Proposals

Create professional proposals for your clients, share them as a public link or by email, track when each client opens them and how engaged they are, and convert won deals into active projects with one click. The full proposal pipeline lives in one place.

Creating Proposals

Proposals are the starting point of your sales workflow. Each proposal captures the scope, value, and timeline of work you are offering to a client. Belvak uses a multi-step form to guide you through every detail so nothing is missed.

Opening the proposal form

There are two ways to create a new proposal:

From the Proposals page:

  1. Navigate to the Proposals page from the sidebar.
  2. Click the Add Proposal button in the top-right corner.
  3. A two-step drawer will open on the right side of your screen.

From a Client row (quick-add):

  1. Go to the Clients page and find the client you want to create a proposal for.
  2. Right-click the client row or click the three-dot menu, then select Add Proposal.
  3. The proposal form opens with the Client field already pre-filled, so you can skip straight to the details.

Tip: The quick-add action from the Clients page is the fastest way to start a proposal - no need to navigate to Proposals and pick the client manually.

Form steps and key fields

The form is divided into two steps:

Step 1 - Proposal Details:

  • Name - A clear, descriptive name for the proposal (e.g., "Website Redesign for Acme Corp").
  • Client - Select the client this proposal is for. Clients must be added in the Client Management module first. Once linked, the proposal will also appear inside that client's Related tab, alongside their projects, invoices, and contracts.
  • Description - A detailed breakdown of the work, deliverables, and any terms.
  • Due Date - The deadline or target date for the proposal.
  • Costs - The proposed value or cost you are quoting for the work.
  • Currency - The currency for this proposal. Defaults to your system currency but can be changed per proposal.
  • Status - The current state of the proposal in your pipeline.

Step 2 - Documents:

Upload any supporting documents such as scope documents, case studies, or attachments relevant to the proposal.

After saving, you can share it via a public link, send it by email, or mark it as sent off-platform if you delivered the proposal by another channel.

Proposal statuses

Every proposal moves through a defined set of statuses that reflect where it stands in your sales process:

  • Pending - The proposal has been created and is awaiting a client response.
  • Approved - The client has agreed to the proposal. It is now ready for conversion into a project.
  • Rejected - The client has declined the proposal.

Viewing proposal details

Click any row in the proposals table to open the detail drawer. The drawer shows a hero header with the proposal title, client name, and status badge, followed by grouped sections containing all proposal fields, attached documents, and internal notes.

Editing and managing proposals

To edit an existing proposal, open its detail drawer and click the Edit button, or use the three-dot menu on the table row. You can update any field, change the status, or attach additional documents. All changes are tracked in the activity log.

Multi-currency support

Each proposal stores its own currency, so you can quote clients in their preferred currency regardless of your system default. The currency field shows all currencies enabled in your system settings. When a proposal is converted to a project, the currency carries over automatically.

Tip: Set your most commonly used currencies in Settings > Preferences > Available Currencies to keep the currency dropdown clean and relevant.

Sending a Proposal by Email

For clients who prefer to receive proposals as an email rather than a link in chat, Belvak can send an HTML email straight from the proposal drawer. The email carries a secure share link and a clear sender attribution in the subject and body so the client knows who it came from.

Emailing uses the active share link as its delivery vehicle, so you create the link first and send the email second. Both happen inside one modal: step 1 generates the link, step 2 lets you copy the URL or send it by email straight to your client's inbox.

Sending the email

  1. Open the proposal and scroll to the Client Engagement card.
  2. Click Create share link. The Create Share Link modal opens. Step 1 creates the share link.
  3. In step 2, the recipient field defaults to the client's email on file. Edit it if you want to send the email to a different address - for example, an additional stakeholder copied on the deal.
  4. Click Send email. The email is queued for delivery and the modal confirms the send.

Email subject and sender attribution

The subject line is auto-generated to read "[Sender] shared a proposal with you", where [Sender] is the display name of the user creating the link. Belvak resolves the sender by checking the user's full name first, and falling back to their email address if no name is set. So if Aisha Rahman from Horizon Fashion Dubai creates a share link, the email lands with subject "Aisha Rahman shared a proposal with you", giving the client clear context before they open it. The sender attribution is repeated as the heading inside the email body.

The technical sender of the message itself is [email protected] with the display name "Belvak", so the From line in the client's inbox will show that address rather than your individual email. The sender attribution lives in the subject and body, not in the From line.

Recipient override

The recipient defaults to the client's email on file, but you can override it on each send. Common reasons to override:

  • Sending to a procurement contact instead of the primary client contact.
  • Copying your client's finance team for budget approval.
  • Routing the email to a personal address when the official one is being filtered.

The override applies only to that single send. The client's stored email on the contact record is not changed.

What the client receives

The email contains:

  • A subject line that credits the sender, so the client sees who reached out before opening the message.
  • A heading at the top of the body that repeats the sender attribution and shows the proposal name.
  • The proposal's validity date when one is set, displayed as "Valid until: [date]".
  • A "View Proposal" button that opens the secure share link, plus a copyable URL underneath for clients whose email reader strips the button.

Email events in the timeline

Every email send is logged to the proposal's activity timeline as Emailed to [recipient]. This keeps a complete record of who you sent the proposal to and when, side by side with the view events captured by the public viewer. If the client never opens the email, the timeline shows the send event but no view events, which is itself useful diagnostic information.

Tracking Client Engagement

When a client opens your share link, Belvak captures engagement signals so you can see how seriously they're considering the deal. The Client Engagement card on the proposal drawer surfaces three numbers and a heat pill that summarize the activity at a glance.

Views, time on page, and last opened

The Engagement card shows three metrics for the active share link:

  • Views - the total number of distinct browser visits that opened the link. Reloading the page in the same tab does not increment the count - it stays one view. Opening in a new tab counts as a separate view.
  • Avg. time on page - the average number of seconds clients spend on the public viewer per visit. Time only counts while the tab is actively visible, so paused-and-walked-away tabs do not inflate the number.
  • Last opened - the timestamp of the most recent open, shown as a relative time ("3 hours ago", "2 days ago").

Hot, Warm, and Cold engagement

Above the metrics, a colored heat pill summarizes how engaged the client looks today:

  • Hot - 3 or more views, total time of 2 minutes or more, and last opened within the past 3 days. The client is paying attention. This is the right moment for a follow-up call.
  • Warm - at least one view in the past 14 days, but not enough to qualify as Hot. Worth a check-in nudge.
  • Cold - the client has opened the proposal at least once but the last open was more than 14 days ago. The deal is going stale.
  • No pill - the link has zero recorded views. Don't read anything into the absence of a pill, it just means no client open has been logged yet.

Why your own opens don't count

If you open your own share link while logged into Belvak (for example, to preview what the client sees), Belvak marks the view as self-preview. Self-preview views are excluded from the metrics, so your own QA opens never inflate Views, Avg. time on page, or trigger a misleading Hot pill. This also applies to other users from your team who open the link while logged in.

When the heat pill is hidden

The heat pill is hidden when the proposal has expired (validity date in the past). Engagement on an expired link is not actionable - the client cannot open the link anymore - so showing a Hot pill on an expired proposal would be misleading. Extend the validity to reactivate engagement tracking, then a fresh open will recompute the heat.

Reading the activity timeline

Below the Engagement card, the timeline shows individual events including link creation, email sends, opens (aggregated as Proposal opened events grouped by day so repeated reloads do not flood the feed), revocations, and validity extensions. Use the timeline when you want a chronological story of how the deal has progressed, beyond the at-a-glance numbers.

If the proposal was sent off-platform (email attachment, WhatsApp, or printed copy), the engagement card has nothing to track. Mark it as sent instead so the deal still moves through the pipeline. The pipeline view also reflects engagement: a Pending proposal that's been opened by a real client lights up the Under Review step automatically.

Marking a Proposal as Sent (Off-Platform)

Sometimes you'll deliver a proposal through a channel Belvak can't track - an email attachment from your work inbox, a WhatsApp message, or a printed copy handed over in person. For those cases, the Mark as sent action records that the proposal left your hands without creating a trackable share link.

When to use it

Use Mark as sent when:

  • You attached the PDF to an email sent from your own email client.
  • You shared the proposal over WhatsApp, Telegram, or another messaging tool.
  • You printed the proposal and gave it to the client in person.
  • The client requested delivery in a specific format that doesn't fit a share link.

For everything else, prefer a share link or branded email. Both give you engagement tracking and revocation control, which Mark as sent cannot.

Marking a proposal as sent

  1. Open the proposal drawer.
  2. In the Client Engagement card header, click Mark as sent.
  3. The pipeline stepper advances from Draft to Sent. The action is logged to the activity timeline as "Proposal marked as sent by [user]".

Note: Only Pending proposals can be marked as sent. The action is hidden once the proposal is Approved or Rejected. If the proposal has no PDF attached, Belvak shows a confirmation prompt asking if you really want to mark it sent without a document.

Unmarking a sent proposal

If you marked a proposal sent by mistake, click Unmark as sent in the same place. The pipeline drops back to Draft and the activity timeline records the reversal. Unmark uses a popconfirm to prevent accidental clicks.

Real-engagement lock

Once a real client has opened any share link for this proposal (so the engagement card has at least one non-self-preview view), Unmark as sent is disabled. The button shows a tooltip explaining why: a real client open is the strongest possible signal that the proposal is "out there", and reverting the pipeline would create a misleading audit trail. To remove a stuck Sent state in this case, contact your administrator or revoke and recreate the proposal.

Edit-drawer warning banner

If you reopen a sent proposal for editing, the edit drawer shows a yellow banner at the top: "This proposal has been marked as sent. Changes won't reach your client unless you resend." This is a soft nudge, not a block - you can still edit and save. The banner exists because edits made after the client received the proposal are common sources of confusion ("which version did they accept?"), and the banner reminds you to follow up if your changes are material.

How marking interacts with share links and the pipeline

  • Mark as sent advances Draft to Sent without creating a share link. Until you create a link, the engagement card explains why tracking is unavailable for that proposal.
  • Creating a share link after marking auto-clears the suppression flag. The pipeline now reflects "real" sent state with a tracked link, and the engagement card lights up. This is the recommended path: Mark as sent first to capture the off-platform delivery, then create a share link if the client asks for one later.
  • Revoking the only share link on a previously-tracked proposal does not unmark it. The proposal stays Sent because the client did receive it. The revocation only stops future opens.
  • The honest pipeline means Under Review only lights up on a real client open through a share link. A Mark-as-sent proposal stays at Sent until you generate engagement.

Proposal-to-Project Conversion

One of Belvak's most powerful workflow features is the ability to convert an accepted proposal directly into a project. This eliminates double data entry and ensures continuity from your sales pipeline into project execution.

How conversion works

The conversion action is available in two places: as a drawer action (a button in the proposal view drawer) and as a row action (in the three-dot menu or right-click context menu on the table). The conversion button only appears if the proposal is not already linked to a project.

  1. Open the proposal you want to convert by clicking its row in the table, or use the row action directly from the three-dot menu.
  2. Click the Convert to Project action button in the drawer or context menu.
  3. The proposal status is automatically set to Approved if it is not already.
  4. You are navigated to the project creation form with key fields pre-filled from the proposal.
  5. Review the pre-filled details, add any project-specific information, and save.

Auto-approval on conversion

When you convert a proposal, its status is automatically changed to "Approved" regardless of its current status. This ensures your records accurately reflect that the proposal led to actual work. The status change is logged in the activity log for audit purposes.

Pre-filled project creation

The new project form inherits several fields from the source proposal to save you time:

  • Client - Automatically set to the proposal's client.
  • Contract Value - Populated from the proposed value.
  • Currency - Carries over from the proposal.
  • Description - Pre-filled with the proposal's description.

You can modify any of these values before saving the project. The link between the proposal and project is established regardless of any changes you make to the pre-filled data.

Bidirectional linking

Once conversion is complete, a permanent two-way link is created between the proposal and the project. The proposal record stores a reference to the created project, and the project record stores a reference back to the originating proposal. This means:

  • From any proposal, you can navigate directly to its resulting project.
  • From any project, you can navigate back to the proposal that originated it.
  • Reports and audits can trace the full lifecycle from proposal through project completion.

If the proposal was approved without ever being shared on-platform, mark it as sent before converting so the audit trail is complete. The pipeline view will reflect the off-platform delivery and the activity timeline will record who marked it.

Note: Each proposal can only be converted to one project. Once a proposal has been converted, the conversion action is no longer available for that proposal.

Proposal Templates

If your business frequently sends similar proposals - for example, a standard website package or a recurring consulting engagement - you can use existing proposals as templates to speed up future work.

Cloning proposals

The fastest way to reuse a proposal is to clone it. Open the three-dot menu on any proposal row and select Clone Proposal. This opens the Add Proposal form pre-filled with the original's details, so you can adjust anything before saving it as a new proposal.

  1. Find the proposal you want to clone in the proposals table.
  2. Click the three-dot action menu on the row, or right-click for the context menu.
  3. Select Clone Proposal from the menu.
  4. The Add Proposal form opens with fields pre-filled: name (prefixed with "Copy of"), client, description, costs, currency, and due date.
  5. The status is always reset to Pending regardless of the original's status.
  6. Documents are not carried over - attach new files if needed.
  7. Review and adjust any details, then save the new proposal.

Standardizing proposal content

For teams that want consistent messaging across all proposals, consider creating a set of "template" proposals that are never sent to clients. Keep them in Draft status with a naming convention such as "[Template] Web Development Package" so they are easy to find and duplicate.

  • Use a consistent naming prefix like "[Template]" for easy identification.
  • Keep template proposals in Draft status permanently.
  • Include your standard terms, deliverable lists, and scope descriptions.
  • Duplicate and customize for each new client engagement.

Best practices for proposal writing

  • Lead with the client's problem and how you will solve it, not a list of your services.
  • Be specific about deliverables, timelines, and what is included versus excluded.
  • Set a realistic "Valid Until" date - typically 14 to 30 days - to create urgency without pressure.
  • Use the notes system to capture internal context about the deal (e.g., competitor info, client preferences) that should not appear in the proposal itself.
  • Attach supporting documents (case studies, portfolios) using the file upload feature.

Tip: Create one template proposal per service line your company offers. This gives your sales team a head start on every new deal and ensures consistent pricing and scope.

Tracking Proposal Status

Keeping track of where each proposal stands is essential for managing your sales pipeline. Belvak provides multiple tools to monitor proposal progress and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Status workflow

A typical proposal follows this lifecycle:

  1. Pending - You create the proposal and it is awaiting a client response.
  2. Approved - The client agrees. You can now convert it to a project.
  3. Rejected - The client declines. Record the reason in notes for future reference.

Statuses can be changed manually at any time by editing the proposal or by using quick row actions. There is no enforced linear progression - you can move a proposal from any status to any other status as your situation requires.

Row actions for quick status changes

The three-dot menu and right-click context menu on each proposal row provide quick actions for managing proposals without opening the edit form:

  • Convert to Project - Converts the proposal into a project (only appears if the proposal is not already linked to a project).
  • Clone Proposal - Creates a copy of the proposal with all fields pre-filled, ready to customize and save as a new proposal.
  • Approve - Quickly sets the proposal status to Approved.
  • Reject - Quickly sets the proposal status to Rejected.
  • Pend - Quickly sets the proposal status back to Pending.

Filtering proposals by status

Use the column filters on the proposals table to narrow your view to specific statuses. Click the filter icon on the Status column header and select one or more statuses - Pending, Approved, or Rejected. This is especially useful for focusing on proposals that need attention - for example, filtering to "Pending" to see which proposals are awaiting client response.

Column visibility and context menu

The proposals table supports a column visibility toggle that lets you show or hide columns to focus on the data that matters most. Right-click any row to access the context menu, which provides the same actions as the three-dot dropdown menu for quick access.

Activity log

Every change to a proposal - creation, status updates, field edits, and deletion - is recorded in the system-wide activity log. This gives you a complete audit trail of who changed what and when. Access the activity log from the Settings page to review proposal-related activity.

Notes for internal comments

Each proposal has a built-in notes section visible in the detail drawer. Use notes to record internal comments that should not be shared with the client, such as:

  • Reasons for a specific pricing decision.
  • Client feedback or objections from phone calls.
  • Competitor proposals the client is considering.
  • Follow-up reminders and next steps for your team.

Pipeline view of proposal progress

To get a high-level view of your proposal pipeline, combine status filters with table sorting. Sort by date to see your most recent proposals, or sort by value to focus on your largest deals. The status column's color-coded badges make it easy to scan the table and quickly identify which proposals are in each stage.

On each proposal's drawer, the pipeline stepper shows the deal's journey through Draft, Sent, Under Review, and Approved or Rejected. The stepper is "honest": Under Review only lights up when a real client has opened the share link, not just when the proposal was sent. A proposal that's been sent but never opened stays at Sent so you can see at a glance which deals haven't been seen by the client yet. This is what makes the pipeline trustworthy as a follow-up signal rather than a vanity metric.

Tip: Make it a weekly habit to filter your proposals table to "Pending" status and review outstanding proposals. Follow up on proposals that have been pending for too long before the opportunity goes stale.

Proposal KPIs and Metrics

At the top of the Proposals page, a dashboard of five KPI cards gives you an at-a-glance snapshot of your sales pipeline health. Each card highlights a different dimension of your proposal activity so you can spot trends, identify bottlenecks, and take action before opportunities slip away.

Open Proposals

This card shows the total number of proposals that are currently in Pending status, along with their combined quoted value.

How it is calculated: The system counts every proposal that has not yet been approved or rejected. The "worth" figure underneath adds up the quoted value of all those open proposals. If you have proposals in different currencies, each one is automatically converted to your system's default currency so you see a single unified total.

Why it matters: This tells you how much potential revenue is sitting in your pipeline waiting for a client decision. A large number of open proposals with high combined value means significant revenue is in play, but only if those deals close. Use this as a prompt to follow up on stale proposals.

Total Quoted

This card displays the total value of all proposals created during the current calendar quarter, regardless of their status. Below the main figure, a comparison shows whether you are quoting more or less than the previous quarter.

How it is calculated: The system sums the quoted value of every proposal created in the current quarter, including pending, approved, and rejected proposals. It then does the same for the previous quarter. The difference between the two is shown as an increase (green arrow) or decrease (red arrow). All amounts are converted to your default currency before comparison. If there were no proposals in either quarter, it shows "no data yet."

Why it matters: This measures your sales activity volume quarter over quarter. A declining trend means fewer or smaller deals are entering the pipeline compared to last quarter, which could signal a need to ramp up business development efforts. A rising trend confirms your sales outreach is generating more opportunity.

Win Rate

This card shows the percentage of proposals that were approved out of all proposals that are either approved or still pending, for the current quarter. A comparison to the previous quarter appears below.

How it is calculated: The system divides the number of approved proposals by the combined total of approved and pending proposals, then multiplies by 100 to get a percentage. Rejected proposals are intentionally excluded from the calculation. The win rate measures how well your open and won proposals are performing, not penalizing you for deals that were formally declined. If no proposals qualify for the current quarter, it displays "None this quarter" instead of 0%. The quarter-over-quarter comparison uses the same formula applied to the previous quarter's proposals.

Why it matters: Win rate indicates how effectively your proposals convert into actual work. A dropping win rate may signal pricing issues, misaligned scope, or increased competition. A green upward arrow means you are closing a higher share of proposals than last quarter.

Average Close Time

This card shows the average number of days it takes for a proposal to go from creation to approval, for proposals created in the current quarter. A comparison to the previous quarter is shown below.

How it is calculated: For each approved proposal created this quarter, the system measures the number of days between when it was first created and when it was approved. It then averages those durations and rounds to the nearest whole day. If no proposals have been approved this quarter, it shows "None this quarter." The same calculation is applied to the previous quarter for comparison. Unlike other KPIs, lower is better here. A green arrow means deals are closing faster than last quarter, while a red arrow means they are taking longer.

Why it matters: Shorter close times mean faster revenue realization. If this number is trending upward, your deals are taking longer to close. Consider following up more proactively, simplifying your proposal documents, or addressing common client objections earlier in the process.

Expiring Soon

This card shows the number of pending proposals with a due date within the next seven days. Below the count, any overdue proposals (pending proposals whose due date has already passed) are highlighted in red.

How it is calculated: "Expiring soon" counts all pending proposals whose due date falls between today and seven days from now. "Overdue" counts all pending proposals whose due date is strictly in the past. Only proposals in Pending status are considered. Approved and rejected proposals are excluded since they have already reached a resolution.

Why it matters: These are proposals at risk of going stale. Overdue proposals need immediate attention. The client may have moved on or chosen a competitor. This card acts as an early warning system so your sales team can prioritize follow-ups on the deals most likely to slip away. If you consistently see a high overdue count, consider setting shorter, more realistic due dates or building a weekly review cadence into your sales process.

Understanding the quarterly comparison

Three of the five KPI cards (Total Quoted, Win Rate, and Avg. Close Time) include a quarter-over-quarter comparison. These comparisons use standard calendar quarters (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December). The comparison line shows the difference between the current quarter and the immediately preceding quarter, with a colored arrow indicating the direction of change:

  • Green upward arrow indicates an improvement (higher value for Total Quoted and Win Rate, or lower value for Avg. Close Time).
  • Red downward arrow indicates a decline (lower value for Total Quoted and Win Rate, or higher value for Avg. Close Time).
  • If the previous quarter had no data, the comparison shows "no prior quarter data" instead of an arrow.

Tip: Review your proposal KPIs weekly to spot trends early. A healthy pipeline typically has a steady flow of new proposals (Total Quoted), a stable or improving Win Rate, and minimal overdue proposals in the Expiring Soon card. If you notice your Win Rate dropping or close times increasing, dig into your recent proposals to understand what changed.

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