The future of manufacturing sales: Creating digital buying experiences with Visual CPQ

As manufacturers shift towards digital transformation, traditional sales processes are no longer enough to meet customer expectations. Partners and buyers demand seamless, interactive, and visually driven experiences that help them understand and configure complex products effortlessly. This shift is where Visual CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) solutions come in, transforming how manufacturers and dealers sell made-to-order products.

In this episode of the CPQ Podcast, host Frank Sohn sits down with Leon Panjtar, co-founder and CEO of SaleSqueze, to explore how manufacturers can simplify and accelerate their sales processes with Visual CPQ. They discuss how digital buying experiences are reshaping the industry, why no-code solutions empower sales teams, and how manufacturers can future-proof their sales operations with smarter, more efficient tools.

Listen to this insightful conversation on how Visual CPQ is helping manufacturers win in an increasingly digital world.

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CPQ Podcast with Frank Sohn and Leon Panjtar

Frank Sohn: Welcome to the Configure Price Quote podcast. My name is Frank Sohn, and I’m the founder of Novus CPQ Consulting. This podcast is 100% focused on Configure Price Quote, also known as CPQ, and will provide you with useful insights into this topic.

My guest today is Leon Panjtar, co-founder and CEO of SaleSqueze, a Slovenia-based CPQ vendor with visual capabilities. Leon has nearly 20 years of business experience and founded SaleSqueze in 2021. I’m excited to have him join me today on the CPQ podcast to discuss his background and how the company was built. Welcome, Leon, to the CPQ podcast.

Leon Panjtar: Thanks for having me. Very excited to be here.

Frank Sohn: Let’s start with your background. What did you do before you started SaleSqueze?

Leon Panjtar: My story actually began as a student. I spent a lot of time learning programming and building applications. My field of study was industrial automation, industrial processes, and robotics. I’ve always been intrigued by the manufacturing world. But 20 years ago, when I finished my degree, there weren’t many jobs available in that space. In Slovenia, we had companies like Yaskawa, which offered technical sales roles, but I ended up shifting toward software development.

My first company was a security company, where I led the development team. Later, I took on another role where I started building digital products, and this became a huge passion of mine. In 2017, I co-founded my first company, a custom development business. Back then, nobody seemed to be focusing on digital transformation in manufacturing, so we started building custom software products for manufacturing companies.

As we worked with large customers, we noticed a recurring problem. Every time we were asked to move data or do integrations, we encountered bad-quality data—mostly coming from sales. We started researching how to help companies solve this challenge, and that’s how I was introduced to CPQ. The rest is history. In 2021, we founded SaleSqueze and started building a strong company in the CPQ space.

Frank Sohn: Oh, excellent. So I originally thought the company was founded in 2020, but it’s actually 2021. Apologies for making you a year older than you are!

Leon Panjtar: No problem!

Frank Sohn: How would you describe the demand for CPQ solutions right now?

Leon Panjtar: To be honest, I’m very surprised by how the market is developing. Especially with the post-COVID changes, there’s a huge push in the manufacturing sector to be more efficient, automate processes, and invest in digital transformation. Companies are now applying the same automation logic they’ve used in production lines to office processes. Many of them are struggling with staff shortages, so they need tools to improve efficiency. As a result, we’re seeing many interesting CPQ use cases emerging.

Frank Sohn: Are you mostly focused on Europe, or have you expanded beyond?

Leon Panjtar: Our company currently serves customers in 15 markets. We have started working with initial customers in the United States, as well as in New Zealand and Australia. But the majority of our customers still come from Europe and the United Kingdom.

Frank Sohn: Since the company is still relatively young, what excites you most about this stage?

Leon Panjtar: For me, it’s the shift in mindset among business leaders. Many manufacturers are now prioritizing customer experience. We’ve done a great job in simplifying the complexity of the manufacturing process and making products more accessible to end customers. Manufacturers are spending more time thinking about how they present their products to buyers, which is a major shift in the industry.

Frank Sohn: That’s really interesting. Before we dive deeper into SaleSqueze, let’s talk about what you do when you’re not working. What are your hobbies?

Leon Panjtar: I like to travel a lot with my family—my wife and two daughters. But one of my biggest passions is handball. I used to play professionally, and now both of my daughters play as well. We are a true handball family! I also coach and manage the team my daughters play in, which takes up quite a bit of my free time.

Frank Sohn: Handball isn’t as well-known in the U.S., but it’s huge in Europe. How much time do you spend on it?

Leon Panjtar: Roughly one and a half to two hours per day. Coaching is a great way for me to step away from business and clear my head. It helps me unplug from day-to-day operations.

Frank Sohn: That’s great. Now, let’s talk more about SaleSqueze. Tell me more about the products and services you offer.

Leon Panjtar: When we started SaleSqueze, we noticed that most of the customers requesting our help were non-technical people—primarily sales and marketing teams. So we designed our entire service and product portfolio with them in mind. We wanted to make everything easy to understand so that even people without deep technical knowledge could create product configurators, manage pricing, and handle master data.

We built a no-code platform that makes configuring products as easy as using PowerPoint. That was our initial vision, and I think we succeeded. Our core offering is a visual product configurator that enables users to set up configuration logic, pricing rules, and manage master data without needing programming skills.

Frank Sohn: That’s a great approach. What are the main features of your CPQ solution?

Leon Panjtar: Our platform includes a visual configurator, dealer management tools, a flexible pricing engine, and advanced visualization options. Users can create configurations with 2D and 360-degree views, and we’re launching a no-code 3D modeling tool in April. We also focus on dealer relationships, allowing manufacturers to streamline their sales processes across different partners and distribution networks.

Frank Sohn: What about pricing capabilities?

Leon Panjtar: Our CPQ system has deep pricing integration, supporting cost-plus pricing, nested price lists, and revenue-sharing models. In highly regulated industries, such as medical devices and casino equipment, companies can use our pricing engine to ensure compliance by automatically filtering out non-allowed products based on region or distributor agreements.

Frank Sohn: AI is a hot topic in CPQ. What role does AI play in SaleSqueze?

Leon Panjtar: Many CPQ vendors use AI to generate scripts or automate rule-writing. We want to go further. Our vision is to create an AI-powered virtual sales assistant that can understand product configurations, generate quotes, and process orders automatically. We are working on launching a beta version of this technology by the end of the year.

Frank Sohn: Who is your ideal customer?

Leon Panjtar: We started with SMB and mid-market manufacturers but are now transitioning to mid-market and enterprise. We focus on industries like automotive, machinery, camper vehicles, medical devices, casino equipment, and building materials. We specialize in configure-to-order and make-to-order businesses.

Frank Sohn: Have you raised any investments?

Leon Panjtar: Yes, we raised a $1.5 million seed round in 2023 to support international expansion. We’re now preparing for a Series A round to accelerate our U.S. growth.

Frank Sohn: Where can people learn more about Visual CPQ SaleSqueze?

Leon Panjtar: You can visit salesqueze.com, connect with me on LinkedIn, or check out our YouTube channel. We’ll also be attending the FIT Show in Birmingham in April and possibly Hannover Messe.

Frank Sohn: Leon, thank you for joining the CPQ Podcast!

Leon Panjtar: Thanks for having me. I really enjoyed the conversation!

Manufacturing sales are evolving fast, and Visual CPQ is leading the way. Companies that embrace digital buying experiences will sell smarter, faster, and with fewer errors.

Curious about how Visual CPQ can streamline your sales? Talk with an expert today and see how SaleSqueze can help you create seamless, interactive buying experiences for you and your dealer network. Get in touch here.