How to automate client bookings…

…while still sending custom proposals, but in less than 15 minutes.

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Between serving your current clients, marketing your business, handling admin tasks, and all the other business-ey things that come along with wearing that CEO hat, you cannot afford to spend an entire day creating a custom proposal, only for the recipient to reply with “we decided to go another way”… or worse, ghost you.

^^^ Maybe that was me, maybe it was you. No one has time for that

I'm all about beautiful, custom proposals, but I need minimal effort. Proposals should not take all day to create. I want automated follow-ups, dead leads jumping in the archive bin on their own, and an automated booking process that’s easy on my clients and makes me look good.

I hear ALL.THE.TIME from clients and folks across the internet that we are afraid of automations because we don’t want to sound like a robot. You want your clients to know that it’s YOU responding to THEM, specifically.

~*Enter Megan, your go-to Certified Dubsado Specialist.

I GOTCHU.

Here’s what’s inside:

✔️ fundamentals of how Dubsado works, so this all makes sense

✔️ the pieces (templates) you need to create to automate the booking process

✔️ how to set up your workflow— with ‘pauses’ in certain places

✔️ the logistics of customizing a proposal, the delivery email and the ‘we’re booked’ email, that takes less than 15 minutes, and then it’s hands off.

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let's take a moment to understand how Dubsado operates. This foundational knowledge will make everything else make sense. Every time I share this with a client, I can practically see the lightbulb going off in their head.

Dubsado works like this:

Dubsado is template-based. You create a template for every asset (forms, emails, schedulers, packages, etc) needed for your business, and then ‘make a copy’ of that template by adding it to a client project. Once a copy of each asset is inside each client’s project, you are free to tweak it for that specific project without changing the master template. You can edit anything- the prices, packages, any copy, questions, images, all of it.

Workflows allow you to automate the sending of these assets. You can have multiple workflows inside one project (ex: you may have an inquiry process, a booking process, an offboarding process, etc). When you add a workflow to a client project, Dubsado makes a ‘copy’ of every asset and automatically adds it to that project.

If you add a form to a project manually OUTSIDE of the workflow, and manually send it (which you totally can, that’s fine), the workflow is not watching it, and any actions that use the proposal as a trigger, will not fire.

You WANT to use Dubsado’s workflow to send proposals, so that you can take advantage of other automations that could be triggered by your proposal being submitted…. or not submitted.

So, what actions can a proposal trigger in a workflow?

Here’s where the magic happens >>> If your proposal is sent through a workflow, you can set up your workflow to ‘watch’ that proposal and use it as a trigger for all these actions:

• Hold actions until after the proposal is submitted, the contract is signed, and/or the invoice is paid

• SEND A ‘WE’RE BOOKED’ EMAIL with customized info. (welcome packet, homework, outside links)

• Send automated follow-up reminders if the proposal is not submitted

• Archive the project at a specified time after the proposal is not submitted.

• Start a NEW workflow (onboarding workflow perhaps?)

• Send an appointment scheduler (ex: after booking is complete, automatically send over the link to schedule a strategy call)

• Change the status of the project

• Activate the client portal

Ok, so it’s clear that Dubsado can automate some really cool things with one proposal without you ever needing to log in. But you might also like to tweak that proposal before it gets sent. Maybe you don’t want to show ALL your packages to EVERY client. Maybe you have a pop up offer you’re testing out. Maybe you’re a photographer & want to swap out some imagery that shows more of what this client is looking for. Or perhaps you’re a designer and want to include your client’s space measurements with a custom quote.

THAT^^^ is why I wrote this blog post. So you can create a completely custom experience for your client WHILE utilizing automations and saving a ton of time.

Here are the steps required to customize a proposal, personalize the email that delivers it, and add in unique links to the ‘we’re booked’ email at the end. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Build all the pieces (templates) you’ll need for a unique booking process

1. Create Packages: Simplify your offerings by establishing standard packages in Dubsado, tailored to your clients' common needs or as a starting point for customization. Create a separate ‘package’ for each offer AND any add-on’s you typically like to include.

2. Payment Plans (Optional): Facilitate payments by setting up flexible payment plans that cater to your clients' financial preferences.

3. Contract Template: Craft a reusable contract template with essential clauses such as scope of work, payment terms, and cancellation policies to ensure clarity and protection for both parties. If you don’t have a lawyer to draw this up for you, grab a customizable template HERE for 10% off and don’t forget to include smart fields for payment dates and package details.

4. Proposal Template: Keep it concise yet comprehensive. Include the packages you most often use, knowing you can change this on a client-to-client basis. Don’t forget to get more detailed contact information that you didn’t get on your contact form. I also like to add in a project timeline, pricing breakdown, faq’s, social proof and another reminder about the 3 part booking process.

5. Emails: This is optional (for now). Write a list of all the emails you’ll need to send for this process, and then you can find them in a drop down when building the workflow. You can also write them on the fly when building a workflow. AND you can completely edit them before they get sent to the clients.

Utilize automations and pauses with Dubsado workflows to create a thoughtful client experience.

We’re going to create a workflow using the templates above, starting with a very strategic pause. So that when it’s added to a client’s project later on, you will only have to do very minor customizations, if any. And it shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to customize this.

1. Create a Workflow:

   Seamlessly connect all the moving parts. Initiate the workflow by selecting the appropriate payment plan and set triggers to automate the process, starting with the proposal stage. For instance, my workflow includes actions to send the proposal, follow up with reminders, and trigger notifications for contract signings and payments. Open up your workflow templates and start a new one:

   1. *Select your payment plan at the top.

   2. Start the workflow with a pause by making the first action be CREATE TODO. This pauses the workflow and so you have time to make a few edits (more on that later), and gives you a note on exactly what you need to do when this workflow gets added to the project. (select the project date, edit the proposal, tweak the proposal delivery email, and customize (if needed) the "we're booked" email.

   3. Send the proposal using the SEND FORM action. Even though the first step (todo) is a pause, I still like to add in a delay here and send it 0.5 hours after all previous actions are complete. Just to make sure this doesn't get sent without time to customize it. Select your proposal template here and write your delivery email if you don't already have one in the canned email section, or select the pre-written one in the drop down. Make sure the FORM smart link are in the email.

   4. Pause the workflow until booking is complete using the HOLD ACTIONS UNTIL action until the proposal is submitted, the contract is signed and the invoice installment is paid (this is why we have the payment plan on the workflow and not the proposal). Do this with 3 workflow actions.

   5. Activate the portal and change the project status using the AFTER ALL PREVIOUS ACTIONS COMPLETE TRIGGER (optional)

   6. Send a ‘we’re booked’ email that the client will receive after the 3 part booking is complete using the AFTER ALL PREVIOUS ACTIONS ARE COMPLETE trigger.. If you haven't already written this email in the canned email section, that's fine. You can type it on the fly. (if you need to send a scheduler in this email, use the SEND SCHEDULER action, select the scheduler in the drop-down and then make sure the scheduler smart field is in the email.)

2. Attach the invoice and contract to the proposal.

   1. Go back to the proposal template, go to the settings, toggle ON the contract, toggle ON the invoice and toggle OFF the payment plan. You do not need a workflow to start from here either (in this case, this is not a public proposal)

      *if you have any custom links to send to the client, i'll show you how to do that before this email gets sent, stay with me * Optional: - automate follow-ups with the trigger: after form not complete. I usually send 3 and then have an automation to archive if the form is never submitted. (link to blog post about abandoned cart emails in dubsado) - send detailed receipts. Dubsado doesn't do this automatically. Your payment processor might. But it's a nice touch to add in some smart fields and automate this so it comes from you.

Customize your proposal and send it to your client through a booking workflow.

You had a consultation call and it’s time to send it to a client! 👏🏼 Here is where we tie everything together. I’ll show you exactly how to customize your proposal and still send it inside of a workflow.

1. Apply the Workflow: Go inside a client’s project. Tap on the workflow tab. Select the booking workflow you just created from the drop-down. Press APPLY. The TODO at the top should stop anything from sending.

2. Add Project Dates: Add the project dates to the top left corner of the clients folder. Now it'll populate inside all those smart fields you've carefully added— this is pretty dang cool if your payment plan due dates are based on the project date(s) and you’ve used the smart fields in any emails or in your contract.

3. Edit Proposal: Go to the FORMS tab and find the proposal. Click EDIT. Browse through and make the changes you need to make. Remove any packages you don't want, edit the prices if needed, tweak the little welcome message at the top, etc. Make sure it's just right for this client and then hit SAVE. DO NOT HIT SEND. You want the workflow to send it.

4. Edit Proposal Delivery Email: Now let's personalize the proposal delivery email to provide a tailored experience for your client. Express your excitement to work together, and provide clear instructions on how to review and accept the proposal. Go back to the workflow and look for this step. Click EDIT for the email, make your changes and hit APPLY.

5. Edit the ‘we’re booked’ email: If you have any custom links or special instructions that is unique to each client, and you want that sent in the ‘we’re booked’ email, now's the time to do this. Find the step in your workflow where this email is sent. Edit & APPLY.

6. Complete and Launch: When everything is how you like it, it’s time to let the workflow do the heavy lifting. Check off your TODO at the top to activate the workflow and sit back as Dubsado takes care of the rest. (but don’t worry— you still have about 30 minutes to make changes before it actually runs, jic 😉)

Stick a fork in it

Congratulations! You've successfully personalized and streamlined your client booking process using Dubsado's automation features.

If this was helpful, and you’d like to receive the same detailed information but for the inquiry process, grab this exact inquiry process I use in my web design business (yes it’s free)

Was this a little too much and you’re still trying to grasp the basics? Grab this Dubsado Setup Workbook to get it set up right from the get-go.

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Need more help?

>>> Grab my full inquiry process here: How I automate my entire inquiry process

>>> Already in the weeds and just need a bit of direction?:   Book a Dubsado Power Hour 

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[free] streamline your client communication with dubsado

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