Proposals

The Proposals tool enables teams to create professional client proposals from templates, collaborate in real-time, track internal approvals, share with clients via secure links, and trigger automated onboarding when accepted.

Features

• Template system — reusable templates with dynamic variable placeholders that auto-populate from deal, company, and contact data
• Rich content editor — full PlateJS editor with tables, images, embeds, code blocks, and slide breaks for presentation-style proposals
• Structured pricing — line-item pricing sections with automatic totals and per-section grouping
• Approval workflow — submit for internal review, select multiple approvers, auto-transition when all sign off
• Public sharing — generate shareable links with optional password protection and per-slide engagement analytics
• Presentation mode — fullscreen slideshow with keyboard navigation, speaker notes, and progress tracking
• Client sign-off — accept/decline buttons on the shared view with name and email capture
• Onboarding automation — auto-creates project, budget, invoice, and contract when a proposal is accepted
• AI features — CopilotKit ghost text, AI chat for expanding/summarizing content, Unsplash image search, Workers AI image generation

Access Levels

Level	View	Update	Manage
Executive	✓	✓	✓
Head	✓	✓	✓
Manager	✓	✓	—
Lead	✓	—	—
Employee	✓	—	—

• View: see proposals linked to deals you have access to
• Update: create proposals, edit content, submit for review, send to clients
• Manage: create/edit/delete templates, manage approval workflows, delete proposals

Templates

Templates define the base content structure, brand configuration, and variable schema. A template can be reused across many proposals.

Creating a template

1. Go to Proposals → Templates and click New Template
2. Enter a name, description, and optional category
3. Configure brand settings (colors, fonts, logo URL)
4. Define the content using the rich editor — use slide breaks (---) to separate presentation slides
5. Add variable placeholders using {{variable_name}} syntax
6. Optionally link a contract template for auto-generated contracts on acceptance
7. Save the template

Variable placeholders

Variables are resolved when a proposal is created from a template. Available variables depend on linked data:

Variable	Source
{{company_name}}	Linked company
{{contact_name}}	Linked contact
{{contact_email}}	Linked contact
{{deal_title}}	Linked deal
{{estimated_budget}}	Linked deal
{{deal_stage}}	Linked deal
{{valid_until}}	Proposal expiry date

Creating a Proposal

From a template

1. Click New Proposal
2. Select a template
3. Link a deal (optional) — auto-populates company, contact, and variables
4. Set the proposal title and expiry date
5. The editor opens with template content and resolved variables
6. Edit content, add pricing sections, configure speaker notes

From scratch

1. Click New Proposal without selecting a template
2. Enter a title and optionally link a deal, company, or contact
3. Build content from a blank editor

Pricing Sections

Proposals support structured pricing with multiple sections:

1. Open the Pricing tab on the proposal detail page
2. Add sections (e.g. “Development”, “Design”, “Support”)
3. Add line items to each section with description, quantity, unit price, and notes
4. Optionally link items to service types
5. Totals are calculated automatically per section and for the full proposal

Approval Workflow

1. When the proposal is ready, click Submit for Review
2. The proposal enters “In Review” status
3. Approvers are determined by team configuration
4. Each approver can Approve or Request Changes (with comments)
5. If changes are requested, the proposal returns to the editor for revision
6. When all approvers have approved, the status transitions to “Approved”
7. Review comments integrate with inline page discussions

Sharing with Clients

1. Click Share on an approved proposal
2. Toggle sharing on/off and optionally set a password
3. Copy the shareable link
4. The client sees a branded read-only view with slide navigation
5. View analytics track: who viewed, when, how long, and per-slide engagement

Presentation Mode

Present proposals in fullscreen slideshow format:

• Arrow keys or spacebar to navigate slides
• Escape to exit presentation mode
• Speaker notes display in a synchronized separate window
• Progress bar and slide counter show current position

Client Sign-off

On the shared proposal view, clients can:

• Accept — provides their name and email to confirm acceptance
• Decline — provides their name, email, and an optional reason

Onboarding Automation

When a proposal is accepted, the system can automatically create:

1. Project — with deal participants as team members
2. Budget — populated from proposal pricing sections
3. Invoice — draft invoice with line items from the budget
4. Contract — if the template has a linked contract template

Proposal Statuses

Status	Description
Draft	Initial creation, being edited
In Review	Submitted for internal approval
Changes Requested	Approver requested revisions
Approved	All approvers signed off
Sent	Shared with client
Viewed	Client has opened the proposal
Accepted	Client accepted the proposal
Declined	Client declined the proposal
Expired	Past the valid_until date

Status flow

draft → review → approved → sent → viewed → accepted
           ↓                           ↓
    changes_requested              declined