Create and send a proposal

A proposal is built in the proposal editor: a page of blocks you fill in, a design tab for the look, and a settings tab for the terms. Sending it creates a public link that the client uses to accept.

Before you begin

• You need the Create Proposals permission to start one and Send Proposals to send it.
• The client record needs an email address for email delivery, or a phone number for text delivery.
• To require a deposit when the client accepts, connect Stripe first. Deposits are collected through Stripe Checkout.
• Add the services you sell to the product catalog so line items carry the right names and rates. See Product catalog.

Start a proposal

1. Open Proposals and choose New Proposal.
2. In Start a new proposal, choose Blank proposal or pick one of Your templates.
3. The editor opens with the proposal named Untitled Proposal and a proposal number assigned. Select the title on the cover to rename it.

A blank proposal starts with the workspace defaults for theme, accent color, signature, deposit, validity, and footer text. A template keeps its own settings.

Add the client

1. In the Header block, select the Prepared for area.
2. Search for the client by name, or type a new name to create one.

Your business details fill the From side automatically.

Add line items

1. In the Line items block, add an item by searching the catalog, or type an item name and description for a one-off charge.
2. Enter the quantity and rate. The amount is calculated for you.
3. Use the row menu to Duplicate item or Remove item, and group items when the proposal has sections of work.
4. To let the client decide on an item, choose + optional on its row. Optional add-ons show as a checkbox on the client page and count toward the total only when selected.

Above the totals, set the pricing controls when you need them:

• Discount, as a percentage or a fixed amount, applied to the subtotal.
• Tax rate, applied to the subtotal after the discount.
• Deposit, the amount due up front, as a percentage or a fixed amount.

The Totals block updates as you go and shows the total With all add-ons when optional items exist.

Add content blocks

Choose Insert block to add sections between the fixed parts:

• Text for scope, approach, or a cover letter.
• Timeline for phases and dates.
• Images for examples of past work.
• Terms for conditions. Type them, or choose Insert saved terms to reuse a document from your Terms & Conditions.

Cover, Header, Line items, and Totals are always present and cannot be removed or reordered.

Set the design

Open the Design tab in the side panel:

1. Choose a Theme: Modern, Minimal, Classic, or Bold.
2. Pick an Accent color and a Page background: White, Light Gray, Cream, or Dark.
3. Under Cover image, upload your own image or choose one from the gallery, then pick the Fill, Inset, or Fade style.

Set the terms

Open the Settings tab in the side panel:

1. Turn on Require signature when the client must draw or type a signature to accept. Otherwise the client types their full name.
2. Under Send to, confirm the recipient. Contact persons on the client record can be chosen as well as the primary address.
3. Set Valid until to give the proposal an expiry, up to a year ahead, or leave it as No expiry.
4. Turn on Require deposit on accept to collect a deposit through Stripe Checkout when the client accepts.
5. Check Follow-up reminders. When on, clients who view but do not respond receive up to three reminder emails, 48 hours apart. This switch applies to every proposal in the workspace.
6. Add Internal notes for your team. They are never shown to the client.

Choose Preview at any time to see the proposal as the client will. Changes save automatically, and the toolbar shows Saving and Saved.

Send the proposal

Above the send button, the Almost ready to send checklist lists anything still missing. A proposal cannot be sent until every item is resolved:

• Add a client.
• Client needs an email address, or the address does not look valid.
• Add at least one line item, and set line item prices when the total is zero.
• Give the proposal a title.
• The valid-until date has passed.

When the checklist is clear:

1. Choose Send Proposal. If the client has both an email address and a phone number, choose Send via Email or Send via Text.
2. For email, Workspace369 sends the proposal from your workspace with the public link. For text, the link is created and your messaging composer opens with it.
3. The proposal moves to Sent and the side panel switches to Activity.

The public link has the form https://369.dev/p/… and exists from the first send. After that, Copy Link, Send via Email, and Send SMS in the row menu reuse the same link.

Verify the send

1. The proposal card shows a Sent chip with the date.
2. The Activity tab lists Proposal sent.
3. Open the public link yourself to confirm the client view.

If the email could not be delivered, the card shows Email not sent and the editor explains why: the client has no email address, the address is not valid, or the mail provider rejected the message. Fix the client record and send again.

Next step

Track acceptance and convert a proposal.