The Truth About Proposals—Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

Proposals aren’t just a formality. They’re more than a price, a number, a place to sign. They’re masters of persuasion, your champion when you’re not in the room, your winning edge over the competition.

Here's the deal-breaker: too many sales teams treat proposals like an afterthought, leaving money on the table and your business ignored when it matters most.

Our research is undeniable: a strong proposal and a seamless process do more than improve close rates, they streamline your entire sales cycle, eliminate friction, improve your professional reputation, and set you up for bigger, faster wins.

The  2025 State of Proposals reveals:

• The roadblocks that slow teams down
• What the top performers are doing differently
• How to level up your proposals to close more deals effectively

These are your data-backed hacks to smarter selling. Apply them, and watch your proposals deliver more revenue, efficiency, and success—without adding extra work to your plate. You might even feel like you've added a superstar seller to your team.

Kyle Racki
CEO & Co-Founder

Page Count: Concise Closes Deals

There’s no one-size-fits-all length—it depends on the complexity, the deal size, and sales stage. The key is to kill the clutter and focus on what matters: how you solve their problem.

Sections: Where Buyers Actually Pay Attention

Not all proposal sections pull their weight. So which ones matter most? And how many do you actually need?

Most common sections in won proposals:

1. Cover Page

2. Executive Summary / Introduction / Project Summary

3. Approach / Solution / Our Process / Overview & Goals / Scope of Work

4. Deliverables / Products / Timeline

5. About Us / Our Team / Team Bios / Why Us?

6. Pricing / Your Investment / Fee Summary / Quote / Budget

7. Terms & Conditions / Sign Off / Next Steps / Acceptance

Images: If Looks Could Close 

Proposals aren’t just about what you say—it’s about how you show it.

Visuals:

• Keep buyers engaged by breaking up text-heavy pages
• Make your brand look sharp with polished, professional design
• Show (off), don’t just tell—let headshots, product shots, and portfolios do the selling

Video in Proposals: Sell When You're Not in the Room

Most proposals get passed around your prospect's buying committee—but you’re not always there to pitch.

Only 23% of proposals include video, yet sellers who use it see higher engagement rates.

Why? Because video:
Puts you in the room even when you’re not
Speaks directly to key decision-makers who never joined the sales call
Makes your pitch more engaging, memorable, and persuasive

A short, strategic video—whether it’s a personal intro, a product demo, or a client testimonial—can be the difference between ‘Let’s go’ and ‘Let’s think about it.’

Interactive Pricing Tables: Let Buyers Build Bigger Deals

By incorporating editable quantities and optional rows, your prospects gain more control over their purchase, allowing them to:

• Adjust quantities to fit their budget
• Add or remove features based on their needs
• Select upsell & cross-sell opportunities
• See real-time pricing changes, eliminating back-and-forth

This flexibility not only increases their confidence but also boosts deal size—buyers are more likely to opt into upgrades and additional services when they can customize their package upfront.

Giving buyers control over pricing makes it easier for them to say “yes.”

Smart Forms, Smoother Deals

Adding fields for contact details, billing information, project specifics, and key roles keeps buyers engaged and eliminates unnecessary back-and-forth.

You’ll need this info in your CRM anyway—why not capture it upfront and make closing and project kick-off seamless for everyone?

Proposal Views: The Clues to Closing

Not tracking proposal views? You’re missing key signals that can make or break a deal.

Too few views? Your prospect might be disengaged—reach out and re-align.

Higher-than-average views? Someone’s digging in—check if they have questions or need adjustments.

Your proposal isn’t just sitting there—it’s sending signals. Are you listening?

Multi-thread or Miss Out

Selling to a single decision-maker is risky—deals can stall or die in isolation.

The data is clear: when more than one stakeholder views a proposal, close rates DOUBLE.

Yet, most proposals are only sent to one person.

Multi-threading your deals and engaging multiple stakeholders early helps build momentum by:

• Aligning the team on the problem you’re solving
• Creating internal champions who help sell the deal for you
• Reducing the risk of a single point of failure

Automatic Reminders: Fortune is in the Follow-up

Prospects are busy. You're busy. People get distracted. Sometimes, they just forget.  Setting up automatic reminders keeps your proposal top of mind without you having to chase every deal manually.

After 1 day:

No open? The system reminds them.

After 2 days:

No response? A gentle nudge goes out.

If views stall at 7 days:

They’re stuck—time to step in.

A well-timed reminder isn’t just a follow-up—it’s a deal saver. Automate your nudges, keep deals moving, and never let an opportunity slip away.

Revisions: A Few Edits Away from a Win

If your prospect asks you to revise the proposal, it's not a bad thing—it's a sign you've entered the negotiation phase and you're one step closer to the close. Proposals that get revised have a higher close rate.

E-signatures: A Good Sign

If your closing process still involves printing, signing, scanning, and emailing, it might have worked in the '90s, but in 2025, it’s costing you deals.

E-signatures remove friction, speed up approvals, and turn hesitation into action—so you and your buyer can get down to business faster.

The Next Deal is Yours to Close

Now that you've joined the Proposal Enlightened, the question becomes: what one thing will you improve tomorrow?

Even implementing a single insight from this report—whether it's interactive pricing, automated reminders, or multi-threading your deals—can dramatically transform your results.

The most successful teams don't just consume these insights—they act on them.

At Proposify, we've built every winning strategy in this report directly into our platform. Why reinvent the wheel when thousands of sales teams are already using these tactics to outperform their competition?

Your next proposal could be your best-performing one yet.

Cheering you on,
The Proposify Team

P.S. True enlightenment isn't just knowledge—it's putting that knowledge into practice. We're here to help with that part, too.

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