How to boost sales with Proposal Automation

For a lot of creative agencies, the focus of their energy is on thinking outside the box, standing out and being innovative. While all of that is necessary to bring in awards, efficiency and effectiveness during the sales process shouldn’t be neglected. This is especially true when it comes to proposal writing and winning pitches. That’s why proposal automation is on the rise and you can be part of it!

It’s no secret that a well-written proposal can make the difference when closing deals and increasing revenue. However, the process of creating, sending, and tracking proposals can be time-consuming and soon becomes error-prone when working manually. This is where proposal automation comes into play, helping all sorts of businesses and freelancers streamline their sales funnels.

What is Proposal Automation?

In general proposal automation refers to using software or apps to optimize proposal sending processes. It starts with proposal creation and covers everything from proposal templates to reusable content, proposal follow ups and electronic signatures.

Here at Nusii, we think proposal automation means freeing you of repetitive and, let’s be honest, boring tasks. At the same time our proposal management software helps you reduce errors and understand what’s working and what’s not.

6 Benefits of Proposal Automation

Implementing proposal automation can provide a range of benefits for businesses looking to boost their sales efforts. It’s a low cost way of boosting conversion rates. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of automating proposals.

1. Time Savings

First off, it’s the most obvious one of all. As with almost any kind of automation the most immediate benefit is in the time it saves. Instead of spending hours creating individual proposals from scratch or copy pasting text, sales teams can leverage pre-built templates and content libraries. Writing and sending proposals quicker means you have more time to spend prospecting, selling or just thinking about how to communicate the value you provide!

2. Branding

Consistency in messaging and branding is crucial for building trust with potential clients. Proposal automation ensures that every proposal follows the same format, includes the correct logos and fonts and generally adheres to the company's branding guidelines. This consistency helps create a professional image that is consistent with your website, social media and other touchpoints. In short it helps build credibility with clients and you sure need that if you’re going to close that deal!

3. Personalization at Scale

While automation streamlines the proposal process, it doesn't mean you should send identical proposals to all your clients. Far from it! Personalization is what wins you proposals and good proposal automation software should allow for dynamic content, reusable imagery and customization. Here at Nusii we let you set variables so that your proposal automatically pulls in client data such as names and addresses.

4. Reduced Errors

The more proposals you have to write manually the higher the chance of introducing an error. We’re only humans after all. These errors could be huge such as incorrect pricing or innocent mistakes such as typos or forgetting to include some information. Either way it will affect your conversion rate so using proposal automation to reduce the risk of making errors is a no-brainer.

5. Faster Turnaround

Depending what your business sector is, proposals can take a long time to produce. This is especially true if there is a creative process involved already at proposal stage. Then you have to factor in the time it takes to format and produce the final document. Reducing this time even a little bit allows you to reach your client faster and increases the chances of closing a deal.

6. Analytics and Insights

Proposal automation tools, such as Nusii, often come with built-in analytics features that allow you or your manager to track the performance of their proposals. Data such as win-rates and open-rates provide valuable insights into which proposals are most effective, helping teams refine their strategies and ultimately sell more. If you work with a large team, you can even compare data with colleagues and share best practice.

How to Implement Proposal Automation in Your Business

By now the benefits of automating proposal writing should be clear. Let's explore how you would go about implementing it in practice:

1. Choose the Right Software

Start by selecting the right proposal management software for your business. Obviously it needs to allow for automation but don’t forget to search online for reviews, check pricing and consider what kinds of companies use this tool. The right software for you is not necessarily the one that paid for ads and ranks number 1 on your Google search! Instead, look for a solution that aligns with your specific needs, offers customization options, and integrates seamlessly with your existing tools and systems.

2. Create Your Own Templates

Once you have signed up for a trial or paid your subscription, invest time in creating well-thought through proposal templates. The software will most likely have existing templates for you to modify but you will need to tailor them to your needs. The final templates should be flexible enough to accommodate various types of proposals and client needs while maintaining your brand’s look and feel.

3. Train Your Team

Make sure you use proposal software that allows multiple team members working on the same account. Having your whole team using the same software and collaborating on proposals can help ensure that automation is leveraged properly. Provide them with guidance on personalizing templates and using automation features effectively.

4. Integrate with CRM, Communication & Payment Apps

Take a look at your technology stack and make sure that your proposal automation software syncs and integrates with the most important apps and services you use. For example, if you use Stripe to collect payments, check that you can capture payments straight from your proposal software by checking it has a Stripe integration to capture proposal payments. You may also want to integrate with communications tools such as Slack.

5. Customize and Personalize

While automating proposals is a business tip that pays for itself, it’s important not to forget to personalize each proposal you send. Choose a software that allows you to autofill client details and have various custom templates but also spend time tailoring each proposal to the specific needs and pain points of your client. Use reusable sections to insert the most relevant images, graphics and videos.

6. Track and Analyze

Be sure to make the most of the reporting features of your chosen proposal automation software. If you use Nusii, for example, you will be able to track open rates, acceptance rates as well as receive feedback via live chat. Use this data to refine your proposal strategies and improve your close rates.

Conclusion

In a competitive sector, efficiency and effectiveness in the sales process are synonymous with success. Proposal automation is a relatively easy way to stay in the race, saving you time, ensuring consistency and providing valuable insights at the same time! It empowers your sales team to perform better and gives your business more visibility on what brings in the most business..

The key to doing proposal automation properly lies in selecting the right software. After that it depends on you to customize templates, train your team and leverage the data the software gives you. As businesses continue to seek ways to boost sales and stay competitive, those that embrace proposal automation will likely find themselves closing more deals and being that extra step ahead of the rest!