Overview
Your proposal is often the last thing a client sees before making a decision. A number on a spreadsheet rarely wins work on its own. A well-crafted proposal tells your story, builds confidence in your team, and gives the client everything they need to say yes.
In Structur, every proposal automatically populates from your estimate data. You don't need to rebuild your pricing in a separate document or copy numbers into a template. The proposal pulls directly from your estimate and presents it in a professional, branded format you can customize section by section.
From there, you can add your company story, team profiles, testimonials, photos, and terms and conditions. You control exactly how much pricing detail the client sees. When you're ready, you send it with a personal message, track when the client views it, and collect their electronic signature when they approve. Once a proposal is approved, Structur automatically moves the lead into your active Projects pipeline.
This guide walks you through setting up your default proposal template, customizing individual proposals, sending to clients, and managing approvals.
Understanding Proposals
What It Does
Proposals allow you and your team to:
Generate client-ready documents directly from your estimates without re-entering any data
Customize your default template once with your branding, company story, team profiles, testimonials, and standard terms
Control pricing visibility by showing full cost code detail, group totals only, or hiding markup percentages
Send proposals with a personal message through a built-in submit modal that routes directly to the client
Collect electronic signatures with a built-in approval workflow that records name, email, and signature
Approve proposals manually when a client signs off outside of Structur
Track proposal status with Draft, Pending, Approved, and Declined indicators on the proposals list
Convert approved proposals to active projects automatically, with the estimate feeding directly into the project budget
When to Use It
Proposals are most valuable when you want to:
Present pricing to a client in a professional, branded format instead of a raw estimate printout
Add context to your numbers with company history, team bios, and past project photos
Set clear payment terms and project expectations before work begins
Give clients an easy way to approve and sign without printing, scanning, or emailing
Build a trackable record of every proposal sent, revised, and approved across your leads and projects
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Access Proposals
Proposals live inside any lead or project. Click Leads or Projects in the left sidebar, open the record you're working on, and click Proposals in the module top bar.
Note: A proposal is automatically populated by your estimate when you create a new proposal. If no estimate exists yet, the Proposals view will prompt you to create one first. Click New Estimate to get started, then return to Proposals once the estimate is saved.
2. Set Up Your Default Proposal Template
Before you send your first proposal, set up your default template. This saves your branding, company information, team profiles, and standard terms so every new proposal starts with them already filled in.
Click the gear icon in the top right of the Proposals list view to open Default Proposal Settings
Work through each section in the left sidebar. Every section has a Hide this section toggle in the top right - use it to turn off any sections that don't apply to your business
Fill in your details for each section you want to include:
Header
Upload a Header Image for your cover page. Add a Title and Description to appear below the image. Under Visual Settings, choose a Proposal Name Color to match your brand.
Proposal Details
Set your default proposal expiration timeframe, payment schedule, tax rate, license number, insurance information, and "prepared by" contact.
Pricing
Control how much cost detail clients see. Choose to show full cost code breakdowns, group totals only, or hide overhead and profit percentages entirely.
About Our Company
Add your company history, mission, services, areas you serve, and notable credentials or milestones.
Scope of Work
Write your default scope description, standard inclusions and exclusions, site requirements, and any standard assumptions.
CEO's Statement
Add a personal message from ownership. This is the human touch that differentiates your proposals from a competitor's.
Our Team
Add team members with photos, titles, and bios. These appear in all proposals by default and can be adjusted per proposal.
Testimonials
Add client testimonials with their name, company, and written feedback. Include enough context to make each one feel relevant and credible.
Photos
Upload project photos that showcase your craftsmanship and the range of work you do.
Files
Attach any standard documents you want to include with every proposal, such as certifications or insurance certificates.
Terms and Conditions
Add your standard payment terms, timeline expectations, change order process, warranty terms, and any liability language.
Thank You
Write a closing message and include clear next steps for after approval.
Contacts
Add the primary point of contact the client should reach out to with questions.
Note: Changes to Default Proposal Settings apply to all new proposals going forward. Existing proposals are not affected.
3. Customize an Individual Proposal
Every proposal can be customized independently without changing your defaults.
Open the lead or project and click Proposals in the module top bar
Click Open next to the proposal you want to edit
Use the same left sidebar sections to update content specific to this proposal
Toggle off any sections that don't apply to this particular client or project
Adjust the Pricing section to control how much detail this specific client sees
Note: You can create multiple proposals per lead or project. Each one gets its own proposal number and revision label. The proposals list shows the status of each one so you always know what's been sent, approved, or declined.
4. Preview Your Proposal
Always preview before sending.
Click the magnifier (preview) icon in the top bar of the proposal editor
Review every section as the client will see it
Check that your logo loads correctly, images are sharp, pricing is accurate, and contact information is current
Return to any section to make edits, then preview again before sending
5. Send the Proposal to Your Client
Click Send Proposal in the top bar
The Submit Proposal modal opens, showing the Recipient pulled from the client record
Add a personal Message in the rich text field - use this to set context, highlight key points, or share your excitement about the project
Click Send Proposal
The client receives an email with a link to view the proposal online. They can review it, approve it with an electronic signature, decline it, or leave comments.
6. Approve a Proposal Manually
If a client approves outside of Structur (by phone, in person, or via email), you can record the approval yourself.
Open the proposal
Click Approve Manually in the top bar
The Approve Proposal modal opens
Confirm the Name and Email fields
Select a signature style from the three options, or click draw your own to sign freehand
Add optional Feedback notes if relevant
Attach any Files if needed
Click Approve
The approval is recorded with your name, email, signature, and timestamp in the proposal's activity log.
7. Track Proposal Status
The Proposals list view shows the status of every proposal at a glance:
Draft - the proposal has been created but not yet sent
Pending - the proposal has been sent and you're waiting on the client
Approved - the client has accepted the proposal
Declined - the client has declined
When a proposal is approved, the lead automatically moves to your Projects pipeline and the estimate becomes the project budget baseline.
Best Practices
Set up your default template before your first proposal - spending 30 minutes on defaults saves time on every proposal you send from that point forward.
Preview every proposal before sending - a broken image or wrong total on a client-facing document undermines the professionalism you're trying to project.
Keep your CEO's Statement personal - write it in first person, like you're talking directly to the client, not a corporate boilerplate.
Match your pricing visibility to the client relationship - show full cost code detail for sophisticated clients who expect transparency, and show totals only when you want to keep the focus on value.
Include 2 to 3 strong testimonials rather than filling the section - a few highly relevant testimonials are more convincing than a long list of generic ones.
Follow up after sending - the proposal status updates when the client views it, but a personal call or message after they've seen it moves things forward faster than waiting.
Use revisions instead of creating new proposals - if pricing changes after you've sent, create a revised proposal on the same record so the full history stays in one place.
Add fresh photos regularly - your default proposal photos should reflect your current best work, not a project from three years ago.
Common Questions
Q: Does every estimate automatically create a proposal?
A: Not quite. You still need to create the proposal yourself, but Structur automatically pulls your estimate data into it so you don't have to re-enter any numbers. Click New Proposal in the top right of the Proposals view and your estimate information populates the proposal instantly.
Q: Can I have more than one proposal per lead or project?
A: Yes. You can create multiple proposals on the same record. Each one gets its own proposal number and revision label. This is useful when you're presenting multiple pricing options or revising after client feedback.
Q: What happens when a client approves a proposal?
A: The lead automatically moves from your Leads pipeline into your active Projects pipeline. The approved estimate becomes the project budget baseline and cost tracking begins from there.
Q: Can I edit a proposal after I've already sent it?
A: Yes. You can make edits at any time and the client will see the most current version when they open their link. If you make significant changes after sending, send the client a note letting them know what changed.
Q: Should I show overhead and profit percentages to my clients?
A: It depends on your client relationships and market. Hiding markup details and showing only the bottom-line total is the most common approach and keeps the focus on value rather than margin. You can adjust this per proposal in the Pricing section.
Q: What's the difference between sending a proposal and approving manually?
A: Sending routes the proposal to your client by email so they can review and sign electronically. Approving manually records an approval you've already received outside of Structur, such as a verbal agreement or a signed PDF the client sent back. Both methods record the approval in the proposal's activity log.
Q: Can I download the proposal as a PDF?
A: Yes. Click the download icon in the top right of the proposal to generate a PDF at any time. Use this for your own records, to share internally, or if a client prefers a file over the online link.
Q: I can only see one proposal in my project budget. Where are the others?
A: The budget displays the most recently approved proposal. If you have two proposals in Approved status on the same project, the budget will only reflect one of them. Check your Proposals list and filter by Approved — if more than one shows as approved, void the duplicate by clicking its three-dot menu and selecting Void. Only one proposal should be approved at a time. If your project covers two distinct scopes, use cost code groupings within a single proposal, or create two separate estimates.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Don't | ✅ Do |
Send a proposal without previewing it first | Preview every proposal and check images, pricing, and contact info before hitting send |
Skip setting up Default Proposal Settings | Set up your defaults once so every new proposal starts with your branding and terms already in place |
Create a brand new proposal every time pricing changes | Use revisions on the existing proposal to keep the full history in one place |
Leave the CEO's Statement as a generic placeholder | Write a personal, specific message that speaks directly to the type of client you're trying to win |
Show full cost code detail to every client | Match pricing visibility to the client - use totals only when transparency about line items isn't necessary |
Send and wait | Follow up with the client after sending, especially once you can see they've viewed it |
Forget to assign the correct client before sending | Confirm the recipient is correct in the Submit Proposal modal before clicking Send |
Approve two proposals on the same project | Keep only one proposal in Approved status per project — void any duplicates to keep the budget accurate |