What is a sell sheet?
A sell sheet is a single page that pitches one product, or one small range, to a store buyer: what it is, who buys it, why it sells, and what the store makes on it.
Sell sheet meaning
Some people call it a sales sheet or a product sheet. It is one page, front only if you can manage it, made for a buyer who has a minute. It is one of the terms in our wholesale glossary, and it is often confused with a line sheet.
The difference: a sell sheet helps a buyer decide. A line sheet helps them order.
What to put on a sell sheet
- The product, with one good photo and the pack sizes.
- One line on who buys it and why. One product, one problem it solves.
- Proof: your current stockists, nearby ones first, and anything that shows it sells.
- The numbers: wholesale price, RRP and the store's wholesale margin.
- What you do to help it sell: tastings, a display, free first cases, staff training.
- Contact details and how to order.
Where a sell sheet earns its keep
Trade shows, store visits, a meeting with a buyer, and the reply after someone says "send me more". It is a leave-behind, the thing on the buyer's desk after you have gone.
It is not for the first cold email. An attachment from a stranger is likely to land in spam, and if it does arrive, it goes unread. Keep the first email short and plain, built on what you know about that store, and offer the sell sheet once they reply.
Getting to the buyer who will read it
A sell sheet only works in front of the person who decides. For independents that is the owner. See who would stock you to find stores that fit your product, with the owner or buyer to email, and read how to find a distributor if you also need one.
Questions brands ask
Is a sell sheet the same as a line sheet?
No. A sell sheet pitches one product so a buyer can decide. A line sheet lists your range with wholesale prices so a store can order.
Should I attach a sell sheet to a cold email?
No. Attachments from someone a store has never heard of hurt delivery and rarely get opened. Send it after the reply.
How long should a sell sheet be?
One page. If it needs a second page, it is trying to do the line sheet's job.
What do buyers look at first on a sell sheet?
The margin and whether it will sell. Put the store's margin and your proof, like nearby stockists, where they see it first.
Read next
- GlossaryLine sheetYour range, wholesale prices and how to order, in one place a store can order from.
- GlossaryWholesale marginThe share of the shelf price a store keeps, how to work it out, and why it is not the same as markup.
- Free toolsSee who would stock youType your website and see real stores near you that fit your product, before you sign up.