After you’ve had your “Aha” moment and created a new product or service, now the hard work begins. As an entrepreneur or product developer you need to attract interest from a potential licensee or investor to garner support for your new product or service. This is where creating a sell sheet comes into play to effectively demonstrate the benefits of your new offering.
A successful sell sheet speaks directly to the end-user and moves beyond just citing the purpose and features of your product or service to positioning it in the eyes of the consumer. It showcases your idea in a cost-effective manner and acts like a billboard for something new and exciting. If thought through and designed properly, a sell sheet will walk a potential licensee through the most important points they need to know, optimizing the impact of your product’s benefits by presenting them in the right order. It’s all about great copy and great structure.
Here are 7 Sell Sheet tactics that you can rely on to increase awareness and get your product noticed:
- Keep it to 8 ½ X 11. Design your sell sheet on a crisp 8 ½ X11 four-color, stock sheet and keep it flat, not folded.
- Create a compelling tagline or benefit statement. This needs to highlight the main benefit of your offering to the consumer. It should be short in length such as 12-15 words. In a very succinct way it must convey to customers why they would want to purchase your product or service.
- Include a top-notch photo or virtual photo. Put the image you’ve created right at the top of the sheet with your benefit statement. A color photo or virtual photo should be used as it is often the focal point of your sell sheet. If you have a prototype consider having a 3D digital rendering done to really make your product or service come to life.
- Develop a brief product/service overview. In two or three paragraphs at the most, explain further what problem(s) your product or service solves and how customers will benefit from using it. You have to clearly communicate the intentions of your new offering because your sheet offers limited real estate. Remember, you are trying to show what pain points your product resolves for someone. The best benefits can be included as bullet points in this section.
- Offer testimonials. You’re looking for a few good quotes from people who have used your product or prototype and that relay its best qualities. Use their real names and cities. Testimonials are powerful because they are viewed as more authentic than “company copy.” They are a highly effective form of social proof. If your product is in the very early stages, even a quote from a potential customer stating they can’t wait to begin using it will work.
- Link to your product/service video. Video content is really appealing to consumers today. If you have created a video showcasing the benefits of your product, include the link on your sell sheet. The video needs to be in a short format due to people’s short attention spans, but can be highly effective as an additional marketing tactic to help gain further exposure for your product or service.
- Include your logo and a call to action (CTA). Starting out, you don’t have huge name recognition like some brands. So don’t splash your logo across the whole top of your sell sheet, but remember to display it at an appropriate size along with your contact information. Also, remember to create an effective CTA that generates urgency and allows people to call or go to a landing page. Lastly, if you have filed a provisional or non-provisional patent application, include the wording “patent pending” at the bottom of the sheet.
Your sell sheet requires thought and hard work because you need it to work hard for you. Contact us for help designing your next sell sheet. Modern Marketing Partners will help you develop a convincing sell sheet that generates interest and opens new doors for you. Get ready for great success.
