We’ve checked out all the proposal tools on the market. Well, not exactly, because the market is constantly growing. Its value is estimated to reach $5.27 billion by 2027. What do all these apps have in common? They will help you create an effective sales proposal funnel – from generating new leads to maintaining relationships with recurring customers.
What is a sales funnel?
A sales funnel is the journey your potential customers take from the first contact with you to a completed purchase. The further down the funnel, the more leads ‘leak out’, i.e., lose interest in your offer. Others get more and more qualified until they reach the end – that is, they become your customers.
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Experts usually divide the sales funnel into 4-7 stages. Most models agree on these 5:
- Awareness,
- Interest,
- Evaluation,
- Desire,
- Purchase.
First, you inform the recipient who you are and what you do so they become aware of your intentions. Then, you spark interest by explaining how your product or service solves the prospect’s problems or satisfies their needs. Next, you evaluate the benefits of doing business with you, provoke a desire, and call to purchase.
After buying from you and using your product or service for a while, happy customers will tell others to try it out. This way, they fill your sales funnel with new prospects. Ultimately, you win more and more customers, and some of them stay loyal to you. Because of this, we consider customer relationship management – CRM – to be the last stage.
We’ve selected the best proposal tools for each part of the sales funnel and determined the essential features to help you in that stage.
Table of contents
Sales Proposal Funnel – Awareness
If they’re to buy from you, consumers need to learn about you and what you have to offer. In the first stage of the sales proposal funnel, you spread awareness, build a base of prospects to receive your proposals, and send them. Responding to RFPs and RFIs is also covered here.
Key features of proposal tools in the Awareness category
- lead management,
- email marketing automation,
- social media management,
- proposal creation,
- message automation,
- RFP and RFI response management.
Proposal tools for spreading awareness compared by features
Sellizer
If you compare proposal tools that help in each stage of the sales funnel, you’ll see that Sellizer can do the most.
First, it will store your leads and help you create and send business proposals. Then, the app will support your email marketing and lead nurturing with detailed statistics about the leads’ engagement. Last but not least, you’ll save time by automating follow-up messages. Do you want to learn more?
EngageBay
The all-in-one solution EngageBay supports marketing and sales. It also equips users with tools for CRM and customer support. Among its features, EngageBay lists helpdesks, live chats, landing pages, marketing automation, email sequences, appointment scheduling… To sum it up, there’s not much you won’t find in this app. It doesn’t focus on proposals, though.
SalesRabbit
Another app that marries marketing with sales is SalesRabbit. It focuses on sales reps and their performance. Firstly, it allows you to track and manage leads to move them down your sales funnel confidently. Secondly, it helps to send and store presentations and proposals. Last but not least, you can sign e-contracts with it. Let your prospects sail through the journey towards a purchase!
Upland Qvidian
The software Upland Qvidian was designed for proposal management and RFP responses. Start by collaborating with your team on proposals that stand out. Then, store highly-ranking responses and proposal content in one library to access them whenever you need to. At last, monitor your results to supercharge your strategy.
RFP360
As its name suggests, RFP360 focuses on issuing and responding to requests for proposals. Moreover, it allows you to craft DDQs and security questionnaires. Manage the whole RFP process effortlessly and automate your workflow. As for proposals, RFP360 will help you write them more quickly and automate the answers to RFPs.
Loopio
Another tool that helps with RFP response automation is Loopio. And it does a great job in that, from centralizing your best content to seamless collaboration across teams. Loopio’s in-built proposal generator also minimizes the amount of effort you need to put into the whole process. Create proposal templates quickly and easily without relying on graphic designers.
RFPIO
The software RFPIO is all about confident responding. Security questionnaires, statements of work, proactive proposals, RFPs, or RFIs – whatever demands your reply, you’ll breeze through it. The software can be integrated with popular CRMs, cloud storage apps, and communication platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
QorusDocs
In the multitude of proposal tools with RFP response features, QorusDocs is another that deserves recognition. It’s focused on creating outstanding proposals and RFP responses. Automate the content with AI and collaborate with experts to reach a top engagement rate. Then share your proposals and track the recipients’ engagement.
RocketDocs
The tool RocketDocs allows you to streamline the RFP process, generate customized proposals in minutes, and craft simplified DDQs and questionnaires. It uses AI to pull up-to-date answers from your library instantly – how cool is that? And you can work right within Microsoft Word or Excel with a RocketDocs add-in.
SmartDocs
If you’re looking for a simple tool to automate document creation, SmartDocs will be your friend. Work directly in Microsoft Word while the app supports you in reusing effective content. There’s conditional text, reusable snippets and variables, bulk publishing, and a content map, among other features.
Proposable
The app Proposable is another way to create, send, and track sales proposals in just a few clicks. The software is simple yet powerful, with detailed analytics and real-time event notifications. It also allows you to sign documents electronically and collect payments, so it’s worth using at every stage of the sales funnel!
Sales Proposal Funnel – Interest
When potential customers receive your proposals, you want to know how they react. Which parts were the most engaging to them? How likely are they to do business with you? In this stage, you analyze the prospects’ interests and plan your next step.
Key features of proposal tools in the Interest category
- file open tracking,
- proposal analytics,
- lead nurturing,
- real-time statistics of recipients’ actions,
- follow-up message automation.
Proposal tools for tracking buyer interest compared by features
PandaDoc
The app PandaDoc is all about documents. Its features are useful to both marketing and sales teams. When it comes to proposals, the app allows you to build templates for later use and import data from CRM software. Real-time notifications and auto-reminders will help you jump into action at the right moment and keep the conversation going.
Tilkee
Meet Tilkee, another all-in-one solution that combines document sharing, tracking, and eSignatures. The app will assist you with ready tools, from secure delivery of your proposals and contracts to closing the deal. It will also estimate your customers’ levels of interest so you can decide on the next step – be it manual or automated.
DocSend
The software DocSend is a dream come true for business professionals who care a lot about security. Instead of attachments, it generates links to documents that recipients can conveniently view on their devices. Then, it will track your documents and notify you when they’re opened. You’ll receive detailed analytics of which pages perform best as well.
RELAYTO
The app RELAYTO will help you collect, create, and share documents. After you deliver your carefully crafted proposal or presentation, your viewers will be able to act immediately thanks to embedded CTAs. The software will also track all the files you’ve sent and notify you when your messages are opened.
Better Proposals
The name Better Proposals says it all. Its Automatic Designer and over a hundred templates will help you create compelling proposals. Then, it will notify you when they’re opened so you can follow up at the right moment. When your client is ready to sign your proposal and pay, they can do it immediately from an encrypted link.
Qwilr
If you’d like to try something different than traditional PDFs, Qwilr will let you share your proposals as responsive and interactive web pages. You can easily embed videos, calendars, and e-signatures to them. The app will also notify you when your proposals are viewed and monitor how recipients interact with them.
Practice Ignition
Intuitive Practice Ignition will guide your customers through the sales funnel – from the proposal to an online signature and payment. Track which files have been opened, which require following up on, and which have been signed. Recipients will also be able to comment on your proposals and ask for feedback.
Sales Proposal Funnel – Evaluation & Desire
Questions are buzzing around the prospect’s head, and they want to discuss your proposal in a real-time conversation. Or they might have already decided but still need to evaluate different options and plans you offer. This is the time for chats, calls, and quotes – respond to the desire quickly!
Key features of proposal tools in the Evaluation and Desire category
- proposal management,
- content storage,
- interactive quoting,
- live chats,
- online meetings.
Proposal tools for evaluation compared by features
ClientPoint
The app ClientPoint is a digital sales and support room. Inside, you can schedule and hold meetings, share business materials, and sign contracts. A private ClientPoint is opened for each of your prospects or customers. When you send a proposal, you’ll receive real-time updates on the recipients’ viewing activity.
Bitrix24
You may know Bitrix24 as the all-in-one collaboration platform for businesses. It lets you store and share proposals, manage customer relationships, automate sales, and chat online, among other things. Voice and video calls are also possible from within the platform.
Bitrix24 can be integrated with Sellizer – this way, you can easily move through both the Interest and Evaluation & Desire stages of the sales funnel.
GetAccept
The software GetAccept offers a variety of tools to keep your hot leads engaged. For example, it allows you to follow up on your proposal with a live chat or personal video. Organize contracts, set the reminders you need, and sign documents with secure e-signatures. You can even send proposals by SMS to reach the prospect immediately.
Xait
There are two flavors of Xait – XaitPorter and XaitCPQ. One has to do with creating documents, while the other has all you need for smart quoting. Using both, you can streamline your sales process and save time crafting proposals and quotes for your clients.
QuoteWerks
Save time on quoting with QuoteWerks. It’s handy if you sell a variety of products online. The app will tell you when your quotes are viewed and when the customer wants to ask you a question. You can also build proposals and presentations in the in-built layout designer.
Vendavo CPQ Software
If you’re looking for proposal tools with intelligent CPQ solutions, Vendavo has you covered. Create accurate quotes in minutes, automate the pricing, and manage complex configurations. The app also allows you to create dynamic proposals and can be integrated with CRM systems.
ConnectWise Sell
The app ConnectWise Sell combines proposal tools with professional quoting. It can pull up-to-date product listings and prices from other sources and deliver interactive quotes accompanied by multimedia. The app will also notify you when the recipient has viewed your quote so you can quickly move to the next stage of the sales funnel.
FastSpring Interactive Quotes
Display your SaaS pricing conveniently with FastSpring Interactive Quotes. It will help you cut down on back-and-forth conversations with prospects. This makes moving from the Evaluation stage of the sales funnel to the purchase considerably faster.
Sales Proposal Funnel – Purchase
You’re about to close a deal. Finally! All you need to do now is sign a contract or make an online transaction. Let the customer or client accept your quote effortlessly and sign all the necessary documents electronically.
Key features of proposal tools in the Purchase category
- interactive quoting,
- contract templates,
- contract management,
- electronic signatures,
- feedback and review collection.
Proposal tools for closing compared by features
Proposify
The proposal software Proposify is geared towards the closing stage of the sales funnel. It simplifies the whole process from proposal generation to electronic signatures. Use it to eliminate the problems that slow you down. If you collaborate on documents with others, the app will conveniently store all the feedback and reviews.
DealHub
Unlike most proposal tools, DealHub was designed to support salespeople in all the sales funnel stages. First, generate proposals effortlessly in the DealRoom, then communicate with customers. Capture information about them to synchronize with your CRM and close the deal with an e-signature.
Revv
Is security among your topmost priorities? Revv.so will encrypt your business documents on multiple levels. You can create outstanding proposals, contracts, quotes, and more in the app’s document composer. Use data from your CRM to generate documents in bulk, then sign them fast – time sensitivity is not a problem for Revv.
Conga
The software Conga can help you with closing a deal in three ways. However, the features are divided into separate products. Firstly, Conga CLM allows you to generate and manage contracts. Secondly, Conga CPQ helps you deliver accurate quotes and calculate complex prices. Thirdly, Conga Sign provides a convenient electronic signature so you can breeze through to the purchase.
AND.CO
Designed for freelancers, AND.CO takes the hassle out of proposal generation, contract generation, and invoicing. It allows customers to pay directly after signing the contract. The app provides one customizable contract template to keep things simple.
Oneflow
With Oneflow, sharing contracts and agreements of any kind is simple. Move seamlessly from building responsive digital documents to closing the deal in just a few clicks. You’re free to create your own templates or use the pre-built ones. The app removes the need for sending attachments back and forth.
HoneyBook
The app HoneyBook streamlines the generation and sending of proposals, contracts, and invoices. It can also collect online payments and automate your tasks. Stay on top of all your files, communications, and events. Automatically generated reports will help you boost your sales.
Quotient
The software Quotient will be a great addition to any proposal tools mentioned in the first categories. It allows you to generate and deliver quotes. You can also collect feedback and reviews from your customers and let them accept your quote in one click. Even if you’re already using an app to generate and send proposals, consider speeding up the close with Quotient.
Sales Proposal Funnel – CRM
The customer’s journey doesn’t end with the first purchase. Now you need to build a relationship with them. Deliver customer service, analyze the information you’ve collected about your buyers, and engage them with future campaigns. Don’t you want loyal customers who are just as excited about your product updates as you are?
Key features of proposal tools in the CRM category
- contact management,
- customer communications,
- opportunity management,
- sales forecasting,
- reports and dashboards.
Proposal tools for CRM compared by features
Salesforce Sales Cloud
The platform Salesforce provides users with powerful CRM tools. It will help you manage contacts, communicate with customers, and keep track of sales opportunities. View your entire pipeline and forecasts for your sales team – thanks to these features, you can set more ambitious goals and take steps towards them.
Zoho CRM
Build lasting relationships with customers with Zoho CRM. Communicate with them through all the channels, predict your sales, and nurture new leads in your sales funnel. The app can also be integrated with proposal tools like Proposify and PandaDoc.
In Mind Cloud
The sales platform In Mind Cloud was made for manufacturers. It strengthens the collaboration between sales reps and helps them manage their pipeline. Forecasts and reports make it easier to make informed decisions and prioritize opportunities.
Recapped
The all-in-one solution Recapped will assist you in proposal sending, client onboarding, and post-sales. It brings buyers, salespeople, and support together into one Client Portal. Pre-built file templates include mutual action plans, sales proposals, and onboarding checklists. The app will also let you easily manage complex proof of concepts.
Agiled
The app Agiled will help you manage people, tasks, and finances. From CRM and employee management to contracts and invoicing, it allows you to stay on top of what’s happening in your business. The app also provides users with a drag & drop proposal editor, making it one of the best proposal tools.
Use the best proposal tools throughout the sales funnel
Nothing will slow you down if you rely on the proposal tools described above. Pick one or more from each category to move your leads down the sales funnel faster than ever. Do you know any other apps that should be on the list? Let us know in the comments.
