Build a proposal

Learn how to build proposals to get booked and paid faster.

Sam Gioia avatar
Written by Sam Gioia
Updated over a week ago

Updated Jan 27, 2023

Create a proposal that allows your clients to choose from a list of your offers, sign a contract, and pay — all on one page!

This article focuses on building proposals where clients can choose from a list of your services. If you need to create a custom quote, check out our webinar on custom proposals.


In this article:


Step 1: Create a package template

A package displays your offers to your clients so they can decide what to purchase. Your proposal form must have a package.

Go to Templates >> Packages to create a package template.


Step 2: Add packages to the proposal

The packages you created in step 1 are the main form elements to include in your proposal.

screenshot of an example package proposal

How to create a proposal with packages:

  1. Go to Templates >> Forms.

  2. Next to Proposals, click the + icon to add a new proposal from scratch or click Template Library to use a template.

  3. Click or drag the Container element to add it to the form.

  4. Click inside the container element. Additional settings will appear.

  5. Under Number of columns, choose Three.

  6. Click one of the + icons located inside the container.

    container with add element

  7. Click Package. A package element will appear in the column.

  8. Click Select package to add a package template.

  9. Repeat steps 6-9 for each package template you want to include.

gif showing how to add a package in a proposal

Step 3: Edit the package

Clicking on the package element generates additional package settings. Jump to a section to learn more:

Change text and package smart fields

screenshot of package text

Double-click the package element or click the pencil icon to change font, bold, underline, or add additional text.

Click Package Smart Fields to change which package smart fields show. Review all of the available package smart fields.

Add quantities, checkboxes, or buttons

arrow pointing to package smart fields and box around the options

Double-click the package element or click the pencil icon. Click Package Smart Fields and scroll down to change the quantity or add checkboxes and buttons.

  • Quantity: Adds a box so your clients can pick the amount of the item they’re ordering. The invoice automatically adjusts based on the Price you indicated in the package.

  • Large Checkbox: Adds a large checkbox next to the package name.

  • Small Checkbox: Adds a small checkbox next to the package name.

  • Button: Adds a “Select” button.

Change or edit the package details

Change the package

Click on the package element. Under Select a package, click on the dropdown to change the displayed package.

View package details

Click on the package element then click Edit Package.

Edit the package

Click on the package element then click Edit Package. Click the dropdown to Edit the package. Editing the package within the proposal won’t change the original package template in Templates >> Packages.

Pre-select a package

Toggling the Pre-selected option to Yes will display the package as already selected.

👋 Here’s a tip… You can use this toggle to require a package on a proposal!

Add minimum or maximum quantities

Change the min and max quantity on the packages so your client can’t type a quantity below or above the set range.


Step 4: Customize the design of the proposal

Click on Form styling to edit the font style, size, or color, change padding, or add custom CSS.

arrow pointing to form styling icon

Step 5: Connect a contract and invoice (optional)

Add a contract and invoice so that once your client chooses a package, your client can immediately sign the contract AND submit payment.

Click on the Form settings tab to add a contract and invoice. For detailed information, see connect a contract and invoice to a proposal.


Step 6: Edit other form settings

Click on the Form settings tab to edit other form settings.

Jump to a section to learn more:

Allow client to choose multiple packages

Toggle to Yes to allow clients to select more than one package. Toggle to No means clients can select only one package per proposal.

Allow discounts

Toggle to Yes to allow the use of the discount templates. See allow clients to apply a discount on proposals for details.

Create new project once proposal is completed

Toggle to Yes to set up a public proposal that can be embedded onto your website.

Expiration date

Prevents new leads from submitting your proposal after a specified date and time.

  • Relative: The expiration date changes based on the trigger you select.

  • Fixed: The same expiration date for every client. Not recommended except for one-time events or webinars.

  • No expiration (default): The proposal won’t expire.

Completion alert header and body

Personalize the on-screen text after the client submits the proposal.

Password protection

Controls who is able to view the proposal. Toggling to Yes means the proposal is only accessible to clients through their client portal.

Legacy mode

Legacy mode only needs to be turned on if you created custom CSS prior to July 12, 2022. Keep the toggle Off to use the newest features in Dubsado.


Step 7: Save, test, and send the proposal

Save your proposal template by clicking Save form.

Now you can send your proposal to your clients manually through a project or automatically through a workflow. If this is your first time creating a proposal, or you've made a brand new proposal, we recommend taking it for a test drive first!

Test proposal

Test your proposal to ensure that you’re sending the proposal properly, especially if you’re sending the proposal through a workflow.

To test, open the proposal in an incognito browser or with a device where you’re not logged into Dubsado. Complete the proposal by entering your email as the client so you can see it from their perspective.

Send the proposal

Once saved, you’re ready to send the proposal to your clients manually through a project or automatically through a workflow!

For public proposals, you can also click the sharing icon to embed the proposal into your website or copy a direct link. If your sharing icon is grayed out, please see below.

arrow pointing to usable sharing icon

FAQ

Will editing a package from the proposal change my template?

No. Editing the package within the proposal won’t change the original package template in Templates >> Packages.

My proposal is showing the error message “This form can no longer be used. Please contact the owner of [brand name]”.

The error message appears if you change a public proposal to no longer be public.

My proposal is showing the error message “Oops. You can only select one package”.

Turn on Allow client to select multiple packages in the Form settings tab.

Why can’t I share my proposal?

arrow pointing to grayed out sharing icon

The sharing icon is grayed out unless you made your proposal public by going to the form settings and changing Create new project once proposal is completed to Yes. To share a proposal that you don’t want to make public, please see send a form.

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