Options-Based Proposals: Good/Better/Best Choices and E-Signed Acceptance (Leads & Estimates)

Last updated July 6, 2026 · Admins and office staff

An options-based proposal is an estimate where some lines are customer-selectable. Instead of a single take-it-or-leave-it price, you mark lines as Recommended or Optional — the customer picks which ones they want and e-signs the result in the Customer Portal. The system records exactly what they chose and signed, and (optionally) collects a deposit at the moment of acceptance.

Before you start

  • An operator account with access to the Leads menu, and an estimate to work on (see Create an Estimate).
  • The estimate should be linked to a customer (not just a lead) for the customer to see and sign it in the portal, and the portal’s Estimates section must be enabled in Settings.
  • To collect a deposit online, Stripe Connect and online payments must be set up. See Deposits on Estimate Acceptance — the deposit terms live on this same estimate.

How options work

Every line item on an estimate has an Option setting:

Option Behavior
Required Always part of the proposal. The customer can’t remove it. Counts toward the total.
Recommended A customer-selectable add-on that is pre-checked by default (nudges the upsell). Counts toward the total while included.
Optional A customer-selectable add-on. You choose whether it’s pre-checked. Counts only when included.

For Recommended and Optional lines, the Include checkbox next to the option sets the default selection the customer sees. Required lines are always included, so their Include box is checked and locked.

The estimate total shown to you and on the PDF reflects the as-proposed default selection — Required lines plus any pre-checked Recommended/Optional lines. If the customer later unchecks an option in the portal, the accepted total drops accordingly.

Steps

1. Set up the options

  1. Open or create the estimate and go to Line Items.
  2. For each add-on line, set its Option dropdown to Recommended or Optional.
  3. Use the Include checkbox to decide whether that line is pre-selected when the customer opens the proposal:
    • Recommended lines are pre-checked by default (you can uncheck).
    • Optional lines are yours to pre-check or not.
  4. Keep the core scope as Required lines.
  5. Save the estimate. The Subtotal/Tax/Total reflect the default (pre-checked) selection.

2. Set deposit terms (optional)

In the Deposit card, choose whether accepting the proposal collects money down. Options: No deposit, Requested (customer can pay now but doesn’t have to), or Required to accept (signature plus payment complete the acceptance). Then set a percent of the total or a fixed amount. Full detail — including what the customer sees and how the deposit shows up afterward — is in Deposits on Estimate Acceptance.

3. Send it for signature

Get the proposal in front of the customer:

  • Customer Portal (recommended) — once the estimate is linked to the customer, it appears in their portal (Estimates section). They review it, tick the options they want, type their name to e-sign, and submit. See Estimate Approval in the Customer Portal.
  • PDF — use Download PDF or the list Print button to send a branded copy for a manual conversation. (Options are best used through the portal, since that’s where the customer actually makes selections.)

4. The customer accepts (signature snapshot)

When the customer e-signs in the portal, the system records a signed snapshot — a frozen copy of the proposal exactly as it was signed. This snapshot captures:

  • Every line, including the ones the customer declined (kept for the record, greyed out).
  • Which lines the customer included vs. declined (“Customer’s choice”).
  • The accepted total the customer actually agreed to, alongside the originally proposed total.
  • The signer’s typed name, the signed date/time, and their IP address (e-signature evidence).

Because the snapshot is a contract record, the estimate is then locked — you can’t edit line items or change status manually until you void the acceptance.

5. Review the accepted selections

On the Estimate Summary, a signed proposal shows an “Accepted selections” card:

  • “Signed by [name] on [date]”, with the accepted total (and, if the customer dropped options, “accepted $X of $Y proposed”).
  • A table of every line marked Included or Declined.
  • Deposit status, if any (requested/required, paid or unpaid).
  • A note that converting to a job copies only the included lines.
  • A Void acceptance link (see below).

6. Convert to a job

Click Convert to Job as usual. For a signed options proposal, the job is built from the accepted snapshot — only the lines the customer included become job products. Options they declined are left out.

Voiding an acceptance

If the customer needs a change after signing, click Void acceptance on the Accepted selections card and confirm. This removes their signature and selections, unlocks the estimate for editing, and lets you re-send it for a fresh signature. It can’t be undone — the previous signature is gone. This is the only way to edit, re-status, or delete a signed estimate.

What happens next

When a customer signs in the portal, the system notifies you (an activity record, and a best-effort email to your portal support / document email if email is configured) — because acceptance no longer auto-creates a job, this notification is how you learn a signed proposal is waiting for a one-click convert. Review the accepted selections, then Convert to Job to schedule the included work, and later Convert to Invoice to bill it.

Tips & best practices

  • Lead with Recommended. Pre-checked Recommended lines are a gentle upsell — the customer opts out rather than opts in.
  • Keep Required truly required. Anything the job can’t proceed without should be Required so the customer can’t accidentally decline it.
  • Let the portal do the selecting. Options shine when the customer picks them online and e-signs; a PDF can’t capture their choices or a signature.
  • Don’t edit a signed proposal — void or re-version. Editing is blocked by design. If the scope changes, either void and re-sign, or create a new estimate version.
  • Check the accepted vs. proposed total before converting, so you know exactly what the customer committed to.

Troubleshooting

  • The customer doesn’t see options in the portal — confirm the estimate is linked to their customer record, the portal Estimates section is enabled, and the estimate isn’t expired.
  • “This estimate was updated since you opened it” (customer-side) — you edited the estimate after they opened it; editing changes the line set, so the customer must reload and re-select. Avoid editing once you’ve sent it.
  • The estimate is locked and I can’t edit — it’s been signed. Void the acceptance to unlock it.
  • The job is missing lines after conversion — that’s expected if the customer declined those options; the job copies only the included lines from the signed snapshot.
  • Total looks lower than I built — a customer unchecked a Recommended/Optional line before signing; the accepted total reflects their choices.

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