In today’s B2B landscape, digital self-service has become more than a convenience; it’s an expectation. Buyers increasingly prefer the speed, convenience, and autonomy of online platforms. According to Gartner research in 2022, 75% of B2B buyers prefer a sales-free buying experience, compared to just 59% in 2015. Additionally, it was anticipated that by 2025, 80% of all B2B sales interactions would take place through digital channels.

Yet despite these expectations, insights from the Gartner B2B Buying Report 2023 reveal a critical paradox: while B2B buyers lean toward digital channels, they often make better purchasing decisions when a sales representative is involved. This insight highlights a critical challenge: how can organizations balance the efficiency of the digital experience with the value of human interaction?

Why Hybrid Selling Outperforms Digital-Only Experiences

According to the report, 43% of buyers using digital self-service report high levels of purchase regret, compared to just 21% of those who received rep-assisted support. Even more compelling, the same study reveals that B2B buyers are 1.8x more likely to complete a high-quality deal when they leverage supplier-provided digital tools in tandem with a sales rep.

So, why does hybrid selling — the combination of digital tools and human support — outperform digital-only experiences?

1. Complexity Overload

Many B2B purchases involve complex product catalogs, intricate configurations, or customized pricing. Buyers often struggle to navigate these alone. Without expert guidance, they may overlook critical details, misinterpret product specs, or fail to identify the best-fit solution.

2. Information Fatigue

Too much data, not enough context. Large digital catalogs can overwhelm users, especially new or unfamiliar buyers, leading to indecision and lost confidence. Without guided context, even the best product can get buried in noise.

3. Error-Prone Transactions

Self-service isn’t foolproof. Mistakes in self-service purchases, from incorrect configurations to mismatched SKUs, are more common than you think. These errors not only delay procurement teams, but also erode trust in the buying experience and create unnecessary sales friction.

4. Stalled Journeys

Without a rep to answer questions, nudge the process forward, or tailor offers, deals often stall out. Abandoned carts are common in digital-only channels.

Evolving Buyer Expectations in B2B Sales

Today’s buyers are more informed, independent, and particular about how they engage with companies throughout the purchase process. They’ve become accustomed to seamless, personalized experiences as consumers, and they expect the same in their professional interactions. As a result, the sales process has fundamentally changed, forcing organizations to rethink how they engage, support, and convert modern buyers.

The New B2B Buyer Trends:

1. Hybrid Processes

Buyers want the freedom to explore products on their own, through self-service tools and digital channels. However, they also value expert guidance at key moments, such as complex configurations or negotiations.

2. Omnichannel Consistency

Purchases span multiple touchpoints, including online marketplaces, webinars, direct emails, trade shows, and direct sales interactions. They expect a unified, consistent experience no matter where they engage.

The takeaway? Sales friction is the enemy. B2B sellers must deliver both speed and support, empowering buyers to move forward confidently—while giving reps the tools to step in with precision. Solutions like Collaborative quoting are becoming mission-critical in bridging this gap.

What is Collaborative Quoting?

Hybrid selling bridges the gap between digital convenience and timely human engagement. In a world where B2B buyers crave autonomy but still need assurance, Smart CPQ’s Collaborative quoting capability offers the best balance of both worlds.

Collaborative quoting is a powerful capability within PROS Smart CPQ, designed to meet buyers wherever they are. It enables a flexible, digital space where online buyers, sellers, and partners can collaborate on quotes in real time.

Key Capabilities of Collaborative Quoting:

• Accelerated Time-to-Value: Leverage Smart CPQ’s built-in catalog logic to quickly deliver accurate quotes with minimal effort. Reduce errors, instill buyer confidence, and streamline the quoting process.
• Effortless Quote Management: Simplify quote creation, organization, and sharing for both sellers and buyers. Intuitive filters and sorting features save time, reduce friction, and accelerate negotiations.
• Simplified Complexity: Easily manage large, complex quotes by utilizing product bundles and structured folder hierarchies — perfect for handling enterprise-level deals with precision.
• Empowered Buyer Autonomy: Give buyers the tools to self-serve by creating and managing their own quotes online. Lighten the sales team’s workload while speeding up the sales cycle.
• Customer-Centric Dashboard: Enhance transparency and improve the buyer experience with a collaborative portal to track, organize, and manage quotes seamlessly.
• Seamless Collaboration: Invite or remove collaborators — internal or external — with just a few clicks. Ensure the right stakeholders are involved at every stage.
• Secure Access Control: Maintain strict control over quote visibility and permissions, enabling secure, collaborative workflows across teams.
• Integrated Digital Ecosystem: Embed quoting functionality into your existing eCommerce platforms using robust APIs, delivering a streamlined and cohesive purchasing experience.
• Customizable Brand Experience: Align the application’s design with your brand identity. Tailor layouts and styling to meet customer expectations and reinforce your brand’s presence.

These features drive efficiency, empower buyers, and streamline the sales process for improved business outcomes.

Why it Matters:

Sujit Bhavsar, Senior Product Manager at PROS, explains it best:

How Collaborative Quoting Improves the Buying Experience

One of the best aspects of collaborative quoting is how it transforms the customer experience by blending self-service and personalized support. Here’s how it delivers value:

1. Seamless Self-Service

Buyers gain the freedom to take charge of their purchasing without being constrained by sales schedules:

• Explore products and prices, and customize your options with ease online.
• Make quantity adjustments or request tweaks with instant visibility.

This helps reduce delays and empowers buyers to move forward independently when appropriate.

2. Integrated Guidance

While self-service is critical, collaborative quoting keeps sellers in the loop, offering transparency and seamless interactions. Sales reps can:

• Clarify payment terms or warranty details.
• Guide the buyer through approval steps and next actions.

3. Fewer Errors, Faster Deals

By centralizing quoting tools and ensuring synchronization, businesses can eliminate common quoting errors, reduce manual interventions, and avoid miscommunication. This enhances both accuracy and efficiency, particularly for complex deals.

Customization, Control, and the Future of Collaborative Quoting

Sales teams need flexibility when it comes to engaging with customers. Collaborative quoting makes it possible to deliver tailored, branded experiences while maintaining data security and consistency.

Enhanced Control for Sellers

Using a self-service designer interface, sellers determine:

• What data and columns buyers can interact with.
• Authentication levels for access, e.g., integration with platforms like Okta.
• Permissions (e.g., allowing buyers to edit or only view quotes).

APIs for Endless Possibilities

Collaborative Quoting offers powerful APIs that allow businesses to seamlessly integrate quoting functionality into their own customer or partner portals. This enables deeper integration and empowers companies to deliver personalized, user-specific experiences.

Businesses can adapt and customize the quoting process for various segments — whether it’s enterprise clients, resellers, or regional teams — without the need to rebuild their core quoting platform. For customers, this streamlined convenience fosters trust and loyalty, encouraging repeat business and strengthening relationships.

Meanwhile, partners gain access to tailored quoting tools directly within their workflows, simplifying the process of selling the company’s products or services. This enhanced collaboration drives shared growth and long-term success for all stakeholders.

A Vision for the Future

PROS is constantly iterating on the collaborative quoting roadmap. Upcoming innovations include:

• AI-Powered Assistance: Intelligent nudges, personalized product recommendations, and real-time chat support.
• Enhanced Collaboration Workflows: Built-in chat and messaging capabilities for a fully integrated quoting experience.

Collaborative Quoting in Action

Practical Use Case:

Imagine you’re a distributor selling industrial packaging equipment. A customer in Texas needs machines rated for high temperatures, while another in Ohio operates under strict safety regulations and wants to include premium safety enclosures. A third customer in California is interested in bundling training services to support their new team. With PROS Smart CPQ’s Collaborative quoting, your sales rep creates a base quote and shares it through the Collaboration Portal. Each buyer logs in, selects add-ons relevant to their business — like heat-resistant components, safety upgrades, or service packages — and sees pricing updates in real time. Every adjustment is synced instantly with the sales team, keeping quotes accurate, approvals smooth, and deals moving forward.

The Business Impact:

• Accelerated Sales Cycles: Say goodbye to endless email threads and delays. Real-time updates speed up decision-making, moving deals from quote to close faster.
• Improved Accuracy: Minimize costly errors with synchronized updates in one platform, reducing the risk of miscommunication.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Empower buyers to collaborate directly, creating a seamless, personalized experience that builds trust and drives repeat business.
• Increased Productivity: Free up your sales team from administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on nurturing customer relationships and what they do best: sell and close more deals.

Take Your Sales Process to the Next Level

Collaborative quoting with PROS Smart CPQ removes any digital sales roadblocks: no more slow quote cycles, miscommunication, or clunky handoffs. Instead, you get streamlined workflows, empowered buyers, and reps who can focus on expanding your market footprint.

Ready to transform your quoting process and accelerate deal velocity? Explore PROS Smart CPQ Today.