How to Use Proposify: Proposal Automation Made Simple

I wasn’t always one for trying new tools right away. Change can feel like a hassle, especially when it comes to proposals—those detailed, painstaking documents that often decide a sale. My process relied heavily on manual effort, without the benefits of workflow automation or modern proposal automation tools. I would grab an old proposal template, customize it, and make adjustments as needed. Sometimes, this meant reworking sections to align with the specific requirements in the RFP, such as updating the table of contents.

Today there are many proposal automation and workflow automation tools to improve efficiency. Additionally, AI is revolutionizing the way we work by introducing smarter automation, predictive analytics, and personalization at scale. From generating tailored content to providing data-driven insights, AI is transforming how businesses create and manage proposals, pushing efficiency and creativity to new levels.

Using proposal automation can save hours of manual effort and enhance the overall quality of your proposals.

Proposify for Proposal Automation

Proposify is not just a workflow management tool but a comprehensive proposal automation platform that simplifies the process of creating, customizing, and tracking proposals. Its powerful RFP automation capabilities help businesses maintain compliance while significantly reducing the time and effort required for proposal submissions.

Here’s a quick overview of Proposify’s standout features to help you see what it offers at a glance.

Who Is Proposify Best For?

Proposify is a great tool for businesses and professionals who need more than just visually focused, presentation-style templates. It’s perfect for creating professional, detailed, and customizable proposals that can look like polished documents, similar to Word, or even legal contracts. Proposify works well for:

• Sales Teams: Quickly send proposals with e-signatures, track client views, and close deals faster.
• Agencies and Marketing Teams: Create on-brand, professional proposals with reusable templates and multimedia options. Workflow automation is particularly beneficial for marketing teams managing multiple clients and proposals simultaneously.
• Consultants and Freelancers: Save time by reusing templates and adding client-specific details with ease.
• Technology and SaaS Companies: Automate repetitive tasks and integrate with CRMs like Salesforce to streamline workflows.
• Construction and Real Estate: Build detailed proposals or contracts with customizable layouts and e-signatures.
• Legal or Compliance Teams: Create structured, professional documents that can meet legal or regulatory requirements.

If you’re looking for a proposal tool that’s flexible enough to handle presentation-style designs, Word-like documents, or detailed contracts, Proposify is a great choice.

Getting Started with Proposify

Proposify’s RFP automation features provide an organized framework for responding to complex requests. Let’s get started, so you can see how:

1. Setting Up Your Account
After signing up for Proposify, you’ll gain access to the platform’s intuitive interface. Once logged in, you’re ready to start customizing the system for your business. You will get a 14-day free trial with no credit card required to test.

2. Dashboard with Navigation Menu

The Proposify dashboard is where you manage your proposals, track their progress, and access all the main features. It’s your go-to spot for creating new proposals, checking updates, or reviewing data.

Click on the Proposify logo to return to the main dashboard, also called the ‘Pipeline’.

3. Content Library

It centralize reusable sections to streamline proposal creation. The Content Library Stores frequently used components like pricing tables, case studies, team bios, and images in one place. These resources can be quickly dragged and dropped into any proposal, saving time and ensuring consistency.

Somethings important to note when uploading documents in ‘Add New Section‘, you will have 3 options page flow, static and importa PDFs. Each serves a specific purpose, depending on the type of content you’re working with:

Page Flow Sections: For long sections of text, such as contracts or detailed descriptions, that may extend across multiple pages. If your content doesn’t fit on one page, Proposify automatically creates a new page and continues the text seamlessly. This ensures everything stays neat and organized without needing extra effort from you

Static Sections: For visually designed content where precise placement matters, like introductory pages, testimonials, or product features. Static sections act as a fixed canvas, allowing you to position text, images, and design elements exactly where you want them. Unlike Page Flow sections, content in Static Sections doesn’t spill onto another page—it stays on the same page, giving you full control over layout and design.

PDF Imports: Ideal for including pre-designed, finalized documents that don’t need any further editing, like a brochure or legal document. When you upload a PDF, each page is treated as an image embedded in your proposal. While this makes it easy to include polished documents, the text and elements in the PDF are not editable in Proposify. If changes are needed, you’ll have to edit the original file in another program and re-upload it.

4. Metrics

Track how well your proposals are doing and how clients are interacting with them. You can see reports that show things like how many times a proposal was viewed, how long clients spent on each section, and other useful details. This information helps you understand your clients better and improve your proposals. The details you can see depend on the plan you’re using.

5. Users

In Proposify, you can manage your team easily. Add or remove team members, set their roles, and control who can view or edit proposals. This ensures everyone has the right access to get their work done.

6. Clients

Helps you keep all your client information in one place. You can store and manage client details, making it easy to add them to proposals when needed. This keeps your client data organized, up-to-date, and easy to access.

To add a client, you can choose from these options:

• Add New Company: Create a new company profile, which can include one or more contacts.
• Add New Contact: Add specific individuals you work with at a company.
• Import Contact: Bring in contacts from tools you’ve connected to Proposify, such as a CRM.

This setup helps keep your client information structured and ready to use for seamless proposal creation.

7. Integrations

Proposify connects with a range of tools to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. It integrates with popular CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive to enhance RFP automation and simplify proposal tracking. Additional integrations include chat tools like Drift and Intercom, productivity platforms like Basecamp, and automation through Zapier to connect with thousands of other apps.

8. Settings

The Settings section in Proposify helps you customize the platform for your business. You can update your branding by adding logos, colors, and fonts to match your company’s style. Set up defaults like currencies and email templates to save time when creating proposals. Manage team access by assigning roles and permissions, and adjust notifications to stay on top of updates. You can also edit company details, handle billing, and organize your work using different workspaces. Proposify even lets you create custom fields to add specific information to your proposals, making them more personalized and efficient. These settings make Proposify easy to use and tailored to your needs.

9. Creating Templates
Templates make creating proposals faster and easier in Proposify. You can build reusable templates with placeholders for client names, project details, and pricing. If you don’t want to start from scratch, Proposify has a library of ready-made templates to save time. They also offer a service to design custom templates for your business, ensuring they match your branding and needs.

How to Create a Proposal using Proposal Automation with Proposify

Step 1: Select a Template

• So you get all your client details quickly populated. Go to your Clients, choose +Template and your proposal will be populated with your client details

• To use one of Proposify’s pre-built templates, go to the ‘Gallery’ and browse through the available options. If you find a template you like, hover over it and click ‘Use This’ to get started. Give a name to your template.
• If you want to create a custom template, click on ‘+Template’ to start from scratch. This will open a blank, word-like editor where you can build your template.
• If none of the pre-built templates fit your needs, you can customize an existing one or design a new template that matches your branding and content requirements.
• Note: If you want to revisit your document later, go to the Dashboard, find your client, and select the proposal to continue editing. From this page, you can also track team comments, edits, and updates for seamless collaboration, as well as download the proposal as a PDF or archive it if needed.

Step 2: Add Your Content

• Open your template, and you’ll see editable sections where you can customize the content to fit your needs.
• Use the Content Library to drag and drop reusable sections like case studies, pricing tables, or team bios directly into your proposal.
• Click on placeholders such as client name or project details to replace them with the correct information for your proposal.
• Use Variables to automatically fill in repeated details like client name, company name, or project title throughout the proposal. Update these in the Proposal Settings, and they’ll appear correctly everywhere the variable is used.
• Use Snippets to quickly add reusable blocks of content, like introductions, terms, or case studies, to your proposals. Create and save these in the Content Library, and simply drag and drop them into your proposal whenever needed.
• To update logos or images, go to the Image Library, where you can upload your own assets. Once uploaded, you can insert them into your proposal and use the editor to crop, resize, or apply filters.
• Use the Text Editor to format text to align the document with your style.
• On the far right addsignature, images, videos, etc.
• Rearrange sections by dragging them into the desired order, or add new ones to ensure your proposal looks polished and professional.

Step 3: Customize Interactive Pricing Tables

• Add a pricing table by dragging it into your proposal.
• Enter your services, products, or pricing details directly into the table.

• Enable options for clients to interact with the table, such as selecting quantities, choosing add-ons, or adjusting pricing tiers.
• Check to make sure the totals update automatically, so clients can see their selections reflected in real time.

Integrating pricing details into proposals is easier with Proposify’s RFP automation tools

Step 4: Enable E-Signatures

• Add an ‘e-signature’ field by dragging it into the appropriate section of your proposal, such as at the end or on an approval page.
• Assign the e-signature field to the correct person (e.g., the client or yourself). If the person isn’t already in your contact list, click ‘New Contact‘, enter their details (name and email), and save.
• Use input forms if you need additional information from your client, like a phone number or address. Drag an input field into your proposal and assign it to the client.
• Add ‘Initials’ fields for the client, placing them at the bottom of each page if needed. This allows the client to confirm they have reviewed and acknowledged each section of the proposal before signing.
• Double-check that all required signature fields and input forms are placed and assigned correctly before sending the proposal.

Step 5: Send and Track

• When your proposal is complete, click the “Send” button to share it with your client. You can send it directly via email or by generating a shareable link.
• Proposify will track the proposal’s progress. You’ll be notified when the client views it and can see how much time they spend on each section.
• If you do not want to share the proposal electronically, just download PDF.
• Use these insights to follow up strategically, addressing any areas where the client spent extra time or had questions. See below:

Features That Make Proposify Stand Out

1. Proposal Automation
   • Automate repetitive tasks like inserting client details or generating consistent designs.
   • Use variables to customize templates with just a few clicks.
2. Workflow Automation
   • Set up workflow automation for approval processes within your team.
   • Automatically notify collaborators when it’s their turn to review or edit a proposal.
3. RFP Automation
   • Quickly respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) using RFP automation features that pull content from the library and adapt templates seamlessly.
   • Save time with RFP automation while ensuring compliance with client requirements.
4. Real-Time Analytics
   • Track when clients open your proposal, how long they spend on each section, and what options they interact with.
   • Use these insights to improve your proposals and close deals faster.

Integrations That Improve Productivity in Proposal Automation

Proposify’s workflow automation features work effortlessly with CRM tools to streamline data transfer and proposal creation. Here are some of its key integrations:

• CRM Tools: Connect Proposify with platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot to pull client data directly into your proposals, making personalization effortless.
• Payment Platforms: Use Stripe or QuickBooks for seamless in-proposal payment processing, improving client convenience and speeding up approvals.
• Collaboration Tools: Stay updated on proposal progress and team activity by integrating with Slack, ensuring everyone stays aligned during the proposal process.

These integrations make Proposify a versatile solution that works well within your existing tech stack.

Proposify Pricing

Proposify has three plans to fit different business needs. The Basic plan starts at $29/month and is great for small teams. The Team plan costs $49/month and includes collaboration tools and integrations. The Business plan, at $65/month, is designed for larger companies with advanced features like Salesforce integration and approval workflows. You can save more with annual billing, and there’s a free trial to get started—no credit card needed.

Wrap Up: Proposify as Proposal Automation Tool

By walking through Proposify’s key features—like selecting templates, adding content, customizing pricing tables, enabling e-signatures, and using integrations—you now have the tools to streamline your workflow and create professional proposals with ease. If you’re wondering how to use Proposify to its full potential, start with its user-friendly templates and intuitive dashboard.

However, success with Proposify requires more than just knowing the features. It’s about using these steps thoughtfully and consistently to make your process efficient and your proposals impactful. With practice, you can turn Proposify into a vital part of your business toolkit.

Ready to put what you’ve learned into action? Start by creating your first proposal today and see how Proposify can make the process simpler, faster, and more effective.

Start your free 14-day trial (no credit card required) today.

Proposify FAQs

1. What types of documents can I create with Proposify?
Proposify allows you to create different types of documents, including Word-style text-based proposals, visually polished presentation-style proposals, and even legal documents like contracts or agreements. This flexibility makes it a great choice for a variety of businesses.

2. Can I reuse templates for multiple clients?
Yes! Proposify lets you create reusable templates. You can save templates with placeholders for client names, project details, and pricing, making it easy to customize them for new clients without starting from scratch.

3. Does Proposify support team collaboration?
Absolutely. Team members can leave comments, edit sections, and track changes in real time. You can also assign roles and permissions to control who can access or edit specific proposals.

4. How can I track a proposal after sending it?
Proposify provides analytics that show when a client opens your proposal, how much time they spend on each section, and what options they interact with. This helps you follow up effectively and refine future proposals.

5. Is Proposify easy to use for beginners?
Yes, Proposify is very user-friendly. It has an intuitive dashboard, a drag-and-drop editor, and a content library that stores reusable sections. While there is a small learning curve for advanced features, it’s much simpler than many similar tools.

6. Can Proposify help with RFP automation?
Yes, its robust tools simplify the RFP response process.