Every breakthrough idea, vying to see the light of day, needs to be nurtured, developed, and communicated well – to prospective co-workers, investors, partners, agencies, and lenders. Even the best of ideas, plans, findings, recommendations, and business plans, need to be presented in a comprehensive manner. Of course, when founders speak, passion flows. But transferring this passion on paper is a different ballgame. It is as much of an art, as a science.
A professionally written report is an all-encompassing account of your idea, the market summary, SWOT analysis, and the execution plans. A business plan written in a presentable form and format can multiply your chances for success. A well-written plan takes in to account two important factors – audience, and purpose. A business report that does not speak to the right audience, or lacks purpose, has a low chance of succeeding.
Skillful report writers ensure that your ideas, thoughts, and offerings are collated, scripted, fortified with facts and presented in the best possible manner, for the intended audience and purpose. Reports are generally of these types:
Prior to beginning a venture, a feasibility study is carried out to determine the viability of the project. It helps in understanding whether the business will be worth the time, effort, and resources. The report, based on this study must be comprehensive with a decisive recommendation and plan of action.
One of the most popular forms of report writing is a business plan. It is a comprehensive account of a business idea. While a business plan varies significantly based on the stage your business and the objective, here is a generic business plan outline considering that the business intends to raise capital for expansion and repositioning:
Technical reports or research reports are about data, data, and some more data. Research reports are analytical accounts useful in identifying factors that influence business processes. Such reports usually propose a hypothesis and follow a central theme. In the course of the report, enough data and studies are quoted and findings shared to arrive at a conclusion about the hypothesis.
An analytical report is also prepared to present findings based on business numbers such as sales data, financial results, Google Analytics, SEO Tools, Advertisement Performance, etc., and also proposes a plan of action.
Progress reports generally provide an update on an ongoing project. It comments on the various important events taking place in the course of the project. It compares performance with the set benchmarks, highlights major deviations, and suggests corrective steps. This type of report has an upward flow, i.e., a senior colleague reads it.
Marketing Tip: Business reports are comprehensive and professional. They carry plenty of statistics, market research data, financial plans, and findings.
Executive Summary
Situational Analysis
Facts, Figures, Govt. Policies, Macro Trends
Market definition, the market size, segmentation, industry structure and strategic grouping, the competition and the market share, the competitor’s strength and weaknesses and the market trends
Key Factors affecting business (Economic, Environmental, Demographic, Strategic, Technological)
Consumer Analysis
Demographics, buyer motivation, expectations
SWOT Analysis for the market
Identifying the gap in the market – new business opportunities
Who We Are
Operations Today (about existing business)
Structure and Operations
SWOT Analysis
Facts and Figures – What, Why, How, When
USP
Marketing Mix (4 Ps)
STP
Financials
Key Challenges – operational, marketing, and competition
Who We Can Be – Tomorrow (Marketing Plan)
Objectives (by customer segment, by marketing actions, by market share, by product, customer segment, by geography)
How We Will Get There (Phase-wise Action Plan)
Commercial Strategy
Marketing Strategy
New Marketing Mix
Communication Strategy
Structural Changes
People Changes
Engagements and Associations
Financials
Every project report must have a clear purpose, answering the questions of Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Your responses to these questions will form the basis of the report.
Avoid jargon and speak to the reader in precise terms. The report should be crisp, professional, and to-the-point. Burdening your readers with unnecessary detail may prove counter-productive. Feel free to add annexures and hyperlinks for additional and related reading. Use images, infographics, and text boxes to highlight important details.
Organization of thought will help get your point across better. Lack of coherence will confuse your readers and erode their interest. Most organizations, agencies, lenders, competitions, and VCs prescribe guidelines for the flow of the report. Ensure that you understand these well and follow them to the T.
Research is the backbone of any report. While a founder or proposer might want to rely on gut feel (and the experienced ones are often right), a formal business report requires extensive research and data collation from credible sources. This is what helps drive the point home. A good report proposes actionable insights and solutions based on data. Do back this with a list of references.
From a series of marketing plans for setting up an alternative sea port near Australia, to a project report for setting up a new skill development university in India, and from an ambulance manufacturer in Riyadh to an e-commerce company in The Netherlands, we have partnered clients across the globe to create feasibility reports and business plans that produce results.
Our writers work as an extension of your team – working, brainstorming, collating, and building the report with you. Our subject matter experts will bring in new perspectives, best practices for research, and editorial excellence. You can also count on us to play devil’s advocate, only to work towards a robust output.
Visit us www.lexiconn.in or drop us a line at content@lexiconn.in.
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