How to write a killer Executive Summary

This article first appeared in Steve Hall’s LinkedIn blog, here
Proposals are a fact of life in high value B2B sales.
In an ideal world a proposal should simply summarise what you’ve already agreed with a potential customer. You should already have met all the relevant stakeholders and decision makers and shown you thoroughly understood what they are trying to achieve and why.
You should have agreed that your solution will meet their requirements. You should have proven you can deliver what they need, built the necessary relationships, agreed on terms, price, deadlines, etc.
In this ideal world the proposal is merely a formality that confirms those agreements and a written record to make sure both sides are on the same page.
In an ideal world a proposal should simply summarise what you’ve already agreed with a potential customer.
Unfortunately in the real world sales people often rely on proposals to persuade and to differentiate their