Question · Acme Corp
As Acme moves from selling equipment to running outcomes for our customers, what is the one change that would most help us serve them better and grow faster?
Greenlit
Standard deals under $250,000 are quoted in five days or less by the end of Q3.
The idea people ranked
Cut the time from a customer's first request to a signed quote from 18 days to 5, by pre-approving standard pricing and contract terms for deals under $250,000.
Where it came from
Added September 7, 2026, by Elena Ruiz, Commercial Finance.
How people made it better
- List what counts as a standard deal: equipment family, contract length and discount band. Everything else goes through the normal path. (Sales)
- Pre-approved contract terms need a Legal sign-off per region, kept in one place. (Legal)
- Approve pricing once a quarter in one meeting, not deal by deal. (Finance)
- Track days from request to quote for every deal, and publish the figure every month. (Operations)
- Build the quote from a template that pulls prices and lead times automatically, so nobody retypes them. (Technology)
- Check delivery lead times with the plant before the quote goes out, to avoid promises we cannot keep. (Manufacturing)
Problem and opportunity
Problem Customers wait 18 days on average for a quote, and we lose deals to faster competitors.
Opportunity Pre-approved pricing and terms let Sales answer in days, not weeks, without losing margin discipline.
Impact
| Measure | Now | Target | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days from request to quote | 18 | 5 | Faster decisions for customers |
| Win rate on standard deals | 31% | 36% | About $22M a year |
Guardrail Average margin on standard deals stays at or above 31%.
Owner and next steps
Owner Elena Ruiz, VP Commercial Finance
Executive sponsor Tom Okafor, Chief Financial Officer
First 30 days Define a standard deal and publish the approved price bands.
Days 31 to 60 Release the quote template in North America and train 200 sales staff.
Days 61 to 90 Roll out in EMEA and publish days to quote every month.
Next step Agree the definition of a standard deal with Sales and Legal