This document discusses how to craft effective executive summaries for proposals and bids. It explains that executive summaries should be crafted from the client's business perspective to demonstrate what value the solution can provide. For responses to requests for proposals, the summary should focus on client requirements, the proposed solution, and benefits. For final offers, the summary should emphasize elements addressed in feedback, like implementation approach and third-party involvement. Effective summaries result from understanding the client's critical needs and involve contributions from various roles across the organization.

1. SS
Ten Slides in Ten Minutes:
Learn how to craft an Executive Summary
[Capturing the Hearts and Minds of Prospects & Clients]
Presented by:
Bill Graham APM.APMP
June, 2013
bill.graham@sales-synthesis.co.za

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Agenda
• The Sustainable Business Imperative
• Executive Summary in response to a RFx
• Executive Summary for a Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
• Summary
• Q&A

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The reality of ensuring a successful sustainable business is nothing more
complex than the ultimate goal of ‘building mutually beneficial and
sustainable long-term client relationships’.
The Sustainability Focus:
• Successful business results from sustainability management, by Integrating
Governance, Risk and Compliance [Internal focus]
• Sustainability also depends on revenue from the customer [External focus].
Minding Your Own Sustainable Business

4. 4
Dominant ExclusiveEmerging PervasiveAbsent
Symbiotic
relationship
with clients
Sustainability
Making the competitors irrelevant
Projects ParticularPerforming PertinentPeople Places
The Sustainable Business Imperative
Building mutually beneficial and sustainable long-term client relationships
Source: Sales Synthesis
Multi-National Companies [MNCs] may embrace a
new dawn or a long dark night.
Know where you are going

5. 5
Account Plan
Executive Summary in response to a RFx
1. Pre-Amble
2. Client Requirements
3. Introducing the Respondent/s [brief]
4. Solution Design Criteria
5. Support of Business Requirements
6. Summary of the Proposed Solution
7. Benefits of the proposed solution and services
8. Expectation of Client in relation to Proposed
Solution
9. Future Directions
10. Service Provider Differentiators
Response to a RFX:
Crafted from a
Client’s Business
Perspective
What you can do
for them!
Points to Ponder:
1. Do we know the ‘reader/s’?
2. Have we profiled them?
3. Do we understand the
critical business
imperatives?
4. What can we provide that
will assist with deriving
value for the client?
5. Have we a relevant and
robust Account Plan that
we can use as input to the
bid process?
6. Is our content resonating
with the reader/s?

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Executive Summary for a Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
1. Introduction
2. Design approaches
3. Third Parties & Partnerships
4. Implementation Roadmap
5. Billing & Invoicing
6. Single Service Provider, Single Point of
Accountability
7. Conclusion
Response to a Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
Shortlisted/Down Selection
Access to the
client for
specific issues,
concerns etc
Brief & Focused
Points to Ponder:
1. Do we know the ‘reader/s’?
2. Have we profiled them?
3. Have we collected enough
feedback from our initial
submission?
4. What should we be
emphasising at this stage?
5. Have we addressed all of
the potential client
concerns/issues?
6. Is our content resonating
with the reader/s?
Resulting from Client interactions

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Account Plan
Executive Summaries should result from a clearly defined process
1. Introduction
2. Design approaches
3. Third Parties & Partnerships
4. Implementation Roadmap
5. Billing & Invoicing
6. Single Service Provider, Single Point of
Accountability
7. Conclusion
1. Pre-Amble
2. Client Requirements
3. Introducing the Respondent/s
4. Solution Design Criteria
5. Support of Business Requirements
6. Summary of the Proposed Solution
7. Benefits of the proposed solution and services
8. Expectation of Client in relation to Proposed
Solution
9. Future Directions
10. Service Provider Differentiators
Response to a RFX:
Response to a Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
Shortlisted/Down Selection
Access to the
client for
specific issues,
concerns etc
Crafted from a
Client’s Business
Perspective
Brief & Focused
What you can do
for them!
Resulting from Client interactions

8. 8
Account Plan
Executive Summaries should result from a team effort
1. Introduction
2. Design approaches
3. Third Parties & Partnerships
4. Implementation Roadmap
5. Billing & Invoicing
6. Single Service Provider, Single Point of
Accountability
7. Conclusion
1. Pre-Amble
2. Client Requirements
3. Introducing the Respondent/s
4. Solution Design Criteria
5. Support of Business Requirements
6. Summary of the Proposed Solution
7. Benefits of the proposed solution and services
8. Expectation of Client in relation to Proposed
Solution
9. Future Directions
10. Service Provider Differentiators
Response to a RFX:
Response to a Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
Shortlisted/Down Selection
Access to the
client for
specific issues,
concerns etc
Crafted from a
Client’s Business
Perspective
Brief & Focused
What you can do
for them!
Resulting from Client interactions
Sales
Technical
Sales
R&D
Sales
Sales Leadership
Sales
Technical
Channel
Commercial
Sales Leadership

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Summary - produce a relevant checklist of your own
1. Do we know the ‘reader/s’?
2. Have we profiled them?
3. Do we understand the critical business imperatives?
4. What can we provide that will assist with deriving value for the client?
5. Have we a relevant and robust Account Plan that we can use as input to the
bid process?
6. Have we collected enough information to build a compelling executive
Summary?
7. What should we be emphasising at this stage?
8. Have we addressed all of the potential client concerns/issues?
9. Is our content resonating with the reader/s?
10. Are we making the competition irrelevant?

10. 10
Q&A