How to Use Proposal Tracking to Improve Your Close Rate

Most teams send proposals and hope for the best. Winning teams use proposal tracking & analytics to get real-time signals and act on them. This article shows you how to use tools like Proposify to track behaviour, follow up smarter, and close more deals.

What Do You Do After Hitting Send on a Proposal?

Let me guess.

You wait a day or two, send a polite follow-up, and hope it lands at the right time. When there’s no reply, you’re left wondering why the deal stalled again.

What you really need is proposal tracking. It gives you the behavioural data behind the scenes: who opened your proposal and when, how many times they opened your proposal, which sections they skipped, and where they spent the most time.

Here you’ll learn how to use that data to follow up more effectively, speak to what your prospect actually cares about, and close more deals.

Why Listen to Us?

We’ve helped thousands of companies improve their close rates using proposal intelligence.
Here’s what one customer shared:

That’s the power of turning proposal tracking and analytics into action.

What Is Proposal Tracking?

Proposal tracking is the process of monitoring how a prospect interacts with a proposal after it’s been sent. Instead of sending a static PDF and hoping for a response, modern tools like Proposify allow you to see exactly what happens next in real time.

With Proposify, you can see:

• When the proposal was opened (and how many times)
• Who viewed it
• How long they spent on each section
• Which parts they skipped

Having access to this kind of behavioral data means you’re no longer guessing what happens after you hit "send." You can see exactly how prospects engage and, more importantly, where the opportunity lies to move them forward.

How to Use Proposal Tracking to Improve Your Close Rate

Tracking the opens and clicks is just the start. The real win comes from using that data to follow up smarter and close deals faster.

Let’s get started.

1. Turn ‘Viewed’ into ‘Closed’ by Following Up at the Right Moment

​​You can’t afford to guess when your proposal is top of mind or worse, follow up too late when the interest has already gone cold.

To follow up at the right moment and keep the deal moving, you need to track key engagement signals like when the proposal is opened and how often it’s viewed.

When a proposal is opened

Following up when the proposal is opened means catching your prospect while it’s still fresh in their mind. 

To make the most of that moment, send a quick message offering to answer questions or walk them through next steps. This can significantly increase your chances of getting a response.

With Proposify, you’re not guessing. You get notified the moment your proposal is opened and who opened it.

Thanks to the optional “Identify to View” setting, recipients enter their name and email before viewing.

That means every view comes with real-time identity and activity data, so your follow-up is timely and relevant.

How often the proposal is viewed

You can start to gauge your prospect’s level of interest or hesitation.

Here’s something we found in our 2025 State of Proposals Report:

Winning proposals are viewed an average of 2.5 times before they’re marked closed-won, while unsuccessful proposals are viewed an average of 3.5 times.

What does that mean?

It suggests that multiple views don’t always signal excitement. Sometimes, they reveal friction. The more times a prospect opens a proposal without responding, the more likely it is that they’re:

• Stuck in internal discussions
• Revisiting the pricing
• Unsure about moving forward

So, if a proposal has been viewed three or more times with no reply, don’t treat that as a good sign, treat it as a signal to check in.

“I noticed you’ve had a few chances to look through the proposal. Is there anything you’d like me to clarify or adjust?”

With Proposify, you’ll get a detailed view of how often your proposal is opened, who’s viewing it, and when, so you can follow up based on behavior.

To see Proposify’s view tracking features in action (and learn about more strategies winning teams are using to close more deals), check out this video:

2. Use Section Analytics to Speak Directly to Their Priorities

A well-structured proposal is usually divided into key sections like the cover page, executive summary, approach, deliverables, pricing, team bios, case studies, and terms & conditions. 

Each section plays a specific role in telling your story. But not every prospect engages them equally.

That’s where section analytics come in.

​​

With tools like Proposify, you can track exactly how long a prospect spends on each part of your proposal so you can understand what they're focusing on, what they’re unsure about, and what they may be skipping entirely.

If they spend most of their time on the pricing section…

That’s your signal that they’re seriously considering the investment or possibly debating the cost internally.

What to do:

Follow up by reinforcing the value behind the pricing. You could share a relevant case study, break down ROI, or offer to walk them through custom package options.

If they skip the case study or testimonial section…

They may already trust you, or they may not yet understand your credibility.

What to do:
Mention a quick win from a past client in your follow-up.

A short sentence like “We recently helped a similar company increase conversions by 27% in 60 days” can plug the gap without making them reopen the doc.

If they spend time on your terms and conditions…

They’re likely nearing the decision stage and checking fine print, or they’re unclear about scope, timelines, or deliverables.

What to do:
Follow up with a quick summary of the key takeaways from that section, and offer to clarify anything before they move forward.

3. Reignite Interest When Prospects Go Quiet

When a deal goes cold, it’s rarely because of outright disinterest. Usually, your prospect got overwhelmed, uncertain, or stuck somewhere in the decision cycle.

With Proposify, you can see:

• When the proposal was last viewed
• If it has been reopened recently
• How often it has been opened overall

If the proposal hasn’t been touched in a few days, or they’ve viewed it several times without taking action, that’s your signal to step back in without sounding pushy.

“Hi [First Name], just following up to see if you had any questions or if I can help clarify anything in the proposal.”

Here’s a simple timing cheat sheet:

• After 1 day: If your proposal hasn’t been opened, follow up.
• After 2 days: If it’s been opened but no response, check in.
• If the view count stops at 7 (the average for lost deals), don’t wait, reach out.

And if you want to make sure no deal slips through the cracks, turn on Proposify’s automated reminders. 

You can set it to nudge the prospect automatically if the proposal hasn’t been opened or signed within a set timeframe. In fact, proposals with automated reminders are 10% more likely to close, yet surprisingly, only 7% of sellers use them.

#4 Spot the Real Decision-Makers Before the Deal Stalls

Sometimes a deal doesn't stall because of pricing, timing, or interest. It stalls because the person you’re talking to isn’t the only one making the decision.

Proposal tracking can show you who’s really in the room.

With Proposify, you can:

• See the names and emails of every person who views the proposal (if "Identify to View" is turned on)
• Track when each stakeholder engaged with the document
• Spot if someone forwards the proposal or if new viewers suddenly appear

This matters because decision-makers don’t always announce themselves. If you notice someone new has opened the proposal, especially someone with a different title or domain, that’s your cue.

Use it to loop them in intentionally:

“I noticed [Name] had a chance to review the proposal. Would it be helpful to hop on a quick call together and walk through next steps?”

Or use it to ask a thoughtful question that nudges the process forward:

“Curious. Will anyone else be reviewing this before you make a decision? I’m happy to answer questions from anyone involved.”

5. Refine Your Pitch Based on What Actually Converts

If you’re not learning from previous proposals, you’re leaving profits on the table. Proposal analytics can show you what’s working and what’s not.

With Proposify, you get data over time that helps you spot:

• Which sections do prospects engage with the most
• Where they tend to drop off or lose interest
• Which proposals get signed fastest (and which don’t)
• How your content layout, CTAs, or package structures affect outcomes

Let’s say you notice proposals with shorter executive summaries close faster. Or that including a client testimonial near the pricing section improves conversions. Or that deals stall when there’s too much legal jargon up front.

That’s not a guess anymore. It's an insight you can act on.

Best Practices for Proposal Tracking

Tracking a proposal is one thing. Getting real results from it takes intention. Here are five best practices to make sure your tracking is effective:

1. Always Enable Identify-to-View

Don’t settle for anonymous views. Proposify’s “Identify to View” setting ensures you know who is opening the proposal. That context matters, especially when multiple stakeholders are involved.

2. Check the Insights Panel Before You Follow Up

Before sending a “just checking in” email, check the Last Active time, view count, and section analytics. That one-minute glance could be the difference between an annoying nudge and a perfectly timed message.

3. Set Automated Reminders

Reminders work. In fact, Proposify data shows proposals with automated follow-ups close more often, but very few sellers use them. Don’t be shy about using automation. Prospects are busy, and reminders help them just as much as they help you.

4. Watch for Reopens

When someone reopens a proposal days or weeks later, treat it like a live lead again.
Send a tailored follow-up that speaks to where they left off and invites them back into the conversation.

5. Review Proposal Data Every Month

Look for trends:

• Which sections get skipped?
• Where do deals stall?
• Which versions close faster?

This is your chance to optimize based on proof, not preference.

Know What Happens After You Hit Send

Closing deals doesn’t stop when you hit “send”; it’s what happens next that makes all the difference.

Proposal tracking gives you the visibility to follow up smarter, personalize your pitch, and catch signals before the deal slips away. Tools like Proposify turn proposals into insights, and insights into wins. 

Try Proposify today and watch your close rate rise with every insight.