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The Section That Dictates Your Proposal's Fate
By Dan Safford
How important is an executive summary? Simply put, it can be central to
success. Consider this: The executive summary may be the only part of
your proposal read by senior management and the only part read by all
of the evaluators. Yet many firms don't understand the significance of
this key section. A poorly written summary immediately erects a barrier
to winning; an exciting, captivating summary sets the stage for
victory.
While the executive sum-mary is usually the shortest part of a
proposal, it's also the portion that your potential customer reads
first. Thus, this section requires the most skillful writing. Indeed,
some evaluators are so offended by a specific executive summary one
that is confusing, difficult to understand or merely a thinly disguised
sales brochure that they fail to evaluate the rest of the proposal with
an open mind.
Most books and workshops about proposal writing cover this increasingly
important topic. In this article, I'll deal with the basics by
answering a series of questions.
What is an Executive Summary?
The executive summary
provides your clients with a clear and concise rationale for choosing
your solution. After reading the executive summary, clients should
understand your solution and the unique benefits it offers. Clients
must understand why they should buy from you even before reading the
rest of the proposal.
In fact, clients often use the executive summary as a substitute for
the proposal. You should assume that the executive summary is the only
section of the proposal a client will read. By including highlevel
themes that cover all of your main points, you improve the chances that
your message will reach all evaluators and decisionmakers.
What does it contain?
"The executive summary is a job for skilled writers," says Don
Helgeson, an engineer who's spent many years crafting large proposals
and author of a solid book on proposal writing. Here's how Helgeson
describes the executive summary: - It should be brief, terse and designed to hold the reader's attention.
- It is a sales pitch based on the presentation of provable facts.
- It should focus on the salient features of your proposal and of your company.
- It provides the reader with an introduction to your company;
the highlights of your proposal (the major decisions, innovative
features and benefits to the customer); themes (what distinguishes your
proposal from the rest); and the organization of your proposal.
Sue Baugh and Robert Hamper in
their Handbook for Writing Proposals provide an outline of the
executive sum-mary, a list of common errors and a checklist.
They recommend positioning the executive summary by asking yourself a
series of questions: "By the time you are ready to write the executive
summary, you should know the client and the client's problems so well
that you can put yourself in the decision-maker's shoes and ask, 'What
would I want to know from the executive summary? What would grab my
attention and keep me reading?' "
How do you know if your executive summary is solid?
There are a number of common errors that people make in dealing with this topic. Here are some simple rules:
- Don't prepare the executive summary last.
- Don't begin with boilerplate, do a "search and replace," tweak it a little and give it to someone to print.
- Don't begin and end with clichés like: "We are pleased to
submit our proposal for ..." and "Thank you for the opportunity ..."
and "Please do not hesitate to call ..."
- Don't make multiple claims of greatness without proof.
- Don't attempt to show your understanding of the requirements
by copying paragraphs from the RFP. This only demonstrates that you
know how to copy.
When is it written?
Because the executive summary contains the core message of your
solution, it should form the foundation of your entire proposal. Your
proposal should expand upon the executive summary; the executive
summary should not say anything that is not amplified in the proposal.
The sales team should draft the executive summary as early as possible,
certainly no later than the proposal kickoff meeting. Distribute your
latest version of the executive summary at the proposal kickoff meeting.
Why use a draft executive summary?
In discussing this topic with Larry Newman of Shipley Associates, he
reminded me that many firms prepare the executive summary first, as
soon as they have the capture strategy.
"A draft executive summary is one of the best vehicles for transferring
intelligence from the sales team to the proposal team," said Newman.
"The sales team knows the client best and is in the best position to
draft the executive summary because they know the client's vision,
needs and hot buttons. The sales team should have a sales or capture
strategy and have outlined a solution."
There are other benefits of having a draft executive summary, too. With
minor modifications, you can adapt the document to make client
presentations, brief your management, brief business partners, refine
your strategy and brief your proposal team.
Executive summaries also promote effective internal communication. Some
organizations use the executive summary as a preliminary tool that
conveys information about the client and competitors, and to match
their in-house strategy and solutions to client needs.
Other organizations write an actual executive summary mockup for the development team, upper management and negotiators.
Top management should review and endorse the executive summary and
communicate their endorsement throughout the organization. Key proposal
participants should feel confident that the executive summary expresses
a comprehensive strategy that has support throughout the organization.
The final word on this goes to Newman: "Amazingly, proposals are still
submitted without an executive summary. Yet pages devoted to the
executive summary are the most important in your proposal."
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