For DMCs
Proposals that are easy to say yes to
DMC proposal software builds client-ready itineraries and quotes from a structured brief, keeps inclusions, exclusions and pricing basis consistent across proposals, and tracks revisions as versions instead of new documents. The effect is proposals that advisors can compare directly - and therefore approve faster.
A proposal is a sales document that has to survive comparison
Your proposal is rarely read alone. It sits next to two others, usually in a different format, and the advisor is trying to work out what differs. Anything ambiguous - a vague inclusion, an unstated pricing basis - gets read in the least favourable way, because the advisor has to protect their client.
Clarity is therefore commercial, not cosmetic. The proposal that is easiest to compare is the one that wins on its merits rather than on how it was formatted.
Consistency beats bespoke
Building each proposal from scratch produces documents that differ from each other for no reason, and it is where errors enter - a rate carried over from last season, an exclusion silently dropped.
Reusable components with a consistent structure fix both problems at once: less time per proposal, and fewer ways for a mistake to reach an advisor.
- A consistent structure across every proposal you send
- Inclusions and exclusions as explicit fields, not buried prose
- Pricing basis stated plainly - net or commissionable, per person or total
- Revisions as tracked versions, so the advisor sees exactly what changed
Revisions are where deals are lost
Almost every trip changes between first proposal and booking. When each revision arrives as a fresh attachment, the advisor has to diff two documents by hand and re-present to the client - and every one of those cycles is an opportunity for the trip to stall.
Handling revisions as versions of the same proposal keeps the history intact and makes the change visible in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What should a DMC include in a proposal to a travel agent?
A day-by-day itinerary, named properties and room categories, explicit inclusions and exclusions, the pricing basis (net or commissionable, per person or total), what is provisional versus confirmed, payment and cancellation terms, and a validity date. Ambiguity in any of these is read unfavourably when the proposal is compared with others.
How can a DMC make its proposals more likely to convert?
Make them easy to compare and easy to re-present. State scope and pricing basis explicitly, answer the brief rather than a generic version of it, be honest about what is not yet confirmed, and return revisions as tracked versions so the advisor can show the client what changed without rebuilding anything.
How do DMC proposals work?
A travel advisor sends a brief, the DMC prices a day-by-day itinerary against it and returns a proposal covering scope, pricing basis and terms. The advisor presents it to the client, requests revisions, and confirms - after which the proposal becomes the basis for the booking and the operational plan.
What is the best way for a DMC to manage revisions requested by travel advisors?
Treat each revision as a new version of the same proposal rather than a new document, so the change is visible and the history is preserved. This removes the manual diffing that slows advisors down and prevents an outdated version being presented to the client by mistake.
How can a DMC measure which proposals and itineraries convert best?
Track outcomes against proposal attributes - destination, trip type, price band, turnaround time and number of revisions - rather than counting wins alone. The useful signal is usually turnaround and revision count, both of which are within the DMC’s control.