The Day I Stopped Making Proposal Decks
Coming from architecture, writing a proposal was an opportunity to design a meticulously-crafted artifact, showcasing the creative ability of your team.
When I first started Notion consulting, I was spending entire weekends in Figma creating "perfect" proposal decks. Beautiful layouts, custom graphics, perfectly aligned text boxes.
THIS would be what set me apart from other consultants.
I'd export them as PDFs, email them off, and then... wait. And wait. And wait.
My close rate was stuck under 20%, and I was burning out from all the design work I didn’t even know if potential clients were even reviewing.
Then I had a realization that changed everything:
Clients don't want a cleverly designed presentation. They want to know how you’ll either save them money, or make them money.
I ran an experiment last year, and went from creating a proposal deck to just a simple Notion page – very little formatting, not a lot of customization. Just straight to the point.
The result was actually a higher response rate.
This highlighted a key insight for me: we often work on autopilot, making decisions based on our own assumptions.
That's when I made the switch to writing all my proposals directly in Notion. The results? My close rate jumped to 65%, proposal creation time dropped by 75%, and I actually started enjoying the process again.
Here's what I learned about setting up proposal systems that actually work:
Make a Template
This may seem like a no-brainer, but the majority of your proposals will have similar information, if not exactly the same information (like About Me, Previous Clients, Testimonials).
Block out 30 minutes to create a template that includes:
Proposal Overview: a general introduction to what you’re proposing. Assume this is shared with team members who have not been involved in discovery.
Pain Points: highlight the areas the client addressed initially. These should frame the focus of your proposal.
The Approach: How does what you do directly solve their problems? What is it about you that will get the job done?
Outline: Maybe this is a timeline or a set of deliverables, but be specific about what you’re making, what the client needs to do, and where/when deliverables are getting done.
Lead with Their Language, Not Yours
This was my biggest breakthrough. After discovery calls, I started using the client's exact words in my proposals. Not paraphrasing - their actual language.
If they said "Our customer onboarding is a complete mess," that exact phrase goes in the "Current Pain Points" section. If they mentioned "We need something scalable," I use "scalable" throughout the proposal, not "growth-oriented" or "expandable."
Your action step: Record your discovery calls (with permission) and pull direct quotes for your proposals. When clients see their own words reflected back, they feel truly heard.
Encourage Comments
The biggest shift I made was treating proposals as conversations, not presentations. In Notion, I can lock the content (so clients can't edit it) but they can:
Add comments directly on specific sections
Request access for team members
See everything in one organized place
Last month, a client left 6 comments on my proposal asking clarification questions. Instead of going back and forth over email for days, we had a live conversation right in the document. They signed it the next day.
Another bonus: you can see if the client actually saw the proposal. This may seem obvious, but if it’s been several days and there’s no activity, you can send a quick follow-up. You never know if they’re using a different email or had issues getting access. No assumptions.
Your action step: Whatever tool you use, find a way to make your proposals collaborative. Comments, shared access, anything that turns it into a dialogue instead of a monologue.
Track Decision Speed, Not Just Status
Most consultants track whether a proposal is "sent" or "won" or "lost." That's not enough. It also matters how fast you're getting decisions.
I created a simple formula in my proposals database that calculates days from creation to decision. It only triggers when the status changes to Complete, Lost, or No Response. My target? Under 14 days. My current average? 10 days.
Here's why this matters: A proposal that sits in limbo for 3 weeks isn't just a "maybe" - it's a "no" that hasn't been communicated yet. When I see anything over 14 days, it gets immediate follow-up attention.
Your action step: Start tracking decision speed this week. You'll immediately see where your pipeline is getting stuck.
Notes on Using Notion for Proposals
Using Notion for proposals make the most sense for consultants and agencies with a high volume of leads, who want to streamline their process.
Notion makes the most sense if:
You're already using it regularly
You send more than 10 proposals per month (time savings compound quickly)
You need better tracking and analytics on your sales pipeline
Your clients are tech-savvy and collaborative
You want decisions faster (interactive formats average 40% faster responses)
Notion proposals might NOT be great if:
You're just starting out with Notion
Your clients expect traditional, highly-designed PDF deliverables
You're in a highly regulated industry requiring specific documentation formats
Your proposals rely heavily on complex visuals or custom branding
The biggest benefits come when you're using Notion throughout your entire workflow—from discovery calls to project management. This creates a seamless client experience, but also makes it easy to automate more of the process.
I'm sharing my end-to-end proposal process that uses database automations + AI to cut the time preparing proposals by 90% (and has actually increased win rate).
This section is available to premium subscribers only, but free for this edition!
My End-to-End Proposal Process that’s 90% Automated
Setting up your proposals database is a solid start, but the real magic happens when you couple Notion’s AI Meeting Notes with Notion AI to create incredibly-personalized proposals that often require little editing.
My Complete Notion Proposal Database Setup
After three years of refinement, here's the exact database structure that's worked:
Essential Properties:
Title (title): Client name + project type
Status (status): Draft → Sent → Complete/Lost/No Response
Client (relation): Connected to my Contacts database
Deal Value (number): Projected revenue
Date Sent (date): When I actually sent the proposal
Decision Date (date): When they gave us an answer
Days to Decision (formula): dateBetween(prop("Decision Date"), prop("Date Sent"), "days")
Contact (relation): I use Clay.earth for contact management, as it’s super easy to sync to a Notion database, and relate to proposals, fyi!
Advanced Properties:
Needs Follow-Up (formula): Flags proposals over 7 days old without decisions
Revenue Velocity (formula): Deal value divided by days in pipeline
Project Type (select): The type of work (helps track win rates by service)
The AI-Powered Discovery-to-Proposal Workflow
This is where the magic happens. Here's my exact process:
Advanced Automation Setup
Follow-Up Email Drafts
Using database property buttons, you can pre-draft email follow-ups to go to the contact’s email address.
I never send automated follow-ups, but having the draft ready saves time.
The Template and Resources
I've created a complete Notion template that includes:
✅ Proposal Database with all formulas and automations
✅ 8-Section Proposal Template with formatting and examples
✅ AI Prompt Library for different types of projects
✅ Follow-Up Email Templates for every scenario
✅ Dashboard Views to track your metrics
Download the complete template here: [link to template]
Setting Up the System: Step-by-Step
Week 1: Database Setup
Create the proposals database with essential properties
Set up the decision speed formula
Connect to your contacts database
Week 2: Template Creation
Build your proposal template
Format with callouts, toggles, and tables
Test with one practice proposal
Week 3: AI Integration
Set up meeting notes pages
Test the AI prompt with an old discovery transcript
Refine the prompt for your specific services
Week 4: Automation Layer
Set up basic notifications
Create follow-up task templates
Build your tracking dashboard
The system might seem complex, but each piece builds on the last. Start with the database and template - you'll see immediate time savings. The AI and automation layers are what turn it into a competitive advantage.
Remember: Your proposal system should work for you, not against you. Start simple, track what matters, and let the data guide your improvements.
The goal isn't perfect proposals - it's faster decisions and higher close rates. Everything else is just noise.
Download the Template
I’ll be creating free and premium versions of templates in the future, but you can download the full Proposals template for free below!
Lemonsquezzy is empty Dave. I can see the order but not the template.