If you're drowning in a sea of proposals, under pressure to get everything just right, you're far from alone. Proposal automation software is your personal lifeguard.
Automation is the key that leads to better productivity, time saved, and money saved. But don't take my word for it; let's plunge into its ocean-deep capabilities together.
In this blog, we'll explore how proposal automation software tools streamline proposal creation while boosting efficiency—think dolphins cutting through waves with grace and speed.
Gen AI is going to dramatically change how businesses approach proposal writing, but in our opinion, you will only succeed by blending AI efficiency with human expertise.
-Bruce Feldman, Managing Director of Lohfeld Consulting's AI Initiative
Understanding Proposal Automation Software
Proposal automation software is software solution that automates and streamlines the process of creating business proposals. Aside from saving time and resources, these powerful tools ensure high-quality outputs for businesses. Proposal automation software can reduce the time spent on creating proposals by up to 65%.
In today's fast-paced business environment, it has become increasingly important to present potential clients with professional proposal documents promptly. This is where proposal automation software comes into play.
The Core Functionality of Proposal Automation Software
You need proposals to sell things. Proposal automation software helps you do just that. It really is that simple!
The most standout feature of proposal automation software is the use of templates or pre-set formats for different types of proposals. This eliminates redundant work during the proposal creation process.
Email marketing integration, one example among many integrations offered by these tools, allows you to send your crafted business proposals directly from the platform itself rather than having to manually attach them in separate emails.
And what about winning more business, too? Approximately 80% of proposal automation users reported a significant increase in proposal acceptance rates after using automation software.
How to Write Better Proposals
Writing better proposals significantly increases your chances of winning the business, but it can be hard to figure out what to include. Never fear: proposal automation software helps you include everything you need and none of what you don't. Here are some things to keep in mind when creating proposals:
- Reference information you heard from the client in the sales call or demo. This reflects that you listened and have make specific recommendations based on what you heard them say was most important to them.
- Clarify what is and isn't included if you're sending a tiered proposal. This helps people decide between multiple packages and also lays the groundwork for great boundaries working together.
- Highlight the benefits of what you're selling. Selling a marketing package? Talk about how this will help with brand awareness and get them more clients. Selling lawn services? Talk about how your packages help their lawn stay stunning all spring and summer long. It draws a clear connection between their problem and your solution.
- Explain any deadlines or deliverables. Also clarify what's required from the client, such as deposit payments, login information, or specific documents you need to get started.
- Be succinct. You don't need to overwhelm your prospect with way too much information. Confused prospective clients shut down and don't make a decision at all. Stick with what's most essential and clean, simple language.
Aim to get your point across in a concise way and be respectful of their time. Bogging them down in detail may actually cause them to not read the full proposal, which defeats the purpose.
-David Zomaya, Software Tech Expert Writer at Motley Fool
Why You Need Proposal Automation Software
Proposal automation software is more than a nice to have - it's a need to have for businesses of all sizes and industries. Take a look at some reasons why you need to incorporate proposal automation software:
1. Efficiency and Time-Saving
Automation software streamlines the proposal creation process, significantly reducing the time spent on drafting, formatting, and editing proposals.
2. Consistency and Accuracy
Ensures that all proposals maintain a consistent format and style, which enhances brand consistency. It also reduces the likelihood of errors, which can be costly in business proposals.
3. Improved Collaboration
Allows multiple team members to work on the proposal simultaneously, enhancing collaboration and ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
4. Easy Customization
Templates and modular content make it easy to tailor proposals to specific clients or projects, ensuring that each proposal is relevant and personalized.
5. Enhanced Tracking and Analytics
Provides insights into how clients interact with proposals (e.g., which sections they spend the most time on), enabling businesses to refine their approach.
6. Better Document Management
Keeps all proposal-related documents in one place, making it easier to manage, update, and retrieve essential files.
7. Scalability
As the business grows, proposal automation software can easily scale up to accommodate an increased volume of proposals without sacrificing quality or efficiency.
8. Risk Reduction
Minimizes the risk of sending out outdated or incorrect information, as the latest data and content can be integrated into proposals automatically. Over 60% of businesses reported improved accuracy in their proposals after implementing automation software.
9. Professional Appearance
Automatically generated proposals tend to have a more professional and polished look, which can positively influence client perceptions.
10. Cost-Effective
Over time, the efficiency gains and error reduction can lead to significant cost savings for the business. More than 50% of businesses reported a return on investment within the first six months of using proposal automation software.
11. Competitive Advantage
Faster turnaround times and higher-quality proposals can give businesses an edge in competitive bidding situations.
12. Ease of Accessibility
Cloud-based proposal automation tools can be accessed from anywhere, which is particularly beneficial for teams that work remotely or are geographically dispersed.
Incorporating proposal automation software is a no-brainer move for businesses looking to enhance their efficiency, reduce errors, and improve their overall proposal management process.
Top Tools for Proposal Management
Here's a list of some of the top proposal automation software tools:
1. PandaDoc
PandaDoc is an automation software that lets you create and send proposals to your clients. They even have a feature that allows for eSigning. Known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, including payment processing, CRM integrations, and customizable templates.
Having used PandaDoc for four months now, our experience with this sales document management app has been overwhelmingly positive.
One of the most notable improvements since implementing PandaDoc is the increased efficiency of our sales team in preparing sales offers. The app's intuitive design and streamlined process have significantly cut down the time and effort required to create professional and compelling offers. This boost in productivity is not just a matter of saving time; it's also about the quality of the work we're now able to produce more quickly.
Furthermore, there has been a noticeable improvement in our deal closing rate. The professionally prepared offers, facilitated by PandaDoc, have evidently resonated better with our prospects and clients. This enhancement in the quality of our proposals has directly translated into a higher percentage of closed deals, which is a clear indicator of the app's value to our sales process.
-Aivis B.
2. Proposify
Proposify offers a full suite of features to eliminate manual entry and allows you to store all your content, documents, and pricing lists in one convenient location. They also offer a wide range of templates and design options, along with collaboration tools and tracking capabilities.
I love the similicty proposify offers. Not only is it easy to modify my proposals, it's a clean looks for my customers and makes our SOW very definable. I love the ability to look at metrics as well as to who is viewing my proposal and when.
-Aubrey E.
You can integrate Proposify with Magical to save important details and move them elsewhere after you write!
3. Qwilr
Qwilr is proposal software that allows you to personalize your proposals, contracts, and everything you need to close the deal. It stands out for its visually appealing proposal designs and its ability to integrate with various business tools for a streamlined workflow.
Easy to use whenever I need to make a new proposal for a client. I had an issue with Qwilr where I didn't figure out how to do something, but the great support at Qwilr made it easy for me to figure it out. Makes the product easy to use when you can get the help you need fast!
-Michael M.
4. BidSketch
BidSketch has all the capabilities in a proposal automation software you need including proposal tracking, eSignatures, and custom client landing pages. Popular for its simplicity and efficiency, allowing users to create professional proposals quickly with templates and electronic signature capabilities.
Bidsketch is awesome, it allows me and my team to prepare, organize and send out proposals fast to clients. As a marketing company, my business relies heavily on proposals. Prior to Bidsketch It would take me 2 hours to organized, gather information, and send it out to clients. Now that process takes less than 30 minutes.
The templates are detailed and easy to customize to your liking or your brand. You can add additional information to different sections of the template - allowing for quick and efficient use.
-L.P.
5. HoneyBook
HoneyBook is an all in one proposal automation tool - everything from creating your proposal to drafting the contract. While it caters more to small business and freelancers, it offers robust proposal features including billing and contract management.
I love the gallery of templates to inspire the look and feel of my materials. The system is also very "user-friendly" as I edit each of the templates to suit my needs. They have many tutorial videos that have been very helpful, as well. So many of the steps of communication with potential and new clients can be automated, which has been so helpful! As soon as someone fills out my contact form, they receive automatic communications, and I can monitor the activity daily to stay on top of all activity! I have also FINALLY set up concise and streamlined services, packages, invoices and methods of payment! I hope to never have to be without Honeybooks! I highly recommend!
-Connie E.
6. Better Proposals
Better Proposals is a SaaS that gives you the ability to take customization to another level with responsive, customizable templates. They offer a simple and intuitive platform with a focus on creating high-converting proposals that can be easily tracked.
Once you have looked around teh system and created your perfect proposal deisgn, the additions make the process so easy, to get a job signed off before better proposals was a long process that involved many emails, better proposals cuts all this out and saves you time, all you need to do is make sure you spend some time on designing your correct proposal, something you would think WOW if you received it, then you will be happy you did becsue the job will be signed off with ease.
-Andrew B.
Pro tip: Magical lets you move data from Better Proposals to many other places with just a few clicks!
7. Proposable
Proposable is a software that's made specifically for teams. Everything is created in the database and each team member can add or delete details and it saves your work automatically. Proposable is known for its comprehensive analytics and the ability to create detailed, customized proposals.
I prefer that I'm able to pull collectively an offer quickly through my web templates and the content material library I have built over the years. I am also able to effortlessly access a proposal through the system. Real-time notifications when the proposal is viewed or made a comment. The ability to customise and then templates the offers really is easy. I love acquiring notifications each time a proposal is opened up, accepted, rejected, or if a note was added. Proposable incorporates well along with Salesforce, the process is easy in collecting client invoicing particulars and also driving to the inner processes.
-Nandani S.
8. ClientPoint
ClientPoint offers highly customizable templates, the ability to view a demo of your work, and can be integrated into many of the top CRM tools you're already using. This versatile tool that provides a robust proposal creation and management system, suitable for large enterprises.
Each tool has its own strengths and features so it's very important to choose the tool that works with your budget and your immediate needs.
Templates make sending out consistent proposals. Tracking makes it very easy to see when they were open and by whom. I am able to have Paperless Proposal integrate with my CRM software and am able to track progress of different projects as they develop. I cover a large territory, and one thing that is VERY nice is if I am an a situation that does not require me to visit a client to drop off a submittal, I can send them a Paperless Proposal LINK, and not get in the car. The link is VERY important, as some of my proposals can be quite large, with high quality images, and be too large to send ans an attachment. Templates are where I like this product the most. I am able to utilize a few different templates, and get everything in order before I send them to the client, ensuring I miss nothing.
-Robert H.
Conclusion
Being able to integrate proposal automation software into your daily workflows is a dream come true for efficiency and productivity. When you choose a product that has the features you want and is simple to use, you make it easier for you to focus on your clients - not busywork.
Leveraging proposal automation software with a proposal automation generator makes it simple to get this important work done quickly and easily!
That's the biggest benefit of automation, the time saved. You can get more done in less time and the proposals you create will be clean, professional, and impressive.
.webp)
