Create a proposal

Available on all current plans (Solo, Business and Team).

Proposals turn "can you send me a quote?" into signed work. Go to Proposals → New Proposal.

The proposal form

  • Proposal Number (required) — pre-filled with the next in your sequence (PROP-0001, PROP-0002, …) and editable if you keep your own numbering.
  • Title — e.g. "Kitchen Remodel — Phase 1".
  • Client — pick from your list. The client needs an email on file to receive the proposal by email, though you can always share it as a link instead.
  • Project — on the Business and Team plans, link the proposal to a project. An accepted proposal's invoice inherits that link, which is what keeps the project's revenue figure accurate without you re-linking it later.
  • Valid Until — the date printed on the client's copy. It is the single most effective thing on the form for getting a decision, because an open-ended quote is one nobody has to answer.
  • Intro Message — a short cover note shown prominently at the top of the client's copy. This is the pitch: warm, specific, and about them rather than about you.
  • Line Items — description, quantity and unit price per line, with the total calculating live.
  • Terms & Conditions — payment terms, scope boundaries, warranties. Shown to the client in full.
  • Internal Notes — visible only to you and your team, never to the client. Margin maths, how much room you have, what you think the competition quoted. It is safe here.

Writing line items that get accepted

The line items are where most proposals are won or lost, and the common mistake is being too coarse. A single line reading "Kitchen remodel — $40,000" invites one question: why so much? The same job broken into eight lines invites a much better one: can we drop the tiling?

Two habits help:

  • Describe the outcome, not the task where you can. "Supply and fit 12 base units, including handles" beats "cabinetry".
  • Pull repeat work from your catalog. Prices you have already set in products and services drop straight in, so your usual work is priced consistently rather than re-estimated each time.

Offering options

There is no separate "package" field — tiered pricing is done with line items. List the base scope, then the optional extras as their own lines, and say in the intro message which are optional. The client accepts the proposal as a whole, so if you want a genuine good/better/best choice, send the options as separate proposals and let them accept one.

Drafts

New proposals start as Draft and are invisible to the client until you send. You can edit a draft freely. Once it moves along the lifecycle, editing closes — what a client reviewed stays what they reviewed, which is the whole point of a signed document.

If a draft is superseded before it ever goes out, edit it rather than creating a second one; your proposal numbering stays tidier.

Totals and what happens next

Proposal totals are the straight sum of line items, in USD. When the client accepts, converting it to an invoice carries every line across without re-keying, so the thing you agreed and the thing you bill cannot drift apart.