How to Create an Effective Sell Sheet

What is a sell sheet?

Typically, a sell-sheet is similar to a single-page brochure that presents information about your products, company, and the services you are offering. A sell sheet is usually used as a sales tool for sales and marketing people to present their company and the product or service they are selling. Simply put, it’s a sales-pitch in the form of a document to show to customers and businesses.

Used in support of  your sales efforts, as a flyer to go with you to exhibitions and conventions, or as a business-to-business guide to your company, a sell-sheet can be a diverse marketing product with multiple uses.

 A sell sheet should typically answer the following:

• 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 your sell-sheet, here are a few essential things-to-know before you start designing.

1.  A typical sales sheet layout is as follows:

• Your logo
• Headline
• Intro paragraph
• Product pictures/pricing
• Benefits
• Contact info and call-to-action

Despite being more of a technical document, don’t forget your marketing 101 and include headline and call-to-action. Make your sell-sheet as appealing and convincing as possible. Include copy that explains who you are, what you do, and how this product will help them change their lives/make things easier/ solve their problems/ make them happy/ grow their hair back!

2.  A sell sheet should be more technical and informative than a flyer or brochure. When designed properly, it can represent a virtual tour of your product or services. Use it to communicate as much useful info as you can. If you are selling T-shirts, for example, show all the available sizes, colors, designs and prices. If you have graphs and comparative data to support your product, then use them to inform and educate your customer to the benefits of your product. Be sure to put a call-to-action in closing to urge the viewer to call a phone number or log onto a website. Whatever action you want the customer to take after receiving your sales info.

3.  Here is an example of a sell-sheet that has been designed carefully and with much thought towards layout copy and messaging.

Sell-sheet design

Breakdown of this Sell-Sheet Design

This sell-sheet has all the elements of a good sell-sheet. It has a headline, an opening paragraph, (and most importantly) lots of information broken down into graphics, graphs, and pictures to help the viewer navigate the information easily.

Although this is a sell-sheet with a singular item to sell, the designer has done a good job of including picture examples of how the product looks and the ways in which it can used.

Notice how there is a lot of bulleted information to highlight passages of text and make the info easy-to-read. Big blocks of text are off-putting to many viewers. The person who created this flyer has done an excellent job of making the copy short, simple and easy-on-the-eye.

4.  Be practical with your imagery. 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 sell sheet 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.

5.  Before you start your sell sheet project, here are links to two sizes of blank sell sheet 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 your sell-sheet online:

Online 8.5”x11” Sell-Sheet

6.  To create a sell sheet that people are drawn-to, you should consider printing an offset quality sell-sheet to ensure bright color and clear resolution.