If you're in sales or client management, you know the pain: endless email threads, lost attachments, prospects ghosting halfway. Shared digital spaces sound promising, but most are either too basic or try to be everything at once—ending up clunky.
This guide is for folks who want to run a smoother sales process with less friction. I'll walk you through using Heybase Shared Spaces to collaborate with prospects. No fluff, just clear steps, and some real talk about what works and what to skip.
Why Even Bother with Shared Spaces?
Let’s be blunt: most prospects don’t want another login, another tool, or another reason to avoid your email. So, why use something like Heybase Shared Spaces?
- Everything in one spot: No more hunting for proposals, contracts, or demo recordings in different emails.
- Transparency: Both sides can see what’s been shared, commented on, or updated.
- Faster decisions: Prospects can poke around, ask questions, and even sign docs without endless back-and-forth.
But, and this is a big but, if it’s clunky or confusing, prospects won’t bother—they’ll just forward your PDF to procurement and disappear.
Step 1: Set Up Your Heybase Account
Get Access
First, sign up for Heybase. If your company already uses it, get yourself added. If you’re evaluating, start with a trial—most features are available out of the gate.
Pro tip: Use a work email. It’ll make sharing with prospects less awkward and keep things compliant.
Initial Setup
- Fill out your profile (name, photo, job title). It’s basic, but prospects like knowing who they’re dealing with.
- Tweak notification settings so you don’t get spammed but don’t miss real activity.
Step 2: Create a New Shared Space
Start a Space
Once you’re in, find the “Create Space” or “New Shared Space” button. This is your digital room for each prospect or deal.
- Name the space after the prospect or deal: e.g., “Acme Corp – Q2 Proposal.” Don’t get cute—clarity helps if you’re juggling a lot.
- Set permissions: Decide if you want your team (sales engineer, manager) inside or just you and the prospect.
What works: Naming conventions and permissions upfront save headaches later.
What to skip: Don’t over-customize the visuals at this stage. You want speed, not pixel-perfect branding (you can add a logo later).
Step 3: Add Materials Your Prospect Actually Needs
Here’s where most people get carried away—dumping every case study, whitepaper, and product video into the space. Don’t do that.
Upload Smart
- Proposal/Quote: PDF or interactive doc, whatever you use.
- Demo recording or walkthrough: Keep it under 10 minutes. No one watches hour-long videos.
- Timeline or next steps: Simple checklist or document.
- Contracts (if you’re at that stage): Only when the prospect asks for it.
How to: - Click “Add File” or drag-and-drop into the space. - Use folders sparingly—most deals don’t need subfolders unless it’s a huge enterprise sale.
What works: Less is more. Only add what moves the deal forward.
What doesn’t: Uploading marketing fluff or generic decks. Prospects see right through it.
Step 4: Invite Your Prospect
Share the Space
- Hit the “Invite” or “Share” button.
- Enter your prospect’s email. (Double-check spelling—typos here are a silent deal-killer.)
- Add a personal note. A bland invite gets ignored; a quick “Here’s everything in one spot, let me know if you need anything else” goes a long way.
Link vs. Email:
Some prospects hate logins. If Heybase lets you, send a link with guest access (with optional password). If your contract or legal team insists on email invites, follow your process.
What works: Personal invites with context.
What doesn’t: Blindly CC’ing everyone at the company—keep it to decision-makers.
Step 5: Collaborate—But Don’t Overwhelm
Use Comments and Chat Wisely
Heybase typically offers commenting on files or sections, maybe even a chat sidebar.
- Ask direct questions: “Let me know if the pricing breakdown makes sense.”
- Respond quickly: The faster you answer, the less likely prospects will drift away.
- Don’t spam: If you comment on every file, it’s just noise.
Pro tip: Turn on notifications for comments, but mute general activity. You want to know when someone’s engaged, not when they’re just clicking around.
Track Activity (But Don’t Be Creepy)
Heybase will show you if someone views or downloads a file. Use this info, but don’t jump on their case the second they peek at a contract.
- Good: “Saw you checked out the proposal—any questions?”
- Bad: “I noticed you were in the space at 9:43am, did you see the T&Cs on page 4?”
What works: Letting prospects control their pace, but being available.
What doesn’t: Hovering or following up aggressively. You’ll just scare them off.
Step 6: Handle Questions and Objections in the Space
Centralize the Conversation
Encourage prospects to drop questions or feedback directly in the Shared Space. This keeps everything in context and avoids email clutter.
- Pin important answers or docs to the top if Heybase allows.
- If a question comes in by email, paste the answer into the space too. That way, everyone’s on the same page.
What doesn’t work: Taking conversations offline or into private chats. You lose transparency—and have to remember what you promised.
Step 7: Close the Loop—Sign, Save, and Offboard
Moving to Signature
If your deal involves contracts, see if Heybase offers e-signature. If it does, great—less friction. If not, just upload the latest contract version and link out to your signing platform (DocuSign, PandaDoc, whatever).
- Make sure the “signature” file is clearly labeled (e.g., “FINAL – Acme Q2 Contract.pdf”).
- Add instructions if needed: “Please sign and upload, or let me know if you need a fresh link.”
Wrap Up
Once the deal’s done (or dead), tidy up:
- Remove access for folks who shouldn’t see post-sale info.
- Archive the space if you’re done, or keep it as a reference for onboarding.
What works: Clean closure. Don’t leave old deals open forever.
What doesn’t: Forgetting to remove sensitive docs or access.
Real Talk: The Good, The Bad, and What to Ignore
What Works Well
- Simple collaboration: If you keep it focused, Heybase Shared Spaces cut noise and keep everyone moving.
- Activity tracking: Not creepy, but genuinely useful for knowing when to nudge.
- All-in-one-place: No more email searches at 11pm.
Where It Falls Short
- Adoption: Some prospects balk at new tools. If they resist, don’t force it—fall back to email.
- Overkill for small deals: For tiny transactions, a Shared Space might be more work than it’s worth.
- If your team is disorganized: Shared Spaces don’t fix bad process. Garbage in, garbage out.
What to Ignore
- Fancy integrations or automation until you’ve run a few deals through manually.
- Overbuilding templates or folders before you’ve closed your first deal with it.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Shared Spaces like Heybase can absolutely make collaborating with prospects easier, but only if you use them with discipline. Start small: set up one space for a real deal, use it, adjust your approach, and see what actually gets prospects to engage.
Don’t try to automate or template everything from day one. Keep it simple, pay attention to what your prospects actually use, and double down on what works. Everything else? Ignore it until it’s a real problem. That’s how you keep your sales process effective—and your sanity intact.