How Dubsado Proposal Templates Can Help You Book More Sales, Get Paid Faster, and WOW Clients

As a creative business owner, sending proposals to potential clients is a necessary part of your sales process. But let’s be honest—it can be time-consuming and stressful. If you’re like many of my clients, you’re likely creating proposals from scratch, manually entering information, and sending separate contracts and invoices. The good news is that Dubsado proposals can help you streamline and automate this entire process. Here’s how you can use Dubsado to book more sales in less time and create a smoother booking experience for your clients.

Note: This blog post talks about how to set up Dubsado proposals with one or more packages for clients to select. If you send quotes to clients, read this blog post instead.

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I may receive a small compensation.

Who Am I?

Hi, I’m Amy Pearson! I help creative entrepreneurs streamline their client experiences and grow their businesses with the power of automation. I’ve seen firsthand how labor intensive the process of creating proposals, contracts, and invoices can be. (I also know that you’re more likely to get a sale if you send a proposal within the first 30 minutes of talking to a client.) That’s why I’m passionate about showing you tools like Dubsado. It can save you time. Help you book more clients. Get paid faster. Plus, provide an exceptional client experience so you can start working smarter, not harder.

The Challenges Creative Business Owners Face with Proposals

One of the biggest challenges creative business owners face when sending proposals is the time it takes to create them. Many end up building proposals from scratch each time, reinventing the wheel with each new client. Add to that the task of manually entering client information into separate contracts and invoices, and it’s easy to see why this process becomes overwhelming.

In addition, clients are often left with a fragmented experience, juggling multiple emails and PDFs for proposals, contracts, and invoices. This not only slows down the process but also risks losing clients who want a smoother, faster way to book your services.

How Dubsado Proposals Simplify the Process

Dubsado proposals solve these problems by combining your offer, contract, and invoice into one streamlined document. When you use a proposal template, you can simply customize the proposal for each client by selecting the package(s) you spoke about. Then, add a custom message and send the proposal. You can use smart fields to automatically fill in client information for you. Any selections that a client makes will be added to their invoice for you.

How a Dubsado Proposal Looks to Your Client

Clients don’t have to open multiple emails or visit different platforms to finish the booking process. Everything is in one place. They just choose their package or packages and click the button at the bottom of the page. Then, review and digitally sign the contract on the next screen. After that, they’ll see your invoice with everything they just chose in the proposal. They click the button to pay, and they’re done.

This creates a smooth, professional client experience and gets you paid faster. That’s a win/win in my book!

Things to Include in Your Proposal Templates to Book More Clients

To truly make your Dubsado proposals stand out, include a few key elements that will help boost your bookings and revenue:

1. About Your Business and Services: Include a brief but engaging introduction to your business and a clear explanation of your services. Let clients know exactly what they can expect when they work with you.
2. Step-by-Step Service Delivery: If it makes sense for your business, include a simple 1-4 step breakdown of how your service is delivered. This helps clients understand your process and builds confidence in your professionalism.
3. Social Proof: Testimonials, whether written or in video format, can go a long way in building trust. Dubsado allows you to embed HTML code, so you can include video testimonials right within the proposal for an even stronger impact.
4. FAQs: Anticipate common questions and address them in your proposal. This shows clients you understand their concerns and helps them make a faster decision.
5. Add-Ons and Upsells: Add-ons can be a great way to increase revenue. Think about services or upgrades that clients might want, either as part of their initial experience or to enhance it later. Dubsado proposals allow clients to choose one or more add-ons, making it easy for them to customize their purchase.

Dubsado Proposal Example

How to Avoid Common Proposal Mistakes

Dubsado makes it easy to send professional proposals. However, there are still a few common mistakes you should watch out for:

1. Skipping the Settings: Don’t forget to configure all the settings on the left-hand side of your proposal setup. This includes selecting the correct contract, invoice, and payment plan options. Remember, if you plan to use workflow actions triggered by a payment, don’t select a payment plan in the proposal settings—set it up in the workflow instead!
2. Not Testing Your Proposal: Before sending a proposal to a client, always test it by creating a test project and sending it to yourself. Walk through the process as if you were the client: select services, sign the contract, and complete the payment. This helps catch any errors and ensures everything works as expected.
3. Using Generic Button Text: The default button text in Dubsado may not make sense for your specific business. Customize the button text to align with your brand and your clients’ expectations. For example, a wedding hair and makeup artist might change the button text to “Book My Services” instead of “Submit.” (You can find the button text setting under the artist’s pallet menu on the left hand side under the settings wheel for the proposal.) Watch the video below, you’ll see it at the end.

How to Set Your Proposal Settings

What Happens After the Proposal Is Complete?

Once a client completes a Dubsado proposal, it’s important to keep the momentum going with follow-up workflows. After booking, make sure to send an onboarding email welcoming your new client and giving them all the details the client needs to get started, like an onboarding questionnaire or scheduling link.

Pro Tip: If you send several forms or other items at once to onboard clients, it’s a good idea to have your workflows upload everything to the Dubsado client portal and just send your clients an email with a link to the client portal to complete their onboarding. This way, you aren’t inundating them with emails.

What if a Client Doesn’t Book Right Away?

If a client doesn’t complete the proposal right away, setting up automated emails that remind them to finish the process can help. I recommend at least three follow-up emails:

1. A check-in email to confirm they received the proposal and offer to answer any questions.
2. A reminder email with additional information like FAQs, testimonials, or social proof to ease any hesitations.
3. The “Magic Email” asking if they’ve changed their mind or need more time, which often leads to responses.

If you’d like to save time writing these, I have these emails in my Canned Email Pack. You can copy and paste them into your Dubsado. Customize them and create your own lead follow-up sequence in just a few minutes.

The Top Benefits of Using Dubsado Proposals

So, why should you be using Dubsado proposals in your business?

1. Speed and Efficiency: Having a premade template ready to go means you can send proposals faster and get clients booked while they’re still excited to work with you.
2. Seamless Experience: With contracts and invoices all in one proposal, your clients don’t need to open multiple emails or sign multiple documents. Everything is streamlined and easy for them to manage.
3. Customization and Upselling: The ability to include add-ons, upsells, and personalized details in your proposals allows clients to tailor their experience while increasing your revenue.

Top Tip for New Users: Make It Look Like Your Website

If you’re just getting started with Dubsado proposals, here’s a top tip: Make your proposal match the design of your website. This creates a seamless experience for your clients. Start by adding your logo or header image, followed by a short “About Me” section. Replicate the layout of your testimonials and re-create the design elements from your site within the proposal. This way, when clients open the proposal, they’ll feel like they’re still engaging with your brand, not jumping to a different platform.

To Wrap It All Up…

Using Dubsado proposals is a game-changer for creative business owners. If you’re looking to streamline your sales process, get paid faster, and create a seamless client experience.

You cand do this by…

• creating a proposal template that does your selling for you.
• setting up a contract that fills in all the client info automatically.
• connecting your contract and invoice to speed up your booking process.
• automating your follow-ups and onboarding process.

You’ll save hours on every booking. Eliminate the stress of remembering to follow-up with leads and focus on what you do best—serving your clients.

Ready to elevate your business and take your proposals to the next level? Create your proposal template today, and watch your business grow. If you don’t have Dubsado, click this link to save 20% on your first month or year of Dubsado.