Creating Proposals

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Creating Proposals - User Guide

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Introduction

This guide walks you through creating and sending proposals to your customers. Proposals in Neptune automatically calculate pricing, organize products into sections, and create professional PDFs for your customers.

Prerequisites: Before creating proposals, you should understand:

What You’ll Learn:

  • How proposals are structured
  • Step-by-step proposal creation
  • How to customize proposals
  • How to send proposals to customers
  • How automatic price recalculation works

Understanding Proposal Structure

The Proposal Hierarchy

Every proposal is organized into a clear hierarchy:

Proposal
  └─ Base Product (the foundation)
      ├─ Section: Basic Options
      │   ├─ Category: Pool Color
      │   │   └─ Product: Blue Pebble
      │   ├─ Category: Filtration
      │   │   └─ Product: Standard Filter
      │   └─ Category: Lighting
      │       └─ Product: LED Package
      ├─ Section: Optional Upgrades
      │   ├─ Category: Heating
      │   │   └─ Product: Gas Heater
      │   └─ Category: Automation
      │       └─ Product: Basic Controls
      └─ Section: Landscaping
          └─ Category: Paving
              └─ Product: Concrete Paving

Sections

Sections are top-level groupings in your proposals:

  • Basic Options (system-defined, always first) - Products always included with the base product
  • Custom sections your organization creates (e.g., “Optional Upgrades”, “Landscaping”, “Approval Costs”)

Each section has controls that determine:

  • Include in Contract: Show products from this section in the contract
  • Include in Proposal: Include products in the proposal total
  • Include in Proposal Summary: Show section in first page summary (rich proposals)
  • Calculate Total: Display section subtotal in the proposal
  • Allow Custom Field: Enable adding one-off custom line items
  • Allow Adjust Price: Enable adding hidden price adjustments

Categories

Categories sit within sections and contain your products:

  • Each category belongs to one section
  • Has an “Included in proposal” checkbox - if checked, appears automatically in every new proposal
  • Has a default product assigned - when added to a proposal, this product is automatically selected

Products

Products are the actual items with pricing. Each belongs to one category and can use different pricing types:

  • Fixed: One consistent price
  • Unit: Price × quantity
  • Variable: Price based on base product rules
  • Attribute: Price × base product attribute (e.g., volume, size)

To Learn More: See the Base Products & Product System Guide for details on product pricing types.

How It Works Together

When you select a base product, the system automatically:

  1. ✅ Adds all categories marked “Included in proposal”
  2. ✅ Selects the default product for each category
  3. ✅ Calculates all prices based on your base product
  4. ✅ Organizes everything into the correct sections

This means most proposals are 80% complete as soon as you select a base product!

Manage Proposal Templates

Proposal templates save a reusable set of proposal rows for your organization. They can also save a selected pool, custom fields, and hidden price adjustments. When someone starts a proposal, they can choose a template to apply its saved content.

Only administrators and super users can create, replace, rename, delete, or choose the default proposal template.

Create a Proposal Template

  1. Start a proposal from a lead or customer.
  2. Build the proposal with the products, custom fields, and price adjustments you want to reuse.
  3. Click Save proposal template.
  4. Choose Create new.
  5. Enter a template name.
  6. Choose what to include:
    • Include selected pool saves the current catalogue pool with the template. This option is not available for a one-off custom pool.
    • Include custom fields saves the custom line items in the proposal.
    • Include hidden adjust-price rows saves internal price adjustments.
    • Set as default template applies this template automatically when your team starts a proposal without choosing another template.
  7. Click Save template.

The new template becomes available to your organization when starting future proposals.

Replace an Existing Proposal Template

Replace a template when you want future proposals to use the rows currently shown in the proposal builder.

  1. Open a proposal draft and update its rows as required.
  2. Click Save proposal template.
  3. Choose Replace existing.
  4. Choose the template to replace. If the draft was created from a template, Neptune selects that template first, but you can choose any proposal template in your organization.
  5. Choose whether to include the selected pool, custom fields, and hidden price adjustments.
  6. Click Replace template.
  7. Review the template name in the confirmation and click Replace template again.

Replacing a template keeps its existing name and default status. It changes only future proposals. Existing proposals and proposal drafts do not change.

If Include selected pool is not selected, Neptune removes any pool previously saved with the template. A one-off custom pool cannot be saved in a proposal template.

Rename, Set the Default, or Delete a Template

  1. Open Templates → Proposal.
  2. Find the template you want to manage.
  3. Choose an available action:
    • Set default makes the template the starting choice for new proposals.
    • Rename changes the name without changing its saved content.
    • Delete removes the template from the choices available for future proposals.

The default template cannot be deleted. Set a different template as the default first, then delete the previous one.

Configure Proposal Display Settings

Administrators can control how the base product appears in proposal summaries and PDFs.

Neptune CRM Location: Admin → Proposal Settings

Show Base Product Details

Turn on Show Base Product Details to include information that is specific to the selected base product. For pools, this includes details such as volume and loads when they are available.

Turn this setting off when you want a simpler customer-facing description.

Choose the Base Product Display Mode

Use Base Product Display Mode to choose where the base product appears:

  • Group with primary section places the base product inside your primary product section, such as Pool / Spa / Features.
  • Show as standalone section gives the base product its own section and displays its price. The standalone section total also appears in the proposal summary.

Show the Base Product Price

Show Base Product Price is available only when the display mode is Group with primary section.

  • Turn it on to show the base product’s individual price.
  • Turn it off to show Included beside the base product. Its price remains part of the primary section total.

When the base product is shown as a standalone section, Neptune displays its price automatically, so this additional setting is not needed.

Update the Settings

  1. Go to Admin.
  2. Open Proposal Settings.
  3. Choose the Base Product Display Mode.
  4. If you selected Group with primary section, choose whether to show the base product price.
  5. Choose whether to show base product details.

Changes save automatically. Refresh any proposal or Gateway page that was already open in another tab to see the updated presentation.

Configure Custom Pool Pricing

Custom pools let your team quote a one-off pool without adding it to the base product library first. This is useful when your business builds pools in custom shapes and prices them from a measurement such as lineal metres.

Neptune calculates the pool cost and sell price from:

Combined pricing quantity × rate per unit

The calculation can use Size, Loads, Volume, or a numeric base product attribute created by your organization.

Create a Pricing Attribute

Skip this step if the measurement you need is already available.

  1. Go to Admin → Proposal Settings.
  2. Find Base Product Attributes.
  3. Add a Number attribute, such as Lineal metres.
  4. Save the attribute.

Only number attributes can control custom pool pricing. Other available attributes can still be recorded on a custom pool without affecting its base price.

Allow Custom Pools

  1. Go to Admin → Proposal Settings.
  2. Find Custom pools.
  3. Turn on Allow custom pools.

This adds your pricing setups to the Custom pools group at the bottom of the pool list when your team starts a proposal. If the setting is not available, contact Neptune support.

Add a Pricing Setup

  1. In the Custom pools settings, click Add pricing setup.
  2. Enter a Setup name to help your team identify the pricing method.
  3. Enter the Default pool name. Your team can change this name for each proposal.
  4. Choose the Pricing attribute, such as Lineal metres.
  5. Enter the Cost rate per unit.
  6. Enter the Sell rate per unit.
  7. Click Save setup.

You can add multiple setups when your organization uses different rates or pricing measurements. Editing or deleting a setup does not change proposals that have already saved that pricing.

If a setup displays Needs attention, its pricing attribute is no longer available as a number attribute. Edit the setup and choose an available pricing attribute before using it again.

Create a Custom Pool Proposal

Custom pool proposals can be started from either a lead or a customer.

Start the Proposal

  1. Open the lead or customer.
  2. Click Proposal in the action bar.
  3. Open the pool list and find Custom pools below your catalogue pools.
  4. Choose the pricing setup you want to use.
  5. Choose a proposal template if required.
  6. Create the proposal.

The proposal builder opens with the setup’s default pool name and saved rates. You can then enter the project-specific name, pricing quantities, and other pool details.

The lead or customer must have an assigned consultant before a proposal can be created.

Enter the Pricing Quantities

The Pricing breakdown starts with one area. Enter a meaningful Label and the quantity for the pricing attribute selected by your administrator.

For example, a pool priced by lineal metres could use:

  • Pool — 24 lineal metres
  • Spa — 6 lineal metres

Click Add area to separate another part of the project. Neptune combines all areas and applies the setup’s cost and sell rates to the total quantity. The labelled breakdown remains internal and is not shown to the customer.

Complete the Pool Details

In the proposal builder, you can also:

  • Change the pool name.
  • Enter any optional pool attributes that are relevant to the project.
  • Add proposal products and options as usual.
  • Override the calculated cost or sell price when a one-off adjustment is needed.
  • Click Reset beside an override to return to the calculated price.

Optional pool attributes remain internal. They can still control the price of products configured to use those attributes. Neptune automatically recalculates affected products when a relevant attribute changes.

If a selected product needs a pool attribute that is still empty, Neptune keeps the product in the proposal at $0 rather than removing it. The information icon beside Optional pool attributes identifies the affected products and the details they need. When you save, Neptune takes you back to the relevant pool-details section until those values are completed.

The customer sees the pool name and the normal proposal pricing. They do not see the pricing-entry breakdown, rates, overrides, or internal pool attributes.

Troubleshoot Custom Pool Proposals

  • The Custom pools group is missing from the pool list: Confirm that your organization uses the new Proposal Builder and supports pools. Ask an administrator to turn on Allow custom pools and add at least one valid pricing setup.
  • No pricing setup is available: Ask an administrator to add a valid setup or repair one marked Needs attention.
  • The required measurement is missing: Add it as a Number field under Base Product Attributes, then select it in the pricing setup.
  • A product shows $0: Open the information beside Optional pool attributes to see which pool detail the product needs, then enter that value before saving.
  • A setup changed while the new proposal window was open: Close and reopen the new proposal window, review the latest setup, and try again.

Step-by-Step: Creating a Proposal

The Proposal Process

1. Customer Inquiry
   ↓
2. Select/Create Base Product → The foundation
   ↓
3. Add/Remove Products → Customize for customer
   ↓
4. Review Totals → Costs, pricing, margins
   ↓
5. Save & Send → Customer receives proposal

Step 1: Start a New Proposal

  1. Navigate to a customer’s page
  2. Click the “Proposal” button in the action bar
  3. A modal appears asking you to select a base product

Step 2: Choose Your Base Product

  1. Select from the dropdown: Browse your base products library and select the one that matches your customer’s needs
  2. The system automatically:
    • Creates a new proposal draft
    • Adds the selected base product
    • Adds all default categories and products
    • Calculates all pricing
    • Takes you to the proposal builder

Note: The base product selector only shows active (non-archived) base products.

Step 3: Review Auto-Added Products

The proposal builder now shows:

  • Your selected base product at the top
  • All sections (Basic Options, plus any custom sections)
  • All categories marked “Included in proposal” with their default products
  • All prices automatically calculated

Review this list - these are the products that will appear in the customer’s proposal by default.

Step 4: Customize Your Proposal

Now tailor the proposal to your customer’s specific needs:

To Add More Categories

  1. Look for tag-like buttons showing available categories
  2. Click a category button to add it to the proposal
  3. It appears in its section with the default product already selected
  4. Price is automatically calculated based on your base product

To Remove a Category

  • Click the trash icon next to the product

To Move a Category to a Different Section

  • Drag and drop the product row to a different section
  • Example: Move “Pool Heating” from “Basic Options” to “Optional Upgrades”

To Change the Product Within a Category

  • Use the product selector dropdown
  • Prices recalculate automatically based on the base product

To Adjust Quantity (for Unit-Priced Products)

  • Enter the quantity needed
  • Total price updates automatically

To Add a Custom Field

If a section allows custom fields, you can add one-off line items that aren’t in your product catalog:

  1. Click the “Custom field” button in the section
  2. Enter:
    • Name: What the customer sees (e.g., “Site preparation”)
    • Description: Additional details (optional)
    • Cost: Your cost
    • Sell: Customer price
    • Property: How this displays to customers (see below)
  3. Click OK

Property Options:

  • Show Price: Display name and price
  • Included: Show name but hide price (only section total visible)
  • Not Included: Show “Not Included” instead of price
  • Hidden: Don’t show to customer at all (affects totals only)
  • TBA: Show “TBA” instead of price
  • Others: Show the property text instead of price

Use cases: Site-specific work, one-time fees, discounts, unique customer requests, recurring charges (e.g., software levy)

To Add a Price Adjustment

If a section allows price adjustments, you can add hidden line items to improve your margin:

  1. Click the “Adjust Price” button in the section
  2. Enter:
    • Cost: Adjustment to your cost (can be positive or negative)
    • Sell: Adjustment to customer price (can be positive or negative)
    • Internal Note: Why you’re adjusting (optional, for your records only)
  3. Click OK

The adjustment appears in the proposal builder with a “Hidden from client” icon (eye with line through it). It uses the “Hidden” property, which means it affects totals but won’t appear in the customer-facing proposal.

Use cases: Margin optimization, competitive adjustments, special circumstances

Note: You can also create regular custom fields with the “Hidden” property to add recurring hidden charges (e.g., “Software Levy” to recoup Neptune subscription costs).

Step 5: Review Totals

The proposal summary shows:

For All Users:

  • Project Total (what customer pays)

For Authorized Users (managers, admins):

  • Total Cost
  • Gross Profit & %
  • Commission & %
  • Net Margin & %

Review these carefully before saving. Ensure:

  • ✅ All required products are included
  • ✅ Quantities are correct for unit-priced items
  • ✅ Margins are acceptable
  • ✅ Nothing is missing

Adjustments You Can Make:

  • Change base product → All variable/attribute prices recalculate automatically
  • Remove products
  • Adjust quantities for unit-priced products
  • Add or remove categories
  • Move categories between sections
  • Change expiry date

Step 6: Save and Send

Saving Your Proposal

  1. Review all details
  2. Click “Save Proposal”
  3. Proposal is saved and assigned a number (e.g., P24-0032)
  4. You’re automatically taken to the proposal summary

Sending to Customer

  1. From the proposal summary, click “Send Proposal”
  2. You’ll be taken to the Send Proposal page with two panels:

Left Panel - Email Composition:

  • To: Select recipient(s) from customer contacts
  • CC: Add additional email addresses (comma separated)
  • BCC Consultant: Option to copy the assigned consultant
  • Subject: Pre-filled with proposal number and organization name (editable)
  • Body: Rich text editor for your email message
  • Apply Template: Use saved email templates to quickly populate subject, body, and brochures
  • Brochures: Attach organizational brochures (grouped by category)
  • Uploads: Attach files previously uploaded to this customer

Right Panel - PDF Preview:

  • Live preview of the proposal PDF as it will appear to the customer
  • Shows all sections, products, and pricing
  • Scrollable to review the entire document
  1. Review the email and PDF preview
  2. Click “Send Now” to email the proposal
  3. Success! Customer receives an email with a link to view the proposal
  4. You’ll see a success modal with option to return to the customer page

Note: You can also send a saved proposal later by navigating to Sales Docs → Proposals, finding your proposal, and clicking “Send”.

Create a Contract from a Proposal

Open the proposal summary and click Create Contract when you are ready to prepare a contract.

If the proposal belongs to a customer, Neptune opens the contract creation page.

If the proposal belongs to a lead, Neptune asks you to convert the lead to a customer first:

  1. Click Create Contract.
  2. If the lead has active sequences, choose whether to stop them or keep them running. Stop active sequences is selected by default.
  3. Review the conversion message and click Convert to customer.
  4. Neptune converts the lead and opens the new customer record.
  5. Return to the proposal when you are ready, then click Create Contract again.

The proposal remains connected to the record after conversion. See Leads for more information about converting leads.

Understanding Price Recalculation

One of the most powerful features of the system is automatic price recalculation. When you change the base product in a proposal, all variable and attribute-priced products automatically update.

Example Scenario

Initial Proposal:

You create a proposal with:

  • Base Product: 6m pool, 30,000L volume, 3 loads of concrete
  • Excavation (Variable pricing based on size): $2,250
  • Chemicals (Attribute pricing per load): 3 × $25 = $75
  • Total: $2,325

Customer Changes Mind: They want an 8m pool instead.

You Change Base Product to 8m pool, 45,000L volume, 4 loads:

The system automatically recalculates:

  • Base Product: 8m pool, 45,000L volume, 4 loads
  • Excavation: Automatically updates to $3,500 (because size is now 8m, matches new pricing rule)
  • Chemicals: Automatically updates to $100 (because now 4 loads × $25)
  • New Total: $3,600

No manual recalculation needed! The system handles it instantly.

What Gets Recalculated?

Pricing TypeRecalculates?Why?
Fixed Price❌ NoPrice doesn’t depend on base product
Unit Price❌ NoDepends on quantity, not base product
Variable Price✅ YesRules are re-evaluated against new base product
Attribute Price✅ YesMultiplied by new base product attribute value

Benefits

  • ✅ Accuracy: Prices always match the base product
  • ✅ Speed: Change base products in seconds, not minutes
  • ✅ Confidence: No manual calculation errors
  • ✅ Flexibility: Easy to compare different base product options for customers

Best Practices

For Proposals

✅ Do:

  • Start with the right base product - It’s the foundation
  • Review all auto-added products - Remove what’s not needed
  • Double-check quantities for unit-priced items
  • Review totals before saving - Verify margins are acceptable
  • Use custom fields for one-off items instead of creating products
  • Set appropriate expiry dates - Give customers reasonable timeframes
  • Preview before sending - Use the PDF preview to catch any issues
  • Communicate with customers about the base product selection

❌ Don’t:

  • Don’t rush - Take time to select the right products
  • Don’t ignore warnings - If pricing seems off, investigate
  • Don’t save without reviewing - Always check totals first
  • Don’t forget expiry dates - Proposals should have clear timeframes
  • Don’t skip the PDF preview - Always review before sending
  • Don’t send to wrong contacts - Verify email addresses

Tips for Efficiency

  1. Use default products wisely - Set up good defaults and most proposals will be nearly complete
  2. Create email templates - Save time on email composition
  3. Organize your product catalog - Clean categories and sections make proposals faster
  4. Use the drag-and-drop - Quickly reorganize products between sections
  5. Learn keyboard shortcuts - Tab through fields quickly in custom product forms

Frequently Asked Questions

Proposals

Q: Can I manually override a product price in a proposal?

A: Not directly. Prices are calculated automatically to ensure accuracy. If you need different pricing, you can:

  • Create a custom product with the desired price
  • Use price adjustments
  • Adjust the markup on the product itself in the product catalog
  • Contact your administrator about adjusting the pricing rules

Q: What if I need to add a one-off custom item?

A: Use the “Custom field” button in the proposal builder. This lets you add items not in your product library.

Q: Can I copy a proposal to create a new one?

A: Currently not supported directly. Create a new proposal and reselect the same base product and products. Since pricing is automatic, this is quick.

Q: Why can’t I see costs and margins?

A: This is controlled by your user role. Contact your administrator if you need access to financial details.

Q: Can I save a proposal without sending it?

A: Yes! Click “Save Proposal” to save as a draft. You can send it later from the customer’s Sales Docs tab.

Q: What happens if I change a base product after sending a proposal?

A: Sent proposals are locked - they won’t change. Only draft proposals update when you change the base product.

Q: Can I edit a proposal after sending it?

A: Not directly. You’d need to create a new proposal with the updated details.

Customization

Q: How do I add products that aren’t in any category?

A: Use the “Custom field” feature to add one-off products. If this product will be used frequently, ask your administrator to add it to the product catalog.

Q: Can I change the order of sections in a proposal?

A: Sections are ordered by their position settings. Contact your administrator to reorder sections.

Q: Can I hide a product from the customer but still include it in the total?

A: Yes! Use the “Hidden” property on custom products, or create a price adjustment.

Q: Can I show a product but hide its individual price?

A: Yes! Use the “Included” property. The product name appears but only the section total is shown.

Troubleshooting

Product shows $0 price in my proposal

Possible causes:

  • Variable pricing rules don’t cover this scenario
  • Base product is missing required attribute
  • Attribute pricing references non-existent field

Solution: Check the product’s pricing configuration and ensure all rules are complete. See the Base Products & Product System Guide for details on pricing types.

Prices don’t update when I change base product

Try:

  1. Refresh the page
  2. Remove and re-add the product
  3. Check if the product uses fixed or unit pricing (these don’t auto-update)
  4. Contact support if issue persists

I can’t find the base product I need

Options:

  1. Check if it’s archived (toggle “Show archived” switch)
  2. Create a new one (see Creating Base Products)
  3. Ask a colleague who might have created it
  4. Check if you’re looking in the right base product type

Custom attributes aren’t showing up

Possible causes:

  • Administrator hasn’t configured them yet
  • You’re editing an old base product created before attributes were added

Solution: Contact your administrator to configure base product attributes. See Working with Base Product Attributes.

Email won’t send

Possible causes:

  • No recipient email address selected
  • Invalid email addresses in CC field
  • Missing required fields (subject, body)

Solution: Verify all email fields are filled correctly and recipient has a valid email address.

PDF preview looks wrong

Try:

  1. Refresh the page
  2. Check if all products have valid pricing
  3. Contact support if layout issues persist

Can’t save proposal

Possible causes:

  • Missing base product
  • Missing required fields
  • Network connection issue

Solution: Ensure base product is selected and check your internet connection.

Getting Help

If you have questions not covered in this guide:

  1. Contact your system administrator - They can help with configuration and access
  2. Check with colleagues - They might have encountered similar situations
  3. Contact support - Include proposal ID for faster help
  4. Review the Base Products guide - For questions about products and pricing: Base Products & Product System Guide

Summary

Creating proposals in Neptune is:

✅ Fast - Auto-populates with defaults based on base product
✅ Accurate - Automatic price calculations reduce errors
✅ Flexible - Easy to customize for each customer
✅ Professional - Beautiful PDFs with organized sections
✅ Powerful - Automatic price recalculation when changing base products

Master this workflow and you’ll create better proposals in less time, leading to more sales and happier customers.