Proposals — User Guide
Module: Core CRM
Audience: Sales staff, account managers, sales managers, system administrators
Version: 1.0.0
Last updated: 2026-07-23
Overview
A proposal is a formal sales document you send to a prospect or customer before an estimate or invoice. It includes line items, terms, and optional rich content. Proposals can be emailed as PDF, tracked through a pipeline, accepted or declined in the customer portal, and converted to an estimate or invoice when won.
Go to Sales → Proposals in the admin sidebar.
Prerequisites
| Role | Typical permissions |
|---|---|
| View all proposals | Proposals → View |
| View only your proposals | Proposals → View own (proposals you created) |
| View assigned proposals | When enabled in settings, staff assigned as sale agent can view |
| Create proposals | Proposals → Create |
| Edit proposals | Proposals → Edit |
| Delete proposals | Proposals → Delete |
| Convert to estimate | Estimates → Create |
| Convert to invoice | Invoices → Create |
Step-by-step: View the proposal list
- Go to Sales → Proposals.
- Use filters for status, customer, dates, assigned agent, project, or tags.
- Click a proposal row to open the preview panel, or the proposal number to edit.
Switch views: Toggle between table and pipeline (kanban) to match your workflow.
View own users: You see proposals you created. If your organization allows it, you also see proposals where you are the assigned sale agent.
Step-by-step: Create a proposal
- Go to Sales → Proposals.
- Click New proposal.
- Complete the form:
- Subject
- Related customer or lead
- Optional project (for customer proposals)
- Proposal date and valid-until date
- Assigned sale agent and currency
- Line items (description, quantity, rate, tax)
- Discount or adjustment if needed
- Add proposal content (introduction, terms) in the editor.
- Click Save, or Save and send to email immediately.
Expected result: Proposal appears in the list with status Draft or Sent depending on your action.
Step-by-step: Send a proposal by email
- Open the proposal from the list or pipeline.
- In the preview panel, choose Send to email.
- Confirm recipient, optional CC, and whether to attach PDF.
- Send.
Expected result: Status moves to Sent; the customer receives the email with a link to view online.
Step-by-step: Work proposals in the pipeline
- Go to Sales → Proposals and switch to Pipeline.
- Cards are grouped by status (Draft, Sent, Open, Revised, Declined, Accepted).
- Drag a card to change status (requires Edit permission).
- Click a card to preview or open details.
Step-by-step: Customer acceptance
When the customer opens the proposal link from email or the portal:
- They review line items and content.
- They Accept or Decline (and may sign when configured).
- Status updates in your admin view.
If auto-convert to invoice on accept is enabled, accepting may create an invoice automatically.
Step-by-step: Convert to estimate or invoice
- Open an accepted or ready proposal.
- Choose Convert to estimate or Convert to invoice.
- Review pre-filled line items and customer details.
- Submit.
Expected result: A new estimate or invoice is created; the proposal links to it and status becomes Accepted.
Requires Create permission on Estimates or Invoices respectively.
Step-by-step: Copy or delete a proposal
- Copy: Use row actions to duplicate as a new draft — useful for similar deals.
- Delete: Remove proposals you no longer need (requires Delete permission).
Proposal statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Internal; not yet sent (may be hidden from customer portal) |
| Sent | Emailed to the customer |
| Open | Awaiting customer response |
| Revised | Updated version sent |
| Declined | Customer rejected |
| Accepted | Customer agreed; ready for conversion |
Setup (administrators)
| Area | Path | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Proposal settings | Setup → Settings → Proposals | Number prefix, due days, pipeline limits, portal rules |
| Custom fields | Setup → Custom fields | Extra fields on proposals |
| Email templates | Setup → Email templates | Wording for proposal emails and reminders |
| Taxes, currencies, items | Setup → Finance / Sales | Catalog for line items |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Cannot see Proposals menu | Request View, View own, or assignment-based access |
| Cannot open a proposal | You need View, ownership, or sale-agent assignment |
| Cannot send email | SMTP settings; valid recipient email on proposal |
| Customer cannot see proposal | Draft exclusion setting; proposal must be sent/shared |
| Convert blocked | Create permission on target document type |
| Pipeline drag fails | Edit permission on Proposals |
Best practices
- Link every proposal to a customer or lead for clean reporting.
- Set a realistic valid until date; use expiry reminders for stale deals.
- Move status to Sent only after review — drafts may be hidden from customers.
- Convert to invoice or estimate promptly when accepted to avoid duplicate billing.
- Use copy for repeat offerings instead of rebuilding line items from scratch.