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Nowadays, it is becoming challenging to grab the attention of business executives. With jam-packed schedules, quick decisions to make, and not much time to spare, the executives are always looking for value for their time. Hence the need for the Executive Summary to capture the attention of the busy audience by providing the gist of the entire presentation engagingly.
What Is An Executive Summary?
An executive summary is a vital part of any business presentation. In the broader sense, the executive summary is the brief that precedes a more extended report or presentation and outlines the essence of the entire report.
In business environments, an executive summary presentation summarizes the intent of the entire business deck in a concise form.
The purpose of an executive summary is to pique the reader’s curiosity by presenting facts from the larger piece of content. A robust executive summary creates value for the reader as a first impression and generates interest in viewing the rest of the content.
How To Write An Executive Summary
After dealing with several professional clients, we have found many things to keep in mind while writing an executive summary format. These tips will help you build a winning executive summary.
Begin with a bang
The opening statement of your executive summary needs to be effective. Use the most differentiating plus point of your company and present it as the lead sentence. A few examples:
- List the unique problem you are solving, and the impact your solution has.
- Highlight if you have a huge market size, growth opportunity, or high potential investor return.
- Drop known names in the industry if they have collaborated, invested, or endorsed you.
Keep it Simple and Short
The executive summary template should only be 5% – 10% of the length of the entire presentation. Putting too many details in the executive summary is contradicting to its purpose. Make the executive summary focused and simple, by using short paragraphs or bullets, and subheadings.
Placement of the Summary
The executive summary slide should be the last thing you should write when making the presentation. With every revision, the summary needs an update. However, it should be placed right after the table of contents PowerPoint template, and before the introduction of the presentation so that the audience knows what to expect.
The Interest of the Audience
Do your research and consider the mindset of your audience. Tailor the summary to intrigue them with your study and proposal, convincing them to invest more effort in your presentation, and read further.
Good Examples Of Executive Summary For Different Business Scenarios
SlideUpLift has an extensive collection of PowerPoint & Google slide templates to whip up a compelling executive summary instantly. The templates cater to building an executive summary for different types of business presentations. Below are a few executive summary examples:
Strategic Initiatives Executive Summary Template
In this business summary example, you can showcase the snapshot of the strategic initiatives you are proposing in your plan. In a single executive summary slide, you can convey the current facts about the market, market trends, key milestones you wish to achieve, and further how you plan to reach milestones through your initiatives.
The template is perfect to showcase your executive in one single slide. The effective use of icons and shapes makes this template a good executive summary template.
Business Proposal Executive Summary Template
This executive summary sample gives a snapshot of the size and expertise of your organization, conveying how you are qualified to take on the prospective client’s business.
An effective executive summary design format that showcases all important aspects can increase your chances to impress your client or prospect.
Customer Journey Executive Summary Template
This Executive Summary example showcases a customer’s journey with a brand, company, or organization using creative infographics. This framework allows the brands to summarize factors such as – a customer’s tenure, activity status, demographics, and customer spread across the world.
By using an Executive Summary Template to exhibit a customer’s journey, brands can improve their sales efficiency.
Business Review Executive Summary Template
The following sample of executive summary summarizes the major points an executive need to know for a business review. The slide covers, key milestones, market share and growth, product profile, company strategy, revenue, and profit, all in a structured way.
Project Executive Summary Template
This project executive summary example is used to outline a project plan in a business presentation. Using this executive summary of a project template, you can give a quick overview of a project plan with a focus on Team Members, key highlights, and the background of the project. This framework also allows you to compare actions taken and measure the results of a project plan.
Project Launch Executive Summary Template
This project executive summary template allows you to give a quick overview of the context of your project planning.
Sales Executive Summary Template
This is a marketing plan executive summary example that can be used to summarize your marketing and sales plan.
Financial Plan Executive Summary Template
This executive summary sample can help summarize financials in your presentation.
Resume Executive Summary Template
This is the best executive summary example that helps you highlight your career experiences and achievements and allows you to showcase the reasons that make you a suitable candidate.
Best Executive Summary Templates Collection
This collection of executive summary templates that cover most of the summarization of business professionals is available in PowerPoint Themes and Google Slides themes.
Building An Executive Summary Template For A Startup
Now that we know what an executive summary is and learn the tips on how to write an effective Executive Summary. An executive summary example for a startup should be a lean abbreviated version of a business plan with no extra fat. It is like a business plan executive summary example that is crisp. The goal of the startup executive summary presentation is to get a meeting with venture capitalists however the objective of a great executive summary format for a business proposal may include a company profile, existing client information, rich media like charts, graphs, images, projections, and more to keep the readers hooked.
The Punch Statement
The first statement or paragraph should make your audience stop everything else and focus on you. Lead with the most convincing statement and tell why your idea is huge and worthy of your audience’s time. If possible, throw in names that impress the room, like world-class advisors, famous companies you are already working with, or renowned investors you have.
The Problem
Emphasize how the problem you aim to solve is big and impacts a large demographic.
The Solution
What specifically are you offering to whom? Software, hardware, service, combination? Use commonly used terms to state concretely what you have, or what you do, that solves the problem you’ve identified.
The Opportunity
Briefly describe your target customer, size of the market, growth opportunities, market dynamics, and plan for the market.
Your competitive advantage
Describe the competitive position of your company over your competitors, the possible opportunities in the future, plans for growth, and overcoming possible competitor threats.
The Business Model
How specifically are you going to generate revenues, and from whom? Why is your model leverageable and scalable? Why will it be capital efficient?
The Team
Why is your team uniquely qualified to win? Don’t just add a shortened form of each founder’s resume; explain why the background of each team member fits.
Financials
Detail the exact amount you want to raise, and the key areas where you will invest the funds. Use this section to highlight the growth and add perspective for the reader by showing relevant numbers.
Conclusion
In short, having a good executive summary is crucial to capturing the attention and excitement of your audience. An effective executive summary template captures the core message of your presentation and successfully raises your audience’s intrigue to read further into your presentation.
Build an excellent executive summary to convey to the business executives how you value their time and are worthy of the same, increasing the likelihood of the success of your business presentation. Get ideas from 100+ creative ways of building executive summaries from SlideUpLift Library.
