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Optional Items

When Options Are Built In, Upgrades Happen Naturally

Joy Weber avatar
Written by Joy Weber
Updated this week

Sales pressure doesn’t close deals—empowerment does. Portal’s Optional Items feature puts upgrade decisions directly in your customer’s hands. And here’s the kicker: it works. Out of over 60,000 proposals sent in the past year, more than half included some kind of customer-driven upgrade. When clients are offered upgrade options, they choose to upgrade 55% of the time.

That’s why Optional Items in Portal exist - to help your clients feel in control, explore what’s possible, and choose what works best for them.

Why Options Drive Bigger Sales

Customers love choices. Whether it's performance, design aesthetics, or long-term value, giving them the ability to compare and decide builds trust. Optional Items make your proposals look smarter, more professional, and more tailored to the client’s needs.

With Good, Better, Best scenarios, customers explore premium options on their own terms. No pressure. Just clear, compelling comparisons.

How Optional Items Work in Portal

You can create up to three options per area in a proposal. Here’s how it works:

  • Start with your base area, like the Kitchen.

  • Create Option 2 by duplicating the base, then swap or upgrade products and labor.

  • Create Option 3—for example, upgrading to invisible speakers, which might require special backboxes and more labor.

  • Options cascade naturally, allowing you to present full-scope variations that make sense.

Clients toggle between options to compare pricing, and they must select one per area before accepting the proposal. That means you get approval and clarity, and your customer gets control and transparency.

Beyond Hardware: Use It for Services Too

Optional Items isn’t just for products. You can present service tiers, extended warranties, or recurring maintenance agreements the same way.

Why Integrators Use Optional Items

  • Boost Sales: Customers regularly spend more when they understand their options.

  • Improve Clarity: No more explaining upgrades in follow-up emails.

  • Enhance Proposals: Make every quote look polished and strategic.

  • Simplify Decisions: Let clients explore and choose at their own pace.

Available on Pro and Above

Optional Items are included with Portal’s Pro and higher plans. If you’re building detailed proposals and want to boost your close rate and average deal size, this feature is built for you.

Upgrades Without the Upsell

With Optional Items, your proposal becomes a decision-making tool. Clients feel in control, and you earn their trust—and their business.

Want to explore more proposal features?

Check out the Proposal Expiry feature.

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