Sell Sheets

Important Note:
Please be sure to save the template to your hard drive; then open the file from within Word before making your own changes.

Money is a means to an end. That end is most often a complex combination of needs and wants but it is safe to say that one desire we would all admit to is the desire for affirmation. The simple demonstrations of support and expressions of thanks that money can't buy. A personalized, elegant certificate signed by the principals of your organization is an effective, memorable way to recognize excellence.

People need information to make buying decisions — the better the information, the more confident the decision. A well designed Sell Sheet goes beyond generalities — it provides a virtual tour of your product — space for every feature, every option, every dimension, plus where and who to buy it from. Frequently, its second role is to provide those who resell your product, a source of information to pass on to their prospects.

The example shows how a furniture manufacturer might use the template to present a line of furniture. The cover includes space for a large product photograph and a small insert shot (top-right). The name of the product or product line appears in white type on a color-coordinated background to the left of the small photo. The column on the left includes space for a marketing subhead, in this case: "The ultimate furniture for the networked office." Below it is descriptive text and a text chart for detailing information such as item codes, colors, prices, sizes, and so on.

The back cover includes space for the descriptions of individual components — in the case of this example: four. Each has space for a title, description, and in-depth product information such as item dimensions, weights, codes, pricing, and such. At the bottom is an imprint area with a heading that reads “Manufactured by.” This is used by resellers to imprint their company name and contact information (shown in red). Below the imprint area is space for the contact information of the manufacturer.

You can use any of three different formats or reassemble the elements into a configuration that more closely matches your needs. Version one includes space for one large and three small photographs. Version two includes space for one large and one small photograph. And version three includes space for two large photos. If you want to edit the template, just grab the edge of a box and stretch it to fit a different shape.

The Details To create your version of the Sell Sheet choose one of the templates and replace the gray placeholder boxes with your photographs. If you are using color photographs, you can color-coordinate the solid boxes to match your photographs. Choose a dark color from within the photograph to color the black background behind the product name (select the box and change the Properties). Then substitute the background color behind the text with a light color from another area of the photograph. Don’t have a photograph? Use a product illustration or a series of drawings that show how the product is used or assembled.

As with all print materials, compose your copy with the focus on the benefits of using your product. Give your reseller and his or her customer a list of reasons to buy: tell them the reasons other customers buy, explain your product guarantee, provide ideas for alternative uses, comparisons with competitive products, and specifics about the product, its accessories, its repair records and so on. And remember this: captions are often read more than the copy itself - be sure they include your most important selling points.

If you’re creating a sell sheet for a product you don’t manufacture, add your company name and contact information to the bottom of page two. If you need product photographs ask the manufacturer — many offer professional-quality product shots, some even in digital form.

You can print this color template on your monochrome printer from OKI Printing Solutions, too - the colors are automatically converted to black, white, and shades of gray.

All templates are compatible with the C5000 Series, C7000 Series and C9000 Series digital color printers from OKI^® Printing Solutions.

Template design by: Chuck Green, Logic Arts (804-266-7996, www.ideabook.com);
Headline font: Certificate" and "Award" Bickham Script, "Exampler" Impact, Adobe Systems (800-68-ADOBE, www.adobe.com);
Furniture photographs: courtesy of HON Industries Inc. ( www.hon.com)