Getting Started With Ivorey™ Proposals, Contracts & Invoices
Before you steam ahead setting up your proposals, invoices and contracts - here's some good-to-know information that will ensure you understand how this all works, the most logical order to set these up, plus other helpful tips and insights along the way.
Can the Ivorey™ team setup my proposals, invoices and contracts for me?
Can the Ivorey™ team setup my proposals, invoices and contracts for me?
Absolutely! Our mission is to close what we've coined the 'Implementation Gap', which is why women hire us to "do it for them" every single day! Browse and book a done-for-you service right here.
How To Setup and Send Proposals, Invoices and Contracts: A Step-By-Step Guide
STEP 1: Set Up Your Products and Services in Ivorey™
In order for your products and services to be available to select each time you prepare a proposal or invoice, you first need to setup your products and services inside of Ivorey™. This will make them available for sale any way that you wish to sell them, and ensure you don't have to manually re-enter your product name, pricing and details everytime you want to include them on a proposal or invoice.
STEP 1.1: Load your products and services into Ivorey™
STEP 1.1: Load your products and services into Ivorey™
From the Ivorey™ main menu, go to [Payments] then > [Products] then > [Add New].
Create your product name, description, taxes and pricing structure.
Unless you're also using this product in an online e-commerce shop, you don't need to set up variants, inventory or SEO.
Press [Save]. Your new product or service will now be available from the dropdown menu inside your proposals and invoices.
If you do mostly custom pricing, we still suggest loading in a base price. You can always adjust the pricing, name and details each time you go to send a proposal or invoice.
STEP 2: Create Your Proposal, Contract and Invoice Templates
Setting up your templates will fast track your sales process and save your future precious time. We have created the following document templates for you, and pre-loaded them into your account ready for you to customize:
Proposal Template
Contract Template
Combined Proposal and Contract Template (Recommended)
TIP: In the training below, you'll see that we typically suggest sending proposals and contracts in the same document, so your contact only needs to review and sign something once.
Doing it this way also allows you to toggle on a setting in Ivorey™ that can immediately generates an invoice, based on what options they selected on their proposal. This creates the fastest sales process and most seamless process - however you can of course keep these documents separate if you wish too!
STEP 2.1: How to create proposal and contract templates
STEP 2.1: How to create proposal and contract templates
From the main Ivorey™ menu, go to [Payments] then > [Documents and Contracts] then > [Templates]. You'll see templates waiting inside of your account ready for you to customize.
Edit the template, then select [Save]. It's now ready for future use, but continue working through this help guide so you don't miss any important steps.
STEP 2.2: How to create a default invoice template including any notes and terms
STEP 2.2: How to create a default invoice template including any notes and terms
From the main Ivorey™ menu, go to [Payments] then > [Invoices & Estimates] then > [Settings]
Add your business logo, information, terms, notes etc that you'd like to automatically apply onto each invoice that gets sent from Ivorey™
We suggest skipping the email notification settings until you move to step 3 below, as we will show you how to use beautiful pre-made email templates for this instead.
STEP 3: Create Beautifully Branded and Automated Emails
We have pre-made dozens of email templates that most businesses will need, such as:
Automatically generate invoices after proposals are signed
Automatically send invoices after proposals are signed
Automatically send upcoming payment reminder emails
Automatically send overdue invoices reminder emails
And so much more!
They are already pre-loaded into your account - just add your own wording, images and branding to make them your own! This step will show you how to customize the templates and then set them up to start sending automated email notifications to remove a ton of manual processes off your plate.
STEP 3.1: How to create and automate your emails using our pre-made templates
STEP 3.1: How to create and automate your emails using our pre-made templates
From the main Ivorey™ menu, go to [Emails] then > [Email Templates]
Browse the templates we have available under the [Documents and Contracts] and [Payments] categories, select [Edit] and customize them with your own branding and copy then select [Save].
Select [Save] and add it to a folder to stay organized!
STEP 3.2: How to turn 'automatic invoice sending' after proposals on or off
STEP 3.2: How to turn 'automatic invoice sending' after proposals on or off
If you want Ivorey™ to automatically generate and/or send invoices after your client signs and accepts a proposal, please follow these steps:
From the main Ivorey™ menu, go to [Payments] then > [Documents and Contracts] then > [Settings] then [Product Invoicing].
Turn the [Product Invoicing] toggle ON if you would like Ivorey™ to automatically email an invoice as soon as they accept the proposal. If you turn this OFF, Ivorey™ will still generate a draft invoice, but you'll have to manually press send when you're ready to.
Lastly, turn the [Direct Payment] ON if you would like to automatically re-direct your contact straight to a payment page to pay their invoice as soon as they sign and accept the proposal. By default, they will also be sent the invoice by email incase they click out of the payment screen.
Make sure you have created and setup your email templates and settings, to ensure the invoices get emailed in a beautifully branded template, and so overdue payment reminders also send at your chosen schedule. The video in step 3.1 shows you how to do that.
CONGRATULATIONS! Your templates and automated emails are done - and you're now ready to start sending out your proposals, contracts and invoices!
Step 4: How To Send Proposals, Contracts and Invoices Using Your New Templates
We suggest you follow the steps above before starting here, as we'll show you how to prepare templates for your proposals, contracts and invoices - plus all the emails that go with them. Once you've got them ready to go, follow the steps below to learn how to start actually using and sending these documents in Ivorey™
STEP 4.1: How to send proposals and contracts
STEP 4.1: How to send proposals and contracts
From the Ivorey™ main menu, go to [Products] then > hover over [Documents and Contracts] and select [Templates]
Select the proposal or contract template you want to use and select the 3 dots next to it, then select [Use Template] from the popup that will appear.
A new copy of your template will open - we suggest immediately re-naming it to include the name of the person who will be receiving it.
Edit your document with any text, graphics or other elements that you need - remembering to look through the [Elements] section on the left for all the possibilities you can drag-and-drop straight onto the document.
For proposals only: Make sure you add a 'Product List' and select which products/services you'd like to include from the dropdown list. A properties panel will appear on the right where you can adjust pricing, text and make each item mandatory or optional.
For proposals, contracts and any type of document: Make sure you add a signature field to the end of the document, as the contact will need to sign and submit it.
From the top left bar, select [Recipient] and choose which contact/s you'd like this to go to. If you can't see your contact, it means you haven't added them into the contact list.
Click on any signature fields, and then in the right hand properties section, ensure you select which person is meant to be signing which field. When you send the document, Ivorey™ will automatically lock-down any other fields to ensure only the correct person can sign their designated field.
When you're happy with your document and ready to send it, select [Send] in the top right corner. If you press send, it will automatically send using the template you have loaded into your settings in step number 3 further up in this guide. If you select the Link option, it will give you a link that you can email or DM to them instead.
No matter which option you choose, Ivorey™ will mark the document as "Sent" and you can monitor the progress of them viewing and/or signing by going back to the main [Documents and Contracts] screen.
NOTE: This video below shows the example of how to send a proposal, but it works the exact same way for contracts. You can send ANY type of document using the method shown in this video.
STEP 4.2: How to prepare and send an invoice
STEP 4.2: How to prepare and send an invoice
To create an invoice, from the main Ivorey™ menu go to [Payments] then select [New Invoice].
The invoice editor will open with your default business details pre-filled, plus any default invoice settings you added in the previous tutorials.
Complete all the settings in the left hand panel to choose the contact this invoice is for, import the product, set any taxes etc. When you're ready, press [Send]
The invoice will be sent to the contacts email via the email template that you set up in step 3.1 above.
Frequently Asked Questions about Proposals & Invoices
Can I automate proposals and invoices?
Can I automate proposals and invoices?
Yes! Follow step 3 of the master help guide on Proposals, Invoices and Contracts to set up automated emails and invoice sending.
How do I customize the email my invoices and documents are sending in?
How do I customize the email my invoices and documents are sending in?
We have pre-loaded emails for you, you just need to re-brand and customize them to suit your needs. From the main Ivorey™ menu, go into [Marketing] then > [Email] then > [Templates]. In the [Payments] folder you'll see all the relevant emails ready to customize!
Once you've made your changes and saved them, go into [Payments] then > [Invoices] then > [Settings] and go through all of the tabs. You will see multiple places to pull in all the new email templates you've made, and set what sending schedule you would like. e.g. you can choose to send payment reminders when invoices are x days overdue. You can also choose which email template you want all your invoices, proposals and contracts sent via. For a walkthrough video, please see strep 3 of the master help guide.
How do I track a proposal or contracts progress?
How do I track a proposal or contracts progress?
You can monitor if someone has accepted a contract or proposal by going to the main Ivorey™ menu [Payments] then > [Documents & Contracts]. It will display a list of all documents that have been sent, and whether they are viewed, signed, paid etc.
How do I track an invoices progress?
How do I track an invoices progress?
You can monitor if someone has paid an invoice or if its overdue by going to the main Ivorey™ menu [Payments] then > [Invoices]. It will display a list that you can then filter by date, export and see the status of each individual invoice. It will also tally up the total amount of invoices sitting in draft, paid, due and overdue.
Can I send invoices automatically after a proposal is accepted?
Can I send invoices automatically after a proposal is accepted?
Yes, very easily! Inside [Payments] then > [Documents & Contracts] then > [Settings]. You will need to toggle Direct Payments and/or Automatic Invoice Sending ON. lease see step 3 of the Master Help Guide which will walk you through how to amend these settings
Can I get a notification when documents are signed and paid?
Can I get a notification when documents are signed and paid?
Absolutely. In step 3 of the Master Help Guide, we show you how to setup automated notifications for both your contacts and you/your team. You could also create a workflow if you want more customized notifications, or to pay a small $0.002c USD to have notifications sent to you via Slack or SMS instead of email.
STILL NEED HELP? We're just a chat away. Send a message via the widget inside your Ivorey™ account, and we'll be there to support you! You can also browse our done-for-you services if you want us to do the work for you instead 💙