Structure · Proposals & SOWs
Write the Executive Summary Section of an Agency Proposal
Write the executive summary that makes a busy buyer agree before they read the rest of the proposal.
When to use
Use this when the rest of your proposal exists but the exec summary still reads like marketing fluff. This produces a one-page summary that earns the read. Best used after discovery is done and you can quote the buyer's actual words back at them.
The prompt
You are a proposal strategist who has written executive summaries that closed seven-figure agency engagements. Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] | Client: [CLIENT_NAME] | Buyer name + title: [BUYER_TITLE] | Their stated problem (in their words): [BUYER_PROBLEM_QUOTE] | Proposed engagement: [ENGAGEMENT_SUMMARY] | Investment: [PRICE] | Top 3 outcomes we'll drive: [OUTCOMES] Write the executive summary section of the proposal. It must do four things in order: (1) restate the buyer's problem in their own words, (2) state our diagnosis, (3) preview the proposed approach in 2-3 sentences, (4) name the outcomes we are accountable to. - Maximum 250 words - Never use the words "synergy", "world-class", "cutting-edge", "bespoke", "holistic", "transformative" - Quote the buyer's words at least once, verbatim - Outcomes must be specific (numbers, timeframes) but never guaranteed - Tone: confident, calm, plainspoken — like a senior advisor, not a vendor - End with one sentence that previews the next section 3-4 short paragraphs, no bullets, no headers within the section.
Variables
[AGENCY_NAME]Your agency's name[CLIENT_NAME]Client company name[BUYER_TITLE]Name and title of the buyer reading the proposal[BUYER_PROBLEM_QUOTE]A near-verbatim quote of how the buyer described their problem in discovery[ENGAGEMENT_SUMMARY]1-sentence summary of what you're proposing[PRICE]The proposed investment[OUTCOMES]Top 3 measurable outcomes the engagement is meant to drive
Example input
Agency: NorthPath Digital | Client: Ridgeline HVAC | Buyer: Maria Chen, VP Marketing | Their problem: 'We're spending $18K a month on Google Ads and our service-page traffic is flat for 14 months' | Engagement: 6-month SEO retainer at $4,500/mo | Outcomes: 40% lift in non-brand organic clicks, double GMB calls, reduce paid-search dependency
Example output
Maria, you told us in our first call: 'We're spending $18K a month on Google Ads and our service-page traffic is flat for 14 months.' That sentence framed everything we looked at next. Our diagnosis is simpler than we expected. Your 12 service-area pages are technically indexed but functionally invisible — thin content, no internal linking from the home page, and a Google Business Profile that hasn't been touched since 2023. The paid spend is doing the work the organic foundation should be doing. We are proposing a six-month SEO retainer focused on rebuilding the service-area page system, fully optimizing your Google Business Profile, and publishing two long-form articles per month aimed at the questions your service techs hear on every call. Investment is $4,500 per month. We will hold ourselves accountable to three numbers over six months: a 40% lift in non-brand organic clicks, a doubling of GMB calls, and a measurable reduction in your reliance on paid search. The next section walks through exactly how we get there, month by month.
Pro tips
- Always quote the buyer's actual words from discovery — it proves you listened
- Never promise rankings; promise leading indicators with timeframes
- End with a sentence that pulls the reader into the next section instead of summarizing
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