Bigfoot Decks & More started out servicing clients the Colorado Springs area for their decking needs. The scope of work quickly grew into more than just decks, with help of an estimating and proposals software, with a range of outdoor projects being available, leading to more revenue and business growth.
Outdoor - Hardscape - Decking
11-50
Cutting estimating time by half (50%), inproving job win rate by 15%
Taylor Hix launched Bigfoot Decks & More LLC in Colorado Springs with years of experience building a quality deck and outdoor living spaces. What he didn’t launch with was a modern sales system. His early process could get the job done, but it didn’t scale well, and it didn’t help him win consistently against competitors with a stronger brand presence.
Several factors limited Taylor's early sales success, including outdated tools, the absence of a modern sales system, and competition with brands that had a stronger market presence.
He wanted more sales without turning his quoting workflow into a full-time admin role. He also wanted a sales presentation that looked as professional as his builds, because he knew prospects were judging more than numbers. When Bolster became the foundation for his proposals, the business moved toward a stronger conversion rate and a projected 15% increase in jobs.
Bigfoot Decks & More LLC is based in Colorado Springs and serves nearby communities. The company focuses on custom deck projects, pergolas, and outdoor living spaces. Taylor owns the company and leads estimating and sales.
Taylor entered a market with established businesses that already had name recognition. Those businesses often had smoother sales workflows, and they were better positioned to win potential customers who valued clarity, speed, and confidence.
In that kind of market, the sales presentation becomes part of the product. Buyers look for signals that a company is organized, professional, and prepared. When multiple proposals look similar on price, the proposal experience can be the deciding factor that drives more deals. To stand out, interactive proposals must be relevant to customer needs and current market trends, ensuring they resonate with what matters most to buyers and increasing the likelihood of winning business.
Taylor started Bigfoot with old technology. He was using a desktop-only estimating program on an aging MacBook. It worked, but it trapped him in a workflow that didn’t match the pace of a growing company.
When he needed to replace the laptop and wanted to switch to a PC, he realized there was a deeper problem. His estimating program wasn’t flexible enough to move with him, and his sales process depended on static proposals that were hard to update quickly.
That created friction at the exact moment when speed matters most. Interest from prospects fades. Potential sales cool off. Follow-up gets delayed. And when the quoting process requires constant rework, it becomes harder to focus on selling.
A user-friendly site could have reduced this friction by making it easier for prospects to find information, compare options, and move forward with the purchasing process.
Taylor needed the ability to create professional proposals quickly, without sacrificing accuracy. He wanted to show multiple material and design options inside one proposal, because custom deck work isn’t a single-price product. Including an interactive form within the proposal would allow customers to easily indicate their preferences, helping to gather important information and streamline decision-making.
He also wanted customers to explore choices at their own pace, because homeowners don’t always decide during the first conversation. But he didn’t want that flexibility to create more admin work for him or add risk to his pricing.
At the same time, he needed a process he could repeat, because repeatability is what turns a solo operation into a company that can grow into a sales team.
When Taylor saw a Bolster demo, the value was immediate. He saw how interactive proposals could change the sales presentation. Instead of sending a static PDF, he could present a live proposal, show options, and let customers revisit the same link later.
That mattered because it removed confusion. It also changed how buyers experienced the proposal. Instead of receiving a file, they received a guided experience that felt like a showroom.
The interactive proposal format also allowed Taylor to talk through options with prospects in real time, making the experience more engaging.
After moving his estimating into Bolster, Taylor shifted the entire sales presentation. He stopped treating proposals as something he emailed and waited on. He started booking a dedicated presentation time and treating the proposal as a moment.
That “big reveal” approach changed how prospects reacted. The proposal felt more engaging. Including a personal note at the start of the proposal helped set a warm, engaging tone for the presentation, addressing specific concerns and making the experience feel more personalized. The layout looked professional. The scope felt clearer. And the option structure made the value of upgrades easier to understand.
The result wasn’t just a better-looking document. It was a different kind of sales conversation, one where the customer could see choices, see pricing impact, and move toward a purchase with more confidence.
Taylor built a quoting engine tailored to deck work by leaning on templates. Templates helped him create consistency and speed. They also helped ensure every proposal matched the same brand experience and didn’t depend on memory or manual formatting.
Once the templates were in place, he layered in material options. In one example, he programmed 30+ decking materials directly into his quoting flow. That meant a customer could compare choices without Taylor creating new proposals or rebuilding versions.
The experience stayed dynamic, but the structure stayed controlled. Customers could explore upgrades, but the proposal didn’t become messy. Taylor could keep the process efficient and still present a custom-looking result.
To measure the effectiveness of his new quoting engine, Taylor could track proposal acceptance rates and gather customer feedback, helping him quantify results and improve the process over time.
The biggest functional change was that pricing updates could happen in real time inside one proposal. Instead of creating a new document every time a homeowner asked, “What if we did composite instead?” the answer could be shown immediately.
That made the sales presentation stronger because it kept momentum. It also gave potential customers space to explore at their own pace after the call, without sending Taylor back into the quote to create another file.
Homeowners come with specific concerns. They worry about durability, maintenance, cost over time, and whether they’re getting a good deal. They also compare choices across companies, and they want clarity.
During a sales presentation, Taylor could now present options and explain why one selection might be better than another. The new system allowed Taylor to provide direct, clear explanations, helping customers make faster decisions. It also reduced the back-and-forth that often drags proposals out and lowers conversion rate.
Switching tools can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to keep sales moving while changing your workflow. Taylor described the support from Bolster’s team as a major factor in his progress.
He wasn’t just handed software and told to figure it out. He worked with a team that helped him implement templates, refine assemblies, and improve his quoting flow. Taylor also benefited from free onboarding resources and support, which made it easier to implement the new system smoothly. Those invaluable insights shortened the learning curve and helped him avoid mistakes that could slow down sales.
As Bigfoot Decks & More experienced a surge in jobs, the importance of employee development became even more apparent. In today’s competitive market, a company’s ability to invest in its sales team is directly linked to its success. By equipping team members with the latest sales presentation tools and CRM systems, businesses can ensure their teams are prepared to engage potential customers with confidence and close more deals.
A dynamic sales team thrives when it can create engaging, data-driven proposals that address the specific concerns of its target audience. By analyzing data and gathering invaluable insights into customer preferences, sales teams can tailor their sales presentations to highlight the features and services that matter most. For instance, using case studies and testimonials as social proof helps build trust and demonstrates real-world value to potential customers.
Employee development isn’t just about mastering technology—it’s also about building the soft skills that make a sales presentation truly effective. Communication, empathy, and problem-solving are essential for connecting with buyers and presenting solutions that resonate. For example, a sales team that can tell a compelling story about a recent project or use a customer testimonial to illustrate value is more likely to inspire confidence and move prospects toward a purchase.
Investing in ongoing training—whether through workshops, online courses, or one-on-one coaching—ensures that the sales team stays up-to-date with the latest technology and market trends. This empowers users to explore new tools at their own pace, experiment with dynamic proposals, and refine their approach based on real-time feedback and data. As a result, the company can identify what drives conversion rates and adapt quickly to changing customer needs.
Ultimately, prioritizing employee development creates a culture of growth and innovation. It gives the sales team the resources and confidence to present the company’s brand in the best possible light, build trust with potential customers, and secure more deals. In a world where technology and customer expectations are always evolving, companies that invest in their people are best positioned to lead the market and deliver lasting value to their customers.
After the deck system was working well, Taylor started extending the same structure to other services, including pergolas and roof coverings. Because the templates and proposal logic were already built, expanding didn’t require reinventing the entire process.
That matters long-term. A company needs a system it won’t outgrow, and Taylor wanted a foundation that could support new services, more proposals, and eventually more users.
While new services were added, the rest of the interactive proposal process stayed consistent and efficient, ensuring clients continued to receive comprehensive information and a seamless experience.
Once the quoting system and sales presentation were dialed in, Taylor reported that the company was on track for a 10–15% lift in conversion rate, which translates to roughly a 15% increase in jobs.
That lift did not require dramatically changing pricing. It didn’t require a major increase in spend, either. It came from presenting the work more professionally, making proposals easier to understand, and giving prospects a better experience.
Taylor also noted that the professional look and feel helped him win work away from more established competitors. In a crowded market, those details can turn into more deals, because buyers feel more comfortable moving forward. Additionally, the improved interactive proposals led to increased traffic to the company’s site and more customer inquiries, further boosting opportunities to win new business.
Interactive proposals keep the sales conversation alive. They reduce delays, reduce confusion, and reduce the risk that a prospect forgets why your company felt like the best option.
A structured sales presentation builds trust because it shows organization. It also helps buyers understand scope and value. And when templates make the process repeatable, the company can scale without chaos.
That repeatability is what turns a good system into a growth engine. It’s also what makes it realistic to add a sales team later, because a new rep can follow the same presentation process and deliver the same brand experience.
However, there is no such thing as a perfect proposal template—ongoing refinement and adaptation are key to long-term success.
Example: a homeowner compares pressure-treated boards to composite options and sees the pricing change immediately. Example: a buyer toggles between railing styles during the sales presentation and understands the cost impact in seconds. Example: a customer explores lighting upgrades later, at their own pace, without needing another proposal. Example: a prospect wants a pergola add-on and sees how it fits into the same proposal structure. Example: a buyer wants premium materials but still wants a good deal overall, so the options help them balance value and budget. Tracking how many visitors interact with the proposal allows Taylor to measure and improve conversion rates.
Bigfoot’s story shows that modern presentation can win sales even when the numbers are similar. It also shows that options don’t need to create extra work when the proposal structure is dynamic and built on templates.
It’s also a reminder that support matters. Tools are important, but implementation guidance can speed results and reduce risk. Contractors can further improve their results by taking a course on modern sales techniques or proposal tools. Taylor didn’t need to chase all the features or build complicated crm systems. He needed a solution that helped him present clearly, sell confidently, and close more deals.
Taylor launched Bigfoot with strong craftsmanship, but he needed a better way to sell that craftsmanship in a competitive market. By switching to interactive proposals, building repeatable templates, and improving each sales presentation, he strengthened the company’s brand, improved conversion rate, and moved toward a projected 15% increase in jobs.
And importantly, he built a sales foundation that can scale—whether that means adding more services, training more users, or bringing in a dedicated sales team to drive even more deals.
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