Best Practices for Integrating Betterproposals with Your CRM

If you’re juggling sales proposals and client data, you know the pain: too many tools, not enough time, and leads slipping through the cracks. This guide is for anyone who wants to connect their proposal software—specifically Betterproposals—with their CRM, but doesn’t want to drown in technical jargon or waste hours on pointless “automation.” Whether you’re a founder, a sales manager, or just the unlucky one who got stuck with “fixing the process,” here’s how to do it right.

Why Bother Integrating?

You might be thinking, “Can’t I just send proposals and update the CRM by hand?” Sure, if you like double work and missing out on deals. Integrating your proposal tool with your CRM means:

  • No more copy-pasting contact details or deal amounts
  • Automatic tracking of sent/viewed/signed proposals
  • Cleaner pipeline and better sales reporting
  • Less chance of forgetting to follow up

But let’s be real: not every integration is worth the hassle. Some are buggy, confusing, or make things worse. The goal is to automate the parts that actually save you time—and skip the rest.

Step 1: Know Your Tools (and Limitations)

Before you start, get clear about what your CRM and Betterproposals can actually do together. Every CRM is a little different, and Betterproposals offers a few ways to connect:

  • Native integrations: Built-in support for platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Zoho.
  • Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat): For connecting to hundreds of other CRMs, but often with more setup required.
  • API: For those who want to build something custom (usually not worth it unless you have a dev team and a good reason).

Pro tip: Native integrations are almost always easier and more stable. Go that route if you can.

What to check before you start: - Do you have admin access to both accounts? - Does your CRM subscription include API/integration access? (Some don’t.) - Are you clear on what data you want to sync—just contacts? Deals? Proposal status?

If you can’t answer these, stop and ask. Nothing’s worse than spending an afternoon only to find out you’re blocked by a paywall or missing permissions.

Step 2: Map Out What Matters (And Ignore the Rest)

Don’t just connect every field “because you can.” Be ruthless about what actually helps your team.

  • Sync critical fields only: Usually name, email, company, proposal value, and status (sent, viewed, signed, lost).
  • Avoid syncing junk: Random notes, unused fields, or marketing fluff just create confusion.
  • Decide on direction: Should changes in Betterproposals update your CRM, or the other way around? Or both? Usually, CRM is the “source of truth”—but every team is different.

Example use cases that actually work: - Automatically create/update a Deal in your CRM when a proposal is sent. - Update CRM stage when a proposal is signed. - Add a task or notification for sales to follow up after a proposal view.

Ignore “full sync” promises. They sound great, but in practice, they’re often messy and break easily. Focus on the 1–2 workflows that save you the most headache.

Step 3: Set Up the Connection

Here’s how this usually goes (details may vary by CRM, but this covers the basics):

Native Integration (Best Case)

  1. Log into Betterproposals
  2. Go to “Settings” > “Integrations”
  3. Find your CRM and click “Connect”
  4. Authorize the link (you’ll need to log into your CRM)
  5. Choose what to sync: contacts, deals, proposal status, etc.
  6. Map fields—match up things like “Proposal Value” to “Deal Amount”
  7. Save and test

Pro tip: Always test with a fake deal first. Don’t risk messing up live data.

Using Zapier or Make

  1. Create an account on Zapier or Make (if you don’t have one)
  2. In Betterproposals, set up a webhook or choose “Zapier” integration
  3. In Zapier, set a “trigger” (like “Proposal Sent”)
  4. Set an “action” in your CRM (like “Create Deal”)
  5. Map fields—again, keep it simple
  6. Save and test

Be honest: Zapier is great for simple stuff, but it can get expensive or flaky if you try to build a full workflow. Use it for basic triggers, not for syncing your entire database.

Step 4: Test Like a Skeptic

Assume something will break. Here’s what to actually check:

  • Are the right records created in the CRM?
  • Any duplicate contacts or deals?
  • Is data going to the correct fields, or is it in the wrong place?
  • Does proposal status update as expected?
  • Are notifications (if any) triggering at the right time?

Do at least 2–3 test runs with fake data and walk through the entire process. Don’t skip this. If you’re in a team, make sure someone else tries it too—fresh eyes catch weird things.

Step 5: Train (and Get Feedback)

Even the slickest integration is useless if your team doesn’t know what’s changed.

  • Do a quick demo: Show the team what happens now when they send proposals. Point out what’s automatic—and what isn’t.
  • Document the new process: A simple one-pager or video is enough. Don’t overthink it.
  • Ask for feedback early: If something’s annoying or confusing, fix it now, before bad habits set in.

Pro tip: Make it clear who to go to if something breaks. Integrations aren’t “set and forget”—they break when CRMs update, or when someone changes permissions.

Step 6: Monitor, Tweak, and Don’t Be Afraid to Revert

The first week is when you’ll spot most of the weirdness:

  • Watch for duplicate deals or missing data
  • Ask sales if anything is slipping through
  • Check for unexpected “automation loops” (like deals being reopened by accident)
  • Turn off or adjust workflows that cause more hassle than they save

If something’s not working, don’t be precious—turn it off and go back to manual until you can fix it. Half-working automation is worse than none at all.

What Actually Works (and What to Avoid)

After seeing too many botched integrations, here’s the honest take:

  • Works well: Syncing proposal status to deals, creating contacts/leads, triggering follow-up tasks.
  • Often overrated: Two-way syncing every field, auto-generating complex reports, syncing marketing data.
  • Not worth it: Full custom API builds unless you absolutely can’t get what you need from native or Zapier.

Focus on the workflows that actually remove hassle for your team. If it doesn’t save you real time, skip it.

Keep It Simple and Iterate

Integrating Betterproposals with your CRM can genuinely make life easier—if you keep it focused. Start with the basics, test thoroughly, and resist the urge to automate everything at once. The most useful integrations are usually the simplest. Get those working, see what your team actually uses, and improve from there.

If you hit a snag, ask for help—Betterproposals support is usually decent, and most CRMs have solid docs or forums. Don’t waste hours chasing “perfect.” Good and reliable beats fancy-but-broken every time.