How to Create an Effective Sell Sheet

Recently updated on May 23rd, 2019 at 07:07 pm

Having a sales representative talk about your product provides a personal touch in connecting with your consumers. But when you want to reach a large number of people, a salesperson just doesn’t cut it. That’s where knowing how to create a sell sheet comes in.

What is a sell sheet?

In most aspects, a brochure and a sell sheet have many similarities. Both are great marketing tools to present the company and the product. Typically, they are used in support of your sales efforts, given in business conventions and exhibitions or presented to potential consumers. They are mostly printed on similar sizes on the same type of paper. The most noticeable difference, however, is that a sell sheet is not folded. Also, the information presented can be technical and more in-depth than a brochure.

It answers the following questions:

• What products or services do you offer?
• How will these products and services benefit me?
• How much will I will pay for them?
• How do I contact you?

With all this information, it is important to present your sell sheet in a clear and precise manner to retain your customer’s interest. Before you create yours, here are a few essential things to know before you start designing.

What are the essential elements of creating a sell sheet?

It should contain the following:

• Your logo and product name
• A catchy headline
• Intro paragraph
• High-resolution product pictures (including product SKU numbers)
• Benefits backed by data
• Contact info and a call-to-action

Despite being a technical document, a sell sheet should still contain a concise headline and a call-to-action. The intro paragraph should provide a succinct summary of the information about the products and services. The bulk of it should contain the specifications of your product or service, and if possible, comparative data against your competitors. Finally,it should give your potential client information about your company, particularly your contact details.

A sell sheet may be more technical and informative than a flyer or brochure, but that doesn’t mean design is just a second thought. When designed properly, it can become a virtual tour of your product or services. Use the large space provided by the flat sheet to create a design consistent with your product and your company.

Here is an example of a sell sheet designed with a great deal of thought toward layout copy and messaging.

Notice that it has a headline, an opening paragraph talking about the company, and most importantly, relevant information summarized into graphs, and pictures to help the viewer navigate the information easily.

Just like the example, you should include a single product or a single family of products. This would enable the potential customer to focus and read detailed data about the product. The bulleted form highlighted the essential information and made it easy-to-read.

Finally, the designer has done a great job of including picture examples of how the product looks and the ways in which it can be used. It goes without saying that a company with multiple products to sell would illustrate each item with a corresponding picture. However, ALL company sell sheets should try to include some relevant images to break up the copy elements and to make the overall piece more interesting for the viewer. Use pictures of your staff in action, customers enjoying your products, or your products in action to communicate something unique about your company.

When should I use a sell sheet?

While the flyer or brochure can provide a brief overview of your product and service, a sell sheet can give a more in-depth approach to marketing a product. Technical products such as equipment or software can greatly benefit from this format as well. Real estate services can also take advantage of it, especially if it includes comparative data between competitors.

It can be a persuasive part of a marketing plan, especially for customers who are on the fence and want to know more about the product. It is also useful for press releases where reporters and content creators need specific details for factual reporting. Finally, you can give them to potential distributors and store owners who would be interested in putting it on their shelves.

Great! I’d like to make my own.

Before you start your project, here are links to two sizes of blank templates to ensure that you design with the right file specs:

8.5”x11” Sell Sheet

9”x12” Sell Sheet

Or alternately, you can design yours online:

Online 8.5”x11” Sell Sheet

Create one with us at NextDayFlyers! Check out our sell sheet printing for more information.