your product catalogs in Getcacheflow. No hand-waving, just the actual steps you need—plus some honest advice about what’s worth your time and what isn’t.
Why Product Catalog Chaos Hurts B2B Sales
Let’s be real: B2B sales aren’t like slapping a “buy now” button on a T-shirt. You’ve got bundles, pricing tiers, contract terms, exceptions, SKUs nobody uses anymore, and a sales team that will definitely use the wrong PDF if you let them. If your product catalog isn’t organized, you’ll run into:
- Sales reps quoting wrong prices or items
- Customers getting different info from different people
- Frantic spreadsheet updates before every deal
- Lost deals because you can’t answer “can you do X for us?” clearly
A good digital catalog in Getcacheflow won’t solve every sales headache, but it will cut out a lot of the basic pain. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Map What You Actually Sell (Not What You Wish You Sold)
Before you even log in, get your house in order. Don’t just dump every SKU you’ve ever created into Getcacheflow and call it a day. Instead:
- List your active SKUs and services. Focus on what’s actually being sold.
- Group them the way your customers buy them. Think “bundles,” “add-ons,” “core products,” etc.
- Write down your real pricing rules. Include discounts, volume breaks, contract terms, and exceptions.
Pro tip: If you can’t explain your pricing in a paragraph, your catalog will confuse your sales team and your customers. Simplify where you can.
Step 2: Set Up Your Product Catalog in Getcacheflow
Once you’ve got your product info organized, you’re ready to put it into Getcacheflow.
2.1. Create Product Entries
- Go to the Products section. This is where you’ll add everything you sell.
- Add products one by one, or bulk import. If you’ve got a clean spreadsheet, use the import tool. If not, enter items manually (it’s slower, but you’ll catch mistakes).
- Include clear names, descriptions, and SKUs. Don’t use internal codes only your ops team understands.
- Set base prices, but leave room for negotiation. Most B2B deals involve some wiggle room.
2.2. Organize with Categories (But Don’t Get Fancy)
- Use simple categories. “Software,” “Hardware,” “Services”—that’s enough for most catalogs. Don’t create 10 layers of subcategories; nobody will use them.
- Tag common bundles or packages. If you sell the same groupings repeatedly, make them easy to select.
What to skip: Over-complicating with endless attributes, custom fields, or trying to map every possible config. Start simple, then add complexity if you really need it.
Step 3: Set Up Pricing and Rules (Keep It Real)
Now’s the time to make sure your pricing is usable by your team—not just “technically correct.”
3.1. Standard Pricing
- Set list price for each product. This is your “sticker price.”
- Add volume or contract discounts if you use them. Keep these straightforward. If you need a spreadsheet to explain your discounting, rethink your approach.
3.2. Custom Pricing for Key Accounts
- Use Getcacheflow’s customer-specific pricing features. This lets you set negotiated prices for certain clients.
- Document the reason for custom pricing. Don’t let ad hoc discounts pile up; make sure there’s a good reason for every exception.
3.3. Approval Workflows (Optional)
- If your team can’t be trusted with discounts, set approval rules. But don’t make it a bureaucracy. The more hoops you add, the slower your sales get.
Pro tip: Don’t try to automate every edge case. Focus on the 90% of deals that follow standard rules, and handle the weird ones manually.
Step 4: Make Your Catalog Easy for Sales to Use
The best catalog in the world is useless if your sales team can’t find things quickly.
4.1. Clean, Searchable Listings
- Use plain-language names and descriptions. If a new hire can’t find a product by searching what a customer actually calls it, rename it.
- Keep SKUs visible, but secondary. Helpful for order entry, but not for customer calls.
4.2. Pre-Built Bundles and Packages
- Create templates for common deal types. If you always sell “Starter,” “Pro,” “Enterprise” bundles, set these up as selectable packages.
- Limit options where possible. Too many choices = analysis paralysis.
4.3. Hide What Isn’t for Sale
- Archive or hide discontinued products. Don’t pollute your catalog with old stuff “just in case.”
- Mark region- or customer-specific items clearly. Avoid embarrassing mix-ups.
Step 5: Keep Your Catalog Up to Date (and Ignore Nice-to-Have Features)
A bloated or stale catalog is worse than none at all. Here’s what actually matters:
5.1. Regular Catalog Reviews
- Schedule a quarterly review. Cut dead products, revise descriptions, and check for price changes.
- Get sales feedback. If reps are always asking for “that weird add-on,” either add it officially or kill it.
5.2. Version Control (But Don’t Overcomplicate)
- Use Getcacheflow’s versioning if you have lots of changes. Otherwise, just update in place.
- Don’t obsess over tracking every tweak. Focus on what your team actually needs.
5.3. Sync With Other Systems—But Only If You Must
- Integrate with your CRM or ERP if it saves time. But integrations break, and sometimes a simple export/import is safer and less maintenance.
- Ignore “AI-powered recommendations” for now. Most teams don’t need this, despite what the sales pitch says.
Step 6: Train Your Team (and Make Life Easy for Them)
Even the best setup fails if nobody uses it—or uses it wrong.
- Run a quick walkthrough. Show how to find and quote products in Getcacheflow.
- Share a one-pager FAQ. Don’t make people hunt for info.
- Encourage feedback. If reps keep working outside the system, your catalog probably needs a fix.
Pro tip: Make it easy for sales to request new products or changes. If it’s a hassle, they’ll make do with what’s there (and you’ll lose deals).
What to Skip or Ignore (at Least for Now)
- Exotic product attributes (“color codes,” “internal margin category”) unless you actually use them in deals.
- Overly granular permissions—trust your team until you have a reason not to.
- Automating the edge cases—if something comes up once a year, handle it manually.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Setting up and managing a B2B product catalog in Getcacheflow isn’t rocket science, but it does take some up-front work. Start simple, focus on what your sales team and customers really need, and skip the bells and whistles until you actually have a problem they’d solve. Your catalog should make deals easier, not harder—so keep it lean, revisit it regularly, and don’t be afraid to prune ruthlessly. That’s how you keep things moving and your sales team sane.