If you’re part of a company’s sales department, you probably have been tasked with drafting or sending a business proposal. It usually enumerates your potential client’s issues or problems and how your product or service can solve or at least minimize them.
The challenge for several companies is how to create a strong proposal. This is why having the best proposal software at your disposal becomes a critical aspect of your business. Let’s explore the different subjects of proposal management software to give you a better idea of how they work.
A Quick Comparison of the Best Proposal Software
| Proposal Software Program | Free Version / Trial Duration | Starting Monthly Fee | Key Features | Typical Users |
| PandaDoc | Free eSign / 14-Day Trial | $19 a month per user | Large library of templates Multiple integrations | Small to large-sized companies |
| Prospero | Free 14-Day Trial | $10 | Unlimited proposals Live chat support | Freelancers to mid-sized companies |
| ClientPoint | None | $95 a month per user | Dynamic content creation Powerful analytics | Large-sized companies |
| Qwilr | Free 14-Day Trial | $35 a month per user | Proposal analytics Comprehensive customization | Medium to large-sized companies |
| HoneyBook | Free 7-Day Trial | $39 | Online invoices Project tracking | Medium to large-sized companies |
Best Proposal Software Solutions
Proposal tools can elevate your sales rate to new heights. Let’s look at some of the most recommended choices in the market today.
1. PandaDoc
Creating, managing, and e-signing documents like proposals and quotes are made easier with PandaDoc. This proposal management software solution is used by thousands of customers, from startups to large enterprises.
Key Features
According to PandaDoc, it is possible to significantly increase your close rate with the help of its tools and features. Listed below are a couple of the most notable qualities of this program.
- High-Quality, Professional-Grade Documents
With PandaDoc, you can create personalized proposals and other related documents in a couple of minutes. The customizable formatting and pre-built, professional templates allow you to make an impression with clients with the slightest effort.
PandaDoc has a library of over 750 templates designed to improve your document creation time and quality. No need to search for templates online or ask others for help in composing a specific document. With a few clicks, you are ready to produce docs that can wow your potential clients.
- Document Tracking
When working with others, it’s slightly challenging to keep track of the changes made to the documents in your database. However, with PandaDoc, you have a complete document audit trail. This means that actions such as opening, viewing, or completing are monitored.
You can quickly identify which users made changes or if a recipient has clicked on the links included in the document. What’s more, any updates are provided to you via automated email notifications. This way, you can know which clients are due for a follow-up.
- Integrations
To streamline your work with PandaDoc, you can connect it with your favorite tools. This business proposal software solution supports popular CRMs like Monday.com, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more.
Moreover, you can integrate communication apps such as Slack and Zoom to make your interaction with clients and colleagues more efficient. For payments, PandaDoc is compatible with PayPal, Stripe, and Square. Adding a payment request or providing an effortless checkout experience are all made easier.
- Buying Experience
PandaDoc ensures your team and your clients will have an engaging experience when working on proposals and other documents. You can keep the conversation active with effortless collaboration within the proposal, providing personalized and convenient communications.
Also, driving more urgency to your clients is possible, thanks to the automatic follow-up reminders.
2. Prospero
Impressing your clients with outstanding proposals is easier with Prospero. With recognition from various reputable online sources, you can rest assured that this program is built to boost your sales rate.
Key Features
You may close more deals faster and win more projects by using the features of Prospero. Here are a few of the advantages you can expect from this proposal management software solution.
- Templates
Prospero has an extensive library of proposal templates for a wide range of purposes. From graphic design to copywriting, there’s no shortage of available templates you can use. Currently, the program has over 35 pre-made templates in its library.
Creating proposals will cost you less time and effort because most of the details are already at your disposal. With a bit of editing, you are more than ready to make a good impression on your potential clients and land more sales.
- E-signature
Proposals made with Prospero use digital e-signatures that are legally binding. If there are legal issues, the signatures and contracts are considered valid in court.
Clients have the option to sign by typing, drawing, or uploading. Plus, they can do this on any desktop or smart device. You have the choice if you want the signing process to be quicker or slightly more secure.
- Integrations
At this point, Prospero supports eight third-party apps. These are Xero, Stripe, Zapier, Make, Slack, QuickBooks, Freshbooks, and Morning.
While the number of integrations may seem unimpressive compared to others, the company allows its customers to share integration ideas to improve its services. It would be fair to assume more supported apps in the future if Prospero receives regular suggestions.
3. ClientPoint
If you are looking for a platform that can help improve your sales potential and build stronger client relationships, ClientPoint is one of the best choices. The program is made for nurturing, connecting, educating, and closing modern buyers.
Key Features
ClientPoint is designed to help you create, personalize, and send engaging content with ease in the shortest possible time. On top of your sales management software, here’s how this proposal management software can help.
- Document Generation
Editing tools, merge fields, and templates are all accessible within ClientPoint’s Document Generation engine. Here, you can compose customized proposals, contracts, and various marketing content quickly and accurately.
- Custom Viewer
All your documents and other content are available in a shared online viewer you can customize to your preferences. You can match the theme to your company’s branding, increasing the professional look and feel of your interface.
The end result can be an efficient relationship between you and your potential clients, starting from proposal to closing.
- Automation
ClientPoint has numerous relationship tools such as scheduling, esign, and meetings that increase your chances of landing more sales than ever. Combine those with the program’s ability to automate your proposal process, and you’re one step closer to establishing a fruitful partnership with your clients.
- Content Tracking
Managing all customer content and shared sales from a single interface is one of the highlights of using ClientPoint. You can see the status of the materials, whether they are sent, downloaded, viewed, or signed.
With the information laid out in an intuitive format, it is easier to know which clients require immediate action.
- Analytics
ClientPoint keeps track of the activities related to your content. In addition, it also provides powerful analytics that show useful data. Formulating an effective strategy to boost sales and enhance client relationships becomes more manageable if you use the information provided.
4. Qwilr
World-class customer experiences are what you can expect from Qwirl. The company believes that the proposal stage is the deciding moment between winning and losing. As such, its web-based proposals are designed to impress both you and your potential clients, leading to better relationships and more sales.
Key Features
With its collection of tools and resources, Qwirl has made its mark in the proposal management software industry. Below are some of its considerable qualities, especially if you are a part of a medium or enterprise-level business.
- Custom Page
If you want to present an e-sign option, interactive pricing, and payment options on one page, it’s doable with Qwirl. This will eliminate the need for your client to open multiple windows to accomplish one or two steps. Overall, the personalization of your page will improve your client’s buying experience.
- Streamlined Sales Interface
One of the advantages of choosing Qwirl as your proposal management software is setting custom brand colors and fonts and enhanced accessibility. Having a consistent look and feel give a better impression to your prospects that may reflect on your reputation as a product or service provider.
- Intuitive User Interface
Creating engaging proposals is easier with Qwirl, thanks to its simple editor, modular building blocks, and user-friendly templates. In a couple of clicks, you can style your content to leave a lasting impression on your customers.
- Widgets
Qwirl labels the dynamic content blocks as one of its exclusive features. These interactive widgets add more sophistication to your interface and may help create exceptional customer experiences.
- Automation
By combining your CRM with Qwir, you are able to expedite your sales processes. It can generate quotes, proposals, and contracts automatically. Not only will you save time and effort but also lessen mistakes and manual actions.
5. HoneyBook
There are over 100 thousand independent businesses that use HoneyBook to manage projects, process payments, and more. By streamlining almost everything about managing your business in one platform, this program earned its current recognition as one of the most-recommended proposal solutions.
Key Features
From monitoring updates to client communications, HoneyBook has more than enough tools to help your business grow. Let’s check out a couple of the features you can get if you choose this proposal management software program.
- Project Tracking
HoneyBook is designed to provide a personal command center that lets you see real-time updates on all projects. This setup makes managing intricate stages of the sales projects, like inquiries or payments, more doable.
- Document Organization
Keeping documents in an orderly manner can be cumbersome, especially if you are dealing with numerous clients at the same time. That’s why HoneyBook allows you to store essential docs like invoices, contracts, and proposals organized in a single space. The best part is that you and your clients can access them anywhere, anytime.
- Streamline Communication
Missed inquiries or late responses can easily lead to lost business opportunities. To prevent this, HoneyBook features all communications in a single place. You can access and view messages that require immediate action, speeding up your response time.
- Custom Proposals
HoneyBook allows you to customize your proposal using your designs and graphic images. Empowering your brand to potential clients is easier because of the intuitive user interface of the program.
- Efficient Workflow Automation
The platform is built to let you create custom automation and make your processes faster and free from human errors. Send responses and follow-ups automatically by setting up triggers based on your clients’ actions, schedules, and other relevant criteria.
Level Up Your Business With the Best Proposal Software
Using a proposal management software program is arguably the most efficient approach to improve your proposal creation process and land more sales.
The only downside is that most, if not all, top choices require a monthly subscription. So, if you are unsure which one is perfect for your business, take advantage of the free trial or demo before deciding.
Proposal Software FAQs
1. What are the benefits of using a proposal management software?
To choose the best proposal software, it’s best to understand why you need to invest one in the first place. Here are five benefits you’d get to enjoy:
Document Management
Small and medium-sized businesses usually have numerous proposals in progress as part of their regular operations. Tracking and managing them could be cumbersome, as there are other aspects of the business that requires your attention.
The difficulties are even more amplified if you’re an independent contractor because you don’t have the luxury of someone else helping you. You can’t have any mishandled proposal, as it is your ticket to acquiring new business opportunities and establishing your reputation.
That’s why most proposal management software have various document management features to help you organize proposals in an efficient manner.
Some of these programs are designed to store your proposals and other documents in the cloud to safeguard them from unauthorized access. You are also able to search via keywords, so even if you can’t remember the file name, you can locate the document easier.
You will find these features convenient if you need to respond to RFPs (Request For Proposal). Clients will send RFPs if they want to know if your products or services fit their needs. If you respond to RFPs in an orderly manner, you are in a better position to gain more sales than the competition.
Collaboration Features
If your company has numerous employees working on sales, it’s important for them to collaborate on creating, editing, and finalizing business proposals. Miscommunications can easily lead to mistakes, like wrong prioritization, inaccurate data, incomplete information, and more.
A good proposal management software has collaboration features that let the selected members of your team view or edit the documents at any given time. This means two or more employees can add or make changes to certain business proposals, making the process of finalization faster.
What’s more, if someone makes a mistake, it will be easier to revert to the document’s previous version. Some programs even allow you to have a project proposal in read-only mode. Third parties would have access to the document but are not allowed to edit it.
For instance, your client can see the draft of your proposal and can add comments or feedback. Then, your team can use the response to calibrate the content to please the potential customer and boost the chances of success.
As you can imagine, startups may benefit the most from this feature. After all, some clients prefer to have their input considered before signing a business contract.
Custom Accessibility
One of the benefits of using proposal management software is the ability to assign and control the accessibility of different users. The documents stored in your database won’t be accessible to all the employees on your team.
This setup limits or eliminates the tendency of certain users to work on something not assigned to them. It will also help safeguard sensitive data from others who should not have access. For example, client information, such as names and contact details, must only be available to those assigned to create the proposal.
Accessibility and collaboration go hand-in-hand because any of these two won’t be effective without the other. The former won’t mean much if your team cannot work together, while the latter can be risky without control.
Notifications and Updates
Sending proposals to multiple clients is a relatively easy task, but keeping track of the updates can be daunting. At some point, you can get confused about which ones require immediate attention.
With a proposal management software, it becomes significantly easier to track your progress. You’ll receive real-time updates, like when a client opens your proposal, responds to your query, or have some questions about your products or services. These important updates are often provided via push notifications, text alerts, or automated email correspondence.
Some proposal management programs are designed to send notifications if they detect errors before you can send them to clients. Whether you miss some critical data or have a couple of inaccurate details, you can correct these mistakes even without human intervention.
CRM Compatibility
Most businesses use CRM software, like HubSpot or Salesforce, to enhance their sales and marketing performance. A CRM program can have a few features related to managing business proposals, but a separate dedicated app is preferable.
Since you are likely to have both, it is more convenient if the programs you use are compatible. It will allow you to monitor all the tasks you need to prioritize while not missing out on critical aspects of your business.
You will find this feature helpful if you are working freelance because the automation functionalities can save you time, workforce, and potential clients.
2. Why do you need a proposal management software program?
If you choose to do your proposals manually, you or your team may spend hours before completing a single proposal. Gathering customer information and creating an outline can be a time-consuming process, even if you are not working online.
If you are dealing with multiple prospects simultaneously, there’s a good chance you’re going to commit mistakes. By using a proposal management software program, your process should be faster and more efficient.
The built-in templates alone will save you lots of time, allowing you to focus on other aspects of the business. Moreover, collaboration tools let you interact with team members and clients seamlessly, leading to a higher chance of closing more sales.
3. Is proposal management software necessary for small businesses?
One of the biggest challenges of small businesses is the lack of manpower and resources to manage multiple potential clients. With a program for proposal management, the process becomes easier and more efficient.
For example, after sending your proposal, you can send an automated follow-up email after 24 or 48 hours. This lessens the need to do things manually, saving you time you can use for other clients.
You can focus more on enriching customer relationships than using your precious time creating proposals. Still, if you’re just starting and don’t have the resources and funding to use a proposal software program, you don’t have to.
4. What is proposal automation?
This is one of the key advantages of using a proposal management software program. The use of technology to conduct tasks in the proposal process without manual input is known as proposal automation.
It covers basic, repetitive actions that revolve around proposal creation and establishes rules that allow technology to automatically do those tasks at the best possible time.
That said, proposal automation tools differ from one program to another. However, they are usually related to scheduled responses and follow-ups, workflow activities, and knowledge management.
5. How much time does it take to incorporate a proposal management software program into your business operation?
It usually depends on the size of your business and your existing processes. Most programs are expected to be fully integrated between three and six weeks.
You and your team can take some time to get used to the customization of proposal templates and automation features. However, if you are already prepared prior to a subscription, you may already be up and running within a couple of weeks.
6. If managing a large enterprise, who should have access to or be involved in using a proposal management software program?
Generally, sales, operations, and marketing teams are involved. Sales managers will guide the customer success team on the proposal workflow and closing process.
Meanwhile, the marketing department will control the content, and the ops team will handle the streamlining of the programs. This includes integrating the proposal management tool into the CRM.
After the setup is complete, the sales team will handle the regular tasks related to the software, such as collaborating with prospects and establishing client communications.
