01 / Proposals guide
Prepare the draft before anyone sees it
Open Proposals and start from one of your workspace templates or a blank proposal. A blank proposal starts with cover, scope, pricing, terms and signature sections. You can add hero, stats, timeline, packages, comparison, testimonial and call-to-action sections, reorder them and preview the result as the client will see it. Owners, admins and managers can create and send proposals. By default, other roles do not see them.
Use the details panel to link the CRM deal, set the currency and choose a valid-until date. Pick the client too, because sending uses that client's billing email. The proposal total is calculated from the line items in pricing sections only. Package tiers present options, but they do not add to the total or to a later invoice, so put the price the client is agreeing to in a pricing section.
- Scope names deliverables, rounds of revision and what is excluded.
- Pricing line items match the scope, with quantity and unit price.
- Terms cover payment timing and what happens when scope changes.
- Any stat or testimonial is real, current and attributable.
- A valid-until date is set, because it cannot be changed after sending.
02 / Proposals guide
Send once, because sent proposals are locked
Only drafts can be edited or sent. Choose Send proposal and confirm the recipient email. Flowboard uses the client's billing email unless you type another address. If the client has no billing email yet, the address you type is saved to the client for next time. With no address at all, nothing is sent and the proposal stays a draft, so you can fix it and try again. The same applies if the email cannot be queued: the proposal is not marked sent without an email on its way.
To correct a proposal after sending, duplicate it. The copy is a new draft you can edit and send. The earlier version remains a live, signable link until it is accepted, declined or passes its valid-until date, so tell the client plainly which version to sign.
03 / Proposals guide
Read each status for what it actually proves
Statuses describe what happened to the link, not what the client thinks. Viewed means the public link was opened while the proposal was in Sent status. Any first open counts, including a colleague checking the link, so use the preview in the builder rather than opening the client link yourself. The creator gets a notification and an email when a proposal is signed or declined.
| Status | What it means | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Editable and not yet sent | Review scope, price and dates |
| Sent | Emailed, link not yet opened | Confirm the client received it |
| Viewed | The link has been opened | Offer a short walkthrough call |
| Accepted | Signed through the link | Start the handoff steps below |
| Declined | Declined, with an optional reason | Read the reason and log it on the deal |
| Expired | Past the valid-until date without a signature | Duplicate with fresh dates if still relevant |
04 / Proposals guide
What the client sees and what a signature records
The client opens the link, reads the proposal and completes Accept & Sign with their name, email and a signature they either draw or type. Flowboard records the signer's name and email, the signature, the time, and the IP address and browser details of the request. The client can instead choose Decline Proposal and add a reason. Once accepted, a Download PDF button appears for them.
The email typed at signing is not verified, and the link itself is the access. Treat the record as evidence of who accepted what and when, not as identity verification. Whether an electronic signature is enforceable depends on your jurisdiction and your agreement, so take advice where that matters.
The PDF includes cover, scope, pricing, terms and signature sections. Other sections appear on the web version only. Signer details print only when the proposal contains a signature section, and a drawn signature prints as an image. Keep every commercial term in scope, pricing or terms so the PDF stands on its own.
05 / Proposals guide
Hand off an accepted proposal
Acceptance changes records but does not staff a project. Work through these steps the same day.
Check the deal
If the proposal was linked to a deal, acceptance moves that deal to the Won stage. It does not create a project. Convert the deal from the CRM when you are ready to set up delivery.
Create the draft invoice
On an accepted proposal, Create Invoice from Proposal copies the pricing line items into a draft invoice with no tax and a due date 30 days out. It needs a client on the proposal or a deal company that matches a client by name. Adjust deposits, tax and descriptions before sending.
Check automations
A signature fires the Proposal Accepted trigger. It does not fire Deal Won, even though the deal moves stage, so build signature-driven workflows on Proposal Accepted.
Brief the project owner
Share the accepted PDF and note the agreed scope, exclusions and revision limits in the project brief before work starts.
06 / Proposals guide
An illustrative fixed-fee proposal
Illustrative example: a studio proposes a website at a fixed fee. The pricing section holds three line items and a packages section offers an optional care plan. The numbers below are assumptions to show how totals behave, not a customer result.
The proposal total and the draft invoice are both $18,000, because only pricing line items count. If the agreement asks for a 50% deposit, edit the draft invoice to $9,000 before sending it. If the client wants the care plan, add it as a pricing item in a new version, or invoice it separately once agreed.
| Section | Item | Counts toward total and invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Discovery, 1 x $3,000 | Yes |
| Pricing | Design, 1 x $6,000 | Yes |
| Pricing | Build, 1 x $9,000 | Yes |
| Packages | Care plan, $500 a month | No, presented as an option |
THE PRACTICAL DETAILS
Questions, answered.
Can we edit a proposal after it has been sent?
No. Only drafts can be edited. Duplicate the proposal, change the copy and send it, then tell the client which version is current. The earlier link stays signable until it is accepted, declined or expires.
Does the client need a Flowboard account to sign?
No. The client opens the private link, enters a name and email and draws or types a signature. Anyone holding the link can open it, so send it only to the people who should decide.
Why does a proposal show Viewed when the client says they have not opened it?
The first open of the link by anyone changes Sent to Viewed, including a teammate checking it. Use the builder preview for internal checks so the status reflects the client.
Do package tiers appear on the invoice?
No. The total and the invoice created from an accepted proposal use pricing section line items only. Move an agreed package into a pricing section, or add it to the invoice by hand.
Is there a PDF of the proposal?
Yes. Owners, admins and managers can download one once it has been sent, and the client can download it after accepting. It contains the cover, scope, pricing, terms and signature sections, not the full web presentation.