If you’re tired of wasting hours fiddling with Word docs or wrestling with proposal templates that never quite fit, this guide is for you. Maybe you’re in sales ops, a frontline rep, or just the unlucky soul who got stuck making proposals look “professional.” Whatever your role, you want to send out better, smarter, faster sales proposals—without losing your mind to endless copy-paste or clunky tools.
Here’s how to actually build dynamic sales proposals that save you time and make you look good, using Dealhub. I’ll walk you through the real steps, show where folks trip up, and call out what’s worth your effort (and what’s not).
Why bother with dynamic proposals?
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: static proposals are a pain. They’re easy to mess up, impossible to track, and you end up reinventing the wheel every time. Dynamic proposals are:
- Faster to create and update
- Less error-prone (no more sending out the wrong price)
- Easier for prospects to interact with
- Actually trackable (who opened, who signed, who forwarded to their dog—you get the idea)
Dealhub isn’t magic, but it does make this stuff a lot easier if you set it up right.
Step 1: Get your Dealhub basics right
Don’t skip the setup. If you haven’t already, make sure you’ve got the right Dealhub account with proposal functionality. (Ask your admin if you’re unsure—no shame.) Also, check your CRM integration. Most teams use Salesforce or HubSpot. If Dealhub isn’t talking to your CRM, you’re going to have a rough time.
What to check:
- You’re logged in and can see the “Proposals” or “DealRoom” section.
- Your product catalog is loaded (or at least the stuff you actually sell).
- You have access to the latest templates, not last year’s Frankenstein version.
Pro tip: If your product catalog is a mess, fix that first. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 2: Map out what really needs to be dynamic
Before you click anything, make a quick list. What actually changes from deal to deal? Usually:
- Customer info (obviously)
- Product selection and pricing
- Terms, dates, and durations
- Optional add-ons or bundles
- Legal or compliance language (sometimes)
Don’t overcomplicate this. If it doesn’t change, don’t automate it. If you automate everything, you’ll just create a maintenance nightmare.
Step 3: Build (or steal) a template that works
Dealhub gives you a bunch of templates. Most are “fine.” Some are ugly. None are perfect out of the box. Here’s what to do:
- Pick a starting template closest to what you need. Don’t start from scratch unless you like pain.
- Gut the stuff you don’t use—outdated logos, extra legalese, weird fonts.
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Add your dynamic fields:
- Customer name, company, address (these should pull from your CRM)
- Product tables: use Dealhub’s product picker, not a static table
- Pricing summary: set up formulas so discounts and taxes update automatically
- E-signature blocks
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Add sections for optional content (case studies, testimonials, upsell options). Make these conditional so they only show up when relevant.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time adding fluff like “team bios” or “our mission” unless a customer actually asks for it. Shorter is better.
Step 4: Connect to your CRM (and actually test it)
Dynamic proposals live or die on good data. If your CRM fields are out of sync, you’ll spend more time fixing proposals than creating them.
How to avoid pain:
- Map fields in Dealhub to your CRM (customer name, billing address, deal value, etc.)
- Test by making a dummy proposal for yourself or a friendly coworker. Change a few CRM fields and see if the proposal updates.
- Fix any mismatches now—don’t let “First Name” vs “first_name” trip you up.
Honest take: This step is boring, but if you skip it, you’ll be hand-editing every deal. Pay now or pay later.
Step 5: Add dynamic pricing and product selection
This is where the magic happens—if you get it right.
- Use Dealhub’s product picker so reps can add, remove, or swap products on the fly.
- Set up pricing rules: volume discounts, regional pricing, etc. Do this in Dealhub’s admin area, not in the proposal itself.
- Make sure totals, taxes, and discounts auto-update. If you see a static price anywhere, fix it.
What trips people up: Forgetting to update the product catalog, or letting salespeople freestyle pricing outside Dealhub. Stick to one source of truth.
Step 6: Personalize (without overdoing it)
Dynamic doesn’t mean robotic. Add a bit of human touch:
- A short intro message (“Hey Sarah, great talking last week…”)
- Customer-specific details (“We’ve included the integration package you asked about…”)
- Only include what the customer cares about. Less is more.
Skip: Generic “Dear valued customer” stuff. If it sounds like a mail merge, it’ll get ignored.
Step 7: Set up approval workflows (if you need them)
If your deals need manager or legal sign-off, set up an approval flow in Dealhub.
- Decide who approves what: e.g., discounts over 20%, contracts over $100k, etc.
- Automate routing: so proposals don’t get stuck in someone’s inbox.
- Notify people automatically. Email, Slack—whatever your team actually uses.
Don’t overcomplicate: If you’re a small team or you rarely need approvals, skip this. More steps = slower deals.
Step 8: Preview, test, and send
Before you fire off your first proposal, do three things:
- Preview as the customer: Make sure all dynamic fields fill in right. Look for weird spacing, old logos, or missing prices.
- Send a test proposal to yourself or a teammate. Click every link, download the PDF, try the e-signature.
- Fix obvious issues: Typos, math errors, broken links. It’s worth five extra minutes now.
What to ignore: Endless “stakeholder reviews.” You’ll never please everyone. Get it 90% right and ship it.
Step 9: Track, follow up, and iterate
The real benefit of dynamic proposals is seeing what happens after you hit send.
- Use Dealhub’s tracking: See who opened, how long they looked, and if they forwarded it.
- Follow up based on real activity: “Saw you checked out the pricing page—any questions?”
- Iterate: If everyone gets stuck on page 4, maybe page 4 needs work.
Don’t obsess: You’ll never control every variable. Focus on what actually moves deals forward.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to skip
Works well: - Auto-updating pricing and product selection - Pulling CRM data to fill in customer details - Tracking proposal views and signatures
Doesn’t work well: - Overly complicated templates (they break more often than they help) - Trying to automate every possible scenario - Letting multiple versions of the “official” template float around
Skip these: - Fancy animations or embedded videos (clients rarely care, and they can break) - Internal notes in customer-facing proposals (seems obvious, but you’d be surprised) - Worrying about making it “perfect” before you start sending
Keep it simple, tweak as you go
Don’t get hung up trying to build the ultimate proposal template on your first try. Set up something basic, run a few deals through it, and fix what’s obviously broken. The beauty of Dealhub is you can iterate fast—so don’t waste weeks planning what you can fix in minutes.
Remember: a dynamic proposal isn’t about showing off tech. It’s about getting deals done quicker, with fewer mistakes. Stick to what matters, and let the rest go.