What is proposal software?
Write a compelling proposal in no time with the right software.
Writing a proposal that’s compelling is key to gaining new clients, selling services or products, and growing your business. A proposal outlines what you, uniquely, can deliver to a client to solve their business problem. These documents are typically long, well researched, and thorough, including everything from detailed budgets to itemized costs and payment structures.
A proposal is often the first step in a business relationship — putting one together can feel like a daunting process. With the right proposal software, however, you can create a strong business case with ease.
What is proposal software and why use it?
Proposal software is designed to streamline and automate the proposal process, enabling you to quickly generate and share documents, as well as track their success. When you’re shopping around for proposal software, look for these attributes:
- Design. Especially when you’re just starting out, every step of your business process builds your business brand. Proposals are no exception. Try a proposal software that has some creative design capabilities to help your proposal stand out, while also standing for your business values.
- Templates. Proposal software should have several different templates to choose from for your business needs. This way, you won’t have to worry about whether you’re missing key information or including excessive items.
- Integrations. Proposal tools should help you build partnerships and drive sales, so they should integrate with CRM, accounting, signature, and invoicing software.
- Electronic signature. Easily obtain legal sign-off with e-signature capabilities. This helps you move your proposal and contract forward without the hassle of paperwork, while still keeping a trail for your records.
- Analytics. Proposal software can also help you track your proposal win rates, giving you a good picture of your proposal ROI efforts. This can help you make strategic sales decisions.
Key features of proposal software.
Proposal software is full of features with the goal of making the proposal creation process more simple and efficient. Some other features that enhance collaboration and increase the chances of winning new business when you use proposal management software are:
- Customizable proposal templates
- Content library
- Interactive pricing tables
- Electronic signatures
- Analytics and tracking
How software for proposals improves sales team efficiency.
Implementing proposal software can impact a sales team’s efficiency and effectiveness. Here’s a list of some ways it can streamline your sales process:
- Save time. This type of software speeds up the proposal creation process with templates and content libraries, which allows sales teams to focus on selling. Proposal software also helps save time and standardize the business proposal format.
- Standardize processes. Software for proposals helps standardize proposals across the team, which ensures a consistent brand message and professional appearance.
- Obtain data-driven insights. It also helps understand conversion rates and provides valuable data in regards to the steps of the proposal process. This enables teams to refine their strategies with information based on their actual performance.
- Reduce human errors. Software for proposals automates data entry and content generation, which minimizes errors.
Questions to help choose the right proposal management software.
Choosing the right proposal management software requires you to carefully consider and study your business’s needs and goals. Some questions you can ask yourself when making a decision are the following:
- What’s the available budget? Determine how much your company is willing to invest in proposal management software and think about the ROI.
- How flexible does the software need to be? Consider whether you need a highly customizable solution to adapt to specific industry processes.
- What features are a priority for our process? Identify the features the software you choose must have and that will address your business’s specific needs, challenges, and goals.
- Do we need integrations with other tools? Think about whether the proposal software needs to integrate with your CRM, email, or other systems you may already have in place.
Start using proposal software today.
Adobe Acrobat makes it simple for businesses to create, save, and share PDFs of proposals with current and prospective clients. Explore how you can get more ROI on your proposal efforts.