Using Quotes to create detailed Proposals and Contracts

[susfeig]

With the recent updates to the Product/Line Item module, I was very excited to be able to use the Quotes feature for proposals and contracts.  We use PandaDoc to provide my Sales Team with a tool to create proposals, and contracts, using templates and content created and controlled by the management team.   However, I believe we *should* be able to customize the HubSpot Quotes feature to replace PandaDoc, which will save us money and time and give us better integration and tracking.  However, there are limitations that stop us from benefiting from this module.   While there is probably a lot more that can be done to build out this feature, at the base level, there should be more options/flexibility to add content from a HubSpot content library into a quote, using a template/snippet/document with tokens.  In addition, there should be ways to automate the "tax" field so that the sales rep does not have to manually enter a % or amount for products with rates dependent on multiple variables.      

Some background to help: 

We sell sponsorships of conferences.  We have pre-set packages (i.e. Platinum, Gold..) but also create custom packages or adjust pre-set packages to meet our sponsors' needs.   Breaking the packages down by Product or line items doesn't work for us - our product is the whole package.  (ie. Product = Platinum Sponsorship.)  However, we do need to provide details of what comes in that package - and we do need to provide our team with a standard template for each package/product and the ability to further customize that package/product.  

There should be an option to create templates for product descriptions, that can be pulled into the Comments section of the quote, respectively.  Then the text can be edited/customized by the deal owner.  This allows mgmt to have a library they create/update with the latest product descriptions and language.  Right now the only option is to create a library of snippets to pull into the Comments sections.  However, due to the character limit, this is useless as our package descriptions have more characters than a snippet allows. It's worth noting that the Comments section does allow for unlimited characters.

Also, we have different T&Cs depending on the Product and/or where an event takes place. We should be able to let the rep pull the correct T&Cs into the Terms section - but once again, that section only allows them to pull text from the snippet library - and our T&Cs are much longer than the snippet character limit.  Again,  the Terms section in quotes does allow for unlimited characters. 

Lastly , the line items section of the quote allows the rep to add a specific tax % - but I'd rather not leave that to my rep to determine.  We usually say "plus VAT" or "plus GST" depending on the country - and the actual % is included in their invoice, not their quote (we do not use Hubspot as our finance system).   There should be the ability to create a workflow that populates the tax % based on, for example, the country specified on the deal.  Or pulls that % from an existing field in the deal.  Or gives the option to say "plus [insert name of tax]".  

With regard to solutions offered by HubSpot -

(1) use the Description section on the individual Product level -- that section can't be edited once in a quote - and our reps are empowered to customize packages.  The description section also doesn't allow for formatted text or tokens.  

(2) create a custom quote template for each t&c version and/or create a custom quote template for each product option ----Those sections won't be editable and the sales rep needs to be able to make adjustments to (a) customize a quote, and (b) make changes to T&Cs based on customer feedback and with mgmt approval.

Thanks!   

[LuciaDeNile]

I am Lucia from the EMEA CSM team. The idea of using quotes to create contracts has come up multiple times with my customers. 

Recently had a conversation with a customer, and the roadblock to using quotes as a way of creating contracts was the lack in the quotes tool of a functionality that would let the contract's recipient add notes to the contract (example: request changes to the contract). 

If the contract feature becomes a thing, in the future, it'd be great to add this functionality to it.

[SashaMarie]

I am struggling with this as well, we are a small company and do not need intricate contracts. However, we do need the quote to become a contract (delete the quote expiration and become more formal) in order to send it to Dropbox Sign. 

[ChristinaMcGarr]

Hi,

I am new to saleshub and I am at a dead stop because I cannot figure out how to generate contracts. The situation above explains my situation perfectly.  I need to be able to add custom properties and use varying T's and C's based on service being offered. How is everyone handling generating custom contracts? 

[MrTNPI]

Same desire here. We use Square contracts for e-signatures, but believe HubSpot would be a great replacement. We just need a place to add lengthy T&C's. 

[TEdwards4]

Agreed - we are totally stumped with the inability to create a contract with terms and conditions within HubSpot and therefore we have do do everything manually and externally!

[DSmith02]

same here - our T&C's are 75,000 characters and the 65,000 limit is a problem. 

[MrTNPI]

We've recently found a workaround to our issue. We have created a HS webpage that houses our complete T&Cs. In the quote, we list the most important terms then direct the signer to the website for complete terms. So far so good. We have completely phased out Square Contracts now. 

We also have a document with regularly used language our team can copy and post from, overcoming the challenge of character limits with Snippets. 

[KReed9]

Hi, posting in here that this would be quite helpful for us as well. I'm not sure if this has already been created and I'm missing it, or if there's truly not a way to do this yet. 

Without this functionality, it's difficult to get our team on board with fully ripping out other tools, although we'd prefer an all-in-one solution on HubSpot. 

[ChristinaMcGarr]

Hi KReed9,

My company is B2B and provides a service and has 14 page contracts. I have the reps create the deal and fill out specific rates, add-ons, etc  (I created numerous custom properties)  and then customized the quote templates (we currently have four different templates). To include my custom properties, I modified the "Comments" section and added 7 pages of Ts & Cs to the "Terms" section on a quote template. I had to hire someone to hard code page numbers and to remove the text box that didn't break on each page, rather only had sides and top on page two, and sides only on the middle pages, and then sides and bottom on the last page. It has been extremely frustrating. We are near the character limit, so unless this gets addressed, we will be unable to continue using this.  

[LindaR]

We have the same issue as most. Huspot quotes just won't work for us. We are a communications agency and our contracts are also about 7 pages. We just can't add all the information and clauses we need with Hubspot quotes. It really is a shame. We just make the deal and draft the proposal outside of Hubspot then attach it to the deal. When it's signed, we add the signed copy. I would love to be able to draft our proposals in Hubspot.

[ReganRoss]

We are a professional services company that sends unique contracts (SOWs) to our clients all the time. This week we started building our Product Library, and quickly uncovered the current shortcomings with Hubspot Quotes in that we can't figure out how to compose the unique scope, timelines, milestones, assumptions, deliverables, and T&C sections that our SOWS require, and could build towards the quote portions of each document. 

We looked at the "Proposal" quote template hoping the various modules would be editable for the Rep generating the quote, but it appears they are only editable when changing the template as the "new quote" engine only allows for "comments to buyer" and "purchase terms"

We wrongly presumed that the quote template editor (screenshots below) would appear in the "new quote" wizard:

If Hubspot could make the quote editor that appears in the template editor available for reps generating new quotes using the wizard steps (screenshot above), I believe this would solve the problem. In other words, I think all the tools are there, they just need to be re-jigged. 

Please consider Hubspot... otherwise we won't be able to leverage the Product Library and all the potential benefits it will bring from a reporting/analytics perspective because it's not allowing us to include the contractual language we need in our SOWs (aka "Quotes).