Why we built it

⬆️ Close deals faster: Speed up the deal approval process to close deals faster. ⬆️ Sales efficiency: Ensure all necessary approvals are obtained without manual follow-ups. ⬆️ Easier pipeline reporting: Provide transparency into the approval process for all stakeholders.

Overview

Problem

Our deal approval process was slowing everything down.

• It was manual and time-consuming, causing delays in closing deals.

• Sales reps had to chase down multiple approvers manually, which led to missed approvals or incomplete documentation.

• Reps constantly had to switch between quoting tools, Slack, CRM, and other systems.

• If a quote needed minor corrections, recalling it was a pain—and sometimes created even more delays.

We thought about bringing on an external tool but ultimately decided to build a system ourselves in Zapier that keeps everything flowing through Slack. Solution

We automated the quote approval flow using Zapier, Slack, and our existing tech stack.

Now, quotes move through the right approval steps automatically, approvers get real-time notifications, and everyone involved has clear visibility into where things stand.

How it works

A variety of Zaps trigger based on actions taken in Slack threads.

Individual Zaps

• New quote ready for approval

• Quote approved

• Quote rejected

• Quote signed

• Recall quote

Build this workflow

This system helps teams navigate contract concessions, approvals, and coordination across teams. We recommend taking a crawl-walk-run approach, and picking the part of your process today that’s most painful, whether it’s legal concessions, discount approvals, or something else entirely. Then, once it’s working smoothly for you, build on additional related processes.

Step 1: Define your authority matrix

Decide who needs to approve which concessions.

(Image of authority matrix ) Step 2: Set up your “chain of command” sheet

You’ll need this to escalate any approvals to the right manager or director. Your columns should look something like:

• Rep email

• Manager

• Director

💡 Tip: Use a Zapier Table so the tasks are free. Plus, Tables is designed to be less fragile than spreadsheet providers. Step 3: Configure your pre-quote questionnaire

This should include fields like Deal ID, type of TOS, plan, billing terms, contract start date, and any other info you need from your Sales or Success team.

• Include a question that states: Do you have any concessions that require approval?

• Add conditional logic so you’re getting the info needed for each concession type.

💡 Tip: We use Google Forms because this process pre-dates Interfaces, but if we were to re-build it now, we’d use Interfaces. Any form provider with conditional logic will work.

Embed this form in your HubSpot deal view. Step 4: Set up your Zaps

You'll need to share the approval in Slack, confirm which approvers have approved, and then finally update HubSpot.