Writing Executive Summary Reports

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Writing Executive Summary Reports

Writing executive summary reports, in a proper executive summary format, is a very important skill for any entrepreneur or business owner to master.

An executive summary is an overview of a full proposal and a preview of the main points of an in-depth report. It should highlight the basic and most important aspects of your business plan. The readers will likely be non-technical people who don't have time to read the entire report.

A great resource is Tell It to the CEO: How to Write Compelling Executive Summaries and Briefings

What Should the Executive Summary Include?

The executive summary should be a concise documentation of your business proposal that conveys to the recipient the bare essentials of your business plan. What you use in the summary depends upon who the recipient is. For example if you want to send a business proposal to your banker, the executive summary would be different from the executive summary that you would send to a potential private investor. "One size fits all" does not work as an executive summary format.

There are some essentials to include when writing executive summary reports.

Include a short and clear description of your company and business model. You do not need to include every point in the summary, but ensure that major ideas are covered succinctly.

Briefly describe your products and services that are relevant to the recipient. You might also include your company's mission and vision statements.

Clearly mention the type of leadership and management structure that you have in place for your business. Many investors look for this information in the executive summary.

Every investor looks for information about your target market. Discuss your target market in terms of demography and geography, market size and your market share. Make sure you provide a brief description of your marketing and sales team.

Provide a snapshot of your competition and your strategic plan to gain more customers. Clearly mention the key areas of focus that will help you gain a major revenue share of the market.

Provide information that shows that you have sound operations and financial processes. Offer a glimpse of your strength in operations and your financial projections.

Steps to Writing an Effective Executive Summary

Here are some actionable steps for writing your own executive summary, one that is effective and describes your business in clear and unambiguous terms.

Step 1: Study your entire business plan before beginning to write an executive summary. An executive summary is the last piece of the proposal to be written by you and the first thing a potential investor will read. The executive summary should be only about ten percent of the contents of your formal business plan. If possible, study some executive summary examples and decide on the executive summary format you want to follow.

Step 2: Put yourself in the reader’s shoes and think about the questions she or he might have. Address those issues in the summary. Highlight all the important aspects of your business which you feel should be included in the executive summary. Choose words that will influence the recipient to make a decision in your favor.

Step 3: Once you have identified the important points you want to highlight, write a simple sentence explaining each of those points. Use simple, professional and easy to understand language. Avoid jargon or technical language. The reader(s) of your executive summary may not understand the technical nuances of your business. They will want to be able to assess the viability your proposal using the "big picture" overview.

Step 4: Read and reread your content to make sure all the critical and relevant features of your business are included and that writing is not verbose. Check, and double-check, for spelling and grammatical errors. You want to present a professional impression of your business.

Step 5: Get a peer review. It’s always a good idea to get a fresh pair of eyes to review your executive summary. Choose someone who knows nothing about your proposal and ask him or her to read the executive summary with a critical eye. Ask for feedback and perceptions about the proposal. That will give you an idea about how clearly your message is being conveyed by the executive summary.

Writing executive summary reports should not be a daunting task. Presenting your business to others in a concise executive summary format will give you insight into your business that you otherwise might have missed. Expect to find that writing executive summary reports will become easier, and even exciting, once you learn the basics.

Finally: An Executive Summary of How to Write an Executive Summary!

Know Your Audience - this is key in writing a powerful executive summary. Your banker will be looking for different things than a potential investor will.

Keep it to 2 pages or less. If it is any longer the reader will start to scan through instead or reading.

Don't Use Technical Language. If you are an engineer or biochemist try to write at a level that the rest of us can understand.

Be intriguing and compelling. Your reader should be asking for more. Grab the reader's interest and don't let go.

Use graphs, tables, and charts. Everyone likes pictures. Don't fill your two pages with text only. Use graphics to draw attention to important points.

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