Proposals are where deals stall. Sellers spend 2-3 hours writing each one, prospects open them once and go silent, and there's no visibility into what's happening on the other side. The fix is to automate generation, instrument the document, and feed the engagement data back into the deal.
Why proposals stall deals
- Sellers take days to send them
- Proposals are bloated and the prospect skims past the important parts
- No tracking on viewing or engagement
- No automated nudge if they go quiet
- Generic templates that don't reflect the actual call
How we run it
1. Pull context from the call
When the deal hits the "ready for proposal" stage, an agent pulls the call transcripts, the CRM record, the pricing decisions made, and the stakeholders involved. All the inputs needed to draft a tight, relevant proposal.
2. Auto-generate from templates
We use Qwilr or PandaDoc for the document layer. The agent populates a templated proposal with: scoped deliverables, pricing tiers based on what was discussed, relevant case studies, customised cover language, and a built-in e-signature flow.
3. Seller review & send
The draft lands in Slack within minutes. The seller reviews, tweaks anything specific, and sends. What used to take 2-3 hours now takes 5 minutes.
4. Instrumented tracking
Qwilr / PandaDoc captures viewer-level analytics: who opened it, which sections they spent time on, who they shared it with internally. That data flows back to the CRM and feeds the follow-up agent.
5. Adaptive follow-up
If the proposal is opened but no reply for 48 hours, the agent drafts a follow-up referencing the section they spent the most time on. If a new viewer is detected (indicating internal sharing), a stakeholder-specific message goes to the original contact.
6. E-signature & deal close
Built-in e-signature closes the loop. The moment the proposal is signed, the CRM updates the deal stage, triggers the onboarding workflow, and notifies the success team.
Tools we use
Qwilr for interactive proposals (preferred for analytics). PandaDoc as an alternative. Stripe for payment-on-signature. Claude for drafting. Close / HubSpot for CRM. n8n for orchestration.
What to watch for
- Templates matter - bad templates produce bad proposals at scale.
- Don't auto-send proposals. Always have a seller review first.
- Tier your follow-up cadence - high-value proposals deserve more attention than low-value ones.