Executive summary template
An executive summary is the short version of the deal for the person who signs: the situation, what you recommend, what it returns, what it costs and the decision you need. It should take under two minutes to read and make sense without anything else attached.
- Who owns it
- The AE writes it from the business case. The champion checks it before it goes up.
- When to use it
- When the economic buyer joins late in the deal
- As the cover page of a proposal or order form
- When someone senior asks "just send me the summary"
The template
- 1.
Situation
Two sentences on what's happening at their company and why it matters now.
- 2.
Recommendation
What their team recommends doing, and with whom. Name your champion as the author or co-author.
- 3.
Outcome
The one or two numbers from the business case that matter most to this reader.
- 4.
Investment
The cost, the term and anything their team needs to provide.
- 5.
Decision and date
Exactly what you're asking them to approve, and by when, tied to the close plan.
Examples use Northwind Freight, a made-up company.
What good looks like
- Under 300 words
- Readable on a phone between meetings
- Every number matches the business case and the champion deck
- It asks for one decision, with a date
In a Deal Room
In a Deal Room the executive summary is written from the business case, so updating one updates the other. You see when the economic buyer reads it, and it can be printed as the cover of a posted pack.