Thus the executive summary demands a whole different approach to writing than the rest of the proposal, one that balances efficient delivery of key information with a persuasive, well-substantiated pitch. 'What you're really trying to do is lay out the business case.' ' Executive summary is a bit of a misnomer,' says Tom Sant, founder of the Cincinnati-based Sant Corporation and author of Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win Customers, Clients, and Contracts (Amacom, 1992). What is its purpose? If you answered, to summarize the proposal, think again. The one stumbling block is the one section that everyone will read: the executive summary. You describe your company's history, your product or service, its implementation schedule, and the support you'll provide.
Responding to a request for proposals (RFP) is pretty straightforward.
