If you work in sales, you know quoting is a pain. Manual quotes waste time, get messy, and leave you open to mistakes. If you’re looking to automate quotes in Apparound, this guide is for you. We’ll cut through the fluff and show you, step by step, how to set up automated quote generation—what actually works, what’s just marketing, and what to skip.
Who is this for?
- Sales ops folks tired of chasing down spreadsheets
- Admins setting up Apparound for the first time
- Anyone tasked with “making quoting easier” (without a 100-page manual)
If you want quotes that are fast, accurate, and don’t make your team’s life harder, keep reading.
Step 1: Get Your House in Order (Data Prep)
Automated quotes are only as good as your data. Garbage in, garbage out.
What you need ready:
- A clean product catalog: Names, codes, prices, descriptions—no weird characters or ancient SKUs.
- Up-to-date pricing and discount rules.
- Customer segments, if you use them (different prices for SMB vs. enterprise, for example).
Pro tip:
Don’t try to automate everything on day one. Start with your top 10 products or most common bundles. You can always add more later.
Skip this?
You can load junk into Apparound, but you’ll regret it. Spend the time now, save headaches later.
Step 2: Log in and Get Familiar with Apparound
First, log in to Apparound. If you haven’t poked around the admin panel yet, now’s the time.
Key places to know:
- Product Catalog: Where you’ll manage what gets quoted.
- Price Lists: Where you set the numbers.
- Quote Templates: Where you design how quotes look.
- Workflow/Automation: Where you set up rules to make quoting automatic.
If you’re lost, Apparound's documentation is decent, but not amazing. Don’t be afraid to click around—most changes won’t go live until you publish.
Step 3: Set Up Your Product Catalog
This is the foundation. If your catalog is a mess, automation will just make a bigger mess.
3.1 Add Products
- Go to the Product Catalog.
- Click "Add Product" or import a CSV file if you’ve got a lot.
- Fill in all the required fields: Name, SKU, Description, Price, etc.
- Set up product categories if you have a big catalog—it’ll help with filtering later.
3.2 Set Product Relationships
- If you sell bundles, set up dependencies (e.g., “this laptop always comes with this warranty”).
- Use “optional add-ons” for upsells.
What works:
CSV import is your friend if you have more than 20 products. Manual entry is fine for small catalogs, but it gets old fast.
What doesn’t:
Trying to be too clever with categories or relationships on day one. Keep it obvious and simple.
Step 4: Set Up Price Lists and Discount Rules
You need your prices to be right before you automate anything.
4.1 Create Price Lists
- Go to Price Lists in the admin panel.
- Set up your base prices.
- Add regional or customer-specific lists if necessary.
4.2 Add Discount Rules
- Set standard discounts (e.g., 10% off for partners).
- Use rules for volume discounts (“Buy 10+, get 15% off”).
- If you want approval workflows for bigger discounts, set thresholds here.
Pro tip:
Test your discount rules with real-world scenarios. Don’t just copy the marketing sheet—see what actually happens when you add products and discounts.
What to ignore:
You probably don’t need to set up hyper-complex discount matrices unless you’re a telecom company. Start simple.
Step 5: Design Your Quote Template
This is what your customers will see, so it’s worth making it look decent.
5.1 Use the Built-in Template Editor
- Go to Quote Templates.
- Choose a base template or start from scratch.
- Drag and drop fields: Customer name, product list, totals, terms, and conditions.
- Add your logo and contact info.
5.2 Add Dynamic Fields
- Pull in fields from your product catalog (so quotes update automatically).
- Use merge tags for customer data (“Dear {{customer_name}}”).
What works:
Keep your template clean. Most customers just want to see what they’re buying, how much it costs, and when it’s valid.
What doesn’t:
Overloading your quote with legalese or 10 pages of “value prop.” Nobody reads it.
Step 6: Automate the Quote Generation Workflow
Now, for the actual automation.
6.1 Set Up the Automation Rules
- In the Workflow/Automation section, create a new automation or workflow for quote generation.
- Define triggers:
- When a salesperson selects products and a customer, the quote should generate automatically.
- Or, when a quote is created in your CRM (if you’re integrating).
- Define actions:
- Generate quote document.
- Email to customer and/or internal team.
- Update quote status in system.
6.2 Integrate with CRM (Optional but Useful)
- If you use Salesforce, Dynamics, or another CRM, integrate Apparound via API or native connectors.
- Map fields so customer and product data sync up automatically.
What works:
Automating approval flows for higher discounts or special terms—saves a lot of back-and-forth.
What doesn’t:
Trying to automate everything right away. Start with the basics: product selection, quote generation, and simple approvals.
Step 7: Test the Whole Flow (Don’t Skip This)
Before rolling it out, actually use it like your sales team would.
- Create a test customer.
- Build a quote from scratch: select products, apply discounts, generate the quote.
- Check that the math adds up and the document looks right.
- Send a test quote to your own email—see what the customer will see.
Pro tip:
Have someone not involved in setup do a dry run. They'll spot things you missed.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess over every pixel or corner case at first. If the basics work, you can fix details later.
Step 8: Roll Out to Your Team and Get Feedback
- Train a small group first (“pilot” team).
- Get real feedback—what confuses them? What’s missing? Is anything harder than before?
- Iterate. Fix the obvious stuff.
- Then roll out to everyone.
What works:
Short training videos or cheat sheets—nobody reads a 40-page manual.
What doesn’t:
Assuming everyone will figure it out just because “it’s automated now.” People will find ways to break things.
Step 9: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t fall for the “set it and forget it” myth. Products and prices change. People find new ways to break stuff.
- Schedule a quarterly review of your product catalog and pricing.
- Check for any bottlenecks or weird workarounds your team is using.
- Update templates and automation as needed.
Final Thoughts
Automating quote generation in Apparound doesn’t have to be complicated. Focus on clean data, simple rules, and clear templates. Don’t try to automate every edge case on day one—start small, test with real deals, and build up from there. The best systems are the ones your team actually uses (and trusts). Keep it straightforward, and don’t be afraid to tweak things as you go.