Creating a Sales Brochure

Absolute Beginners Guide to CreatingYour Sales BookletKPI coach, Andrew Priestley helps you create a basic sales booklet.If you have attended any Key Person of Influence (KPI) momentum training days, you willknow you need a Sales Booklet for your products and services.In fact, it is emphasised that the first thing you need to do is create a booklet for yourproducts, your services … and even yourself! This may feel counter-intuitive because Iusually think you get the product first … then produce the sales literature.But KPI turns that on it’s head and says, “You need the sales booklet to sell the products”because the sales booklet always creates a compelling sense that ‘this is really happening’.“It becomes real once it looks real. To others … and to you!”There are key benefits too. • You can pre-sell your products and services. • You can interest investors. • It’s something prospects get to keep and it helps them to recall you and the benefits of your product or service when you’re no longer there to tell them. And you are giving them ‘the journey’. • It also helps them make an informed decision because the information they need is right there in a booklet structured around your Perfect Pitch.But I think the most important benefit is: • The sales booklet is more professional. It is something tangible and concrete that you can put into your prospective customer or client’s hand. Its something they can see … and hold … and handle. It is NOT abstract.This is why the presenters encourage you to get a sales booklet.In fact what they actually say is, “Get a PRINTED sales booklet.”Often they hold up the KPI Accelerator Programme bookletas an example. What’s being waved around is a full colour,20-paged, glossy A4 booklet.

Now the first time I thought about the sales booklet idea I wondered: Could I do that? Could Iproduce a booklet like that?See, I’m not a graphic artist or a designer. I only have basic Word skills. I know how to uploadmy photos, download clip art and insert picture files into a Word document. And I can resizean image or crop it … basically. Nothing flash. But I can do the basics.So, I decided to write a Beginners Guide to Creating Your Sales Booklet. It’s in four parts.Part 1 unpacks the KPI sales booklet and reverse engineers the KPI sales booklet as asuggested template. And, that’s where we will start.Part 1. Set UpThe Basic ConceptUnderstand, that the KPI ‘product’ – conceptually - is already created. The KPI AcceleratorProgramme has five core components – Pitch, Publish, Product, Profile andPartnerships. So we know what the product is.And KPI has secured presenters and venues and subsequently created the price points forthe programme. So we know who, when, where and how the programme will be delivered.But this demonstrates how they turned that information into apromotion piece.The Dummy – creating the basic look and layoutAlways start with a folded dummy. The dummy is usually a roughpen sketch of your ideas. Hand-drawn. Rough.Get several sheets of A3 paper, and fold them into an A4 booklet.One sheet of A3 folded in half gives you four A4 pages. Printers work in multiples of fourpages (anything less than four pages is usually a single or double sided handbill).So your dummy booklet will have 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 … etc pages. Multiples of four.Next number the pages in the dummy.The Layout PlanA layout plan shows what will appear on each page.In this case, the KPI sales booklet is 20-pages for a specific reason. Your sales booklet maynot need 20 pages. But the KPI booklet does.

Here’s why. • It needs a Title page. • It needs to describe the product or service. • It needs to introduce each speaker and give some background about each person, and what benefits they will deliver in the KPI programme. • It needs some case studies and testimonials. • It needs a perforated sales page (or pages).KPI has given each of theseelements a double page spreadso the layout plan looks like this.Specifically: • Title/front page (1 page) • KPI Framework (2 pages) • Speaker 1 (2 pages) • Speaker 2 (2 pages) • Speaker 3 (2 pages) • Speaker 4 (2 pages) • Speaker 5 (2 pages) • Case Studies (4 pages) • Notes (1 page) • Sales Form (2 pages) Total 20 pagesNB: The sales page is usually on the back page and it is perforated (perfed) so it can bedetached. This means the prospect can complete the paperwork … but keep the booklet.Activity: So at this point, go ahead and prepare a dummy; and a layout plan. See how yougo. (If you don’t have A3 paper, use A4 sheets - but remember in multiples of 4.)Tip: I use a bulldog clip to start with. Then once I have worked out how many A4 sheets I’llneed, I staple them into a booklet.

Part 2: The Design ElementsI went through the KPI booklet and asked WHAT is actually in the booklet from a designpoint of view? So obviously there are words and pictures, but there are more than justwords and pictures.Have a look at asample of thesespreads – not thecontent but visuallywhat’s ON thepages.The Title page hascopy and a logo.The ‘What is a KeyPerson?’ page hascopy and some clipart and a colourstrip along thebottom of thepage.The next page hascopy and photosand a coloured call out box.The next page has copy, photos and features a logo. The next page has copy and features acartoon. The last page is set out as a sales form.FontsThe booklet uses just two lettering styles or fonts – one for the headings and sub-headings (called sub-heads) and another for the text (copy) and captions. But that’s it.A big mistake you can make is using too many fonts.Font SizesThe booklet has a uniform usage of font sizes throughout the booklet. Headings are thesame size (36pt). Sub-heads are another size (24 pt) – same font just smaller. The copy is auniform size (14pt). This makes the booklet nicer to look at, easy to read and it looks andfeels professional. (NB. The font sizes I’ve just cited are examples only).

Number of ColumnsThe KPI booklet is set out in just one column throughout, but I’ve included an example of a3-column layout that has a lot more copy. The advantage of columns is it makes somethingeasier to read i.e., newspaper, and magazines – especially if you have to read a lot of copy.In both examples, swathes of copy is broken up by well thought out subheads and images.Creating columnsI’m going to assume you are going to create your booklet in Word like me. Creating columnsin Word is simple a matter of clicking on the Columns icon in the task bar. It brings up anicon showing the number of columns. You drag your cursor across the column icon andhighlight the number of columns you want. In the example, I’ve highlighted two columns.Word then creates two columns.NB: There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube that deal specifically with working with columnsin Word because while it’s easy to create columns Word can be clunky once you startinserting pictures. For example, in the three column example above its actually made up ofone column for the heading … then insert a space … then insert three columns for thetext. Its easy once you get the hang of it, but it takes practice.I am also NOT going to explain how to insert, crop or text wrap pictures. Go to YouTube orMicrosoft’s website for the excellent tutorials on placing images into a document.This is just the basics.

Pit Stop: Be Organised!I should have said this earlier – but be organised on your computer.FoldersHere’s a screen shot of my computer. Starting on the left hand side, it goes Desktop > KPIBooklet folder > KPI People Small.jpg > image of selected file. Everything I needed for thisdocument is in the KPI Booklet folder ready to use … BEFORE I started writing thedocument.Image LibraryYou can see I have all the images I need for this tutorial already scanned as JPEGS in a folderready to use. I work with JPEGS. I’ve also downloaded some copyright-free clip art from theMicrosoft support site that I am able to use at no cost in my marketing. I have not infringedany copyright by using fee-based images i.e., Getty or Google Images.I also had to reduce the kb size of some of the images, too. Why? Because otherwise the filebecomes too big, especially if I want to email it later as a PDF e-booklet. NB: Once again, Iwon’t give you a tutorial on sizing images. Go to YouTube to learn how to scan and managethe image size of your pictures. But let’s agree that I’m organised and I’ve collated all theimages I need and they are ready to insert in my document.

Very Important Tip: The Offer/sIt goes without saying that the point of the sales booklet … is to sell something. So youneed to know what your offer is. In the example, the booklet is selling the benefits of theKPI programme throughout the entire booklet. But in the KPI sales booklet the specificpurchase offer and price point details are on the perforated sales pages.It might sound obvious by why have a sales page? Let’s say your prospect says, “Yes”.You have everything you need to do the business then and there.The CopyGuess what happened on 4 July 1983? It is a crossroads event in history. Apple released theApple Mac in tandem with PageMaker software. In one single stroke they started thedesktop publishing revolution (DTP) and almost killed the art of copy WRITING.Prior to this date you had to get the message right … first … and only THEN laid it out. Youhad to get the message right because your copy had to be typeset … then bromided intogalleys … then cut … then pasted into lay-up pages … then plates were made … then …But desktop publishing eliminated this entire typesetting/paste up process. Now you couldfit your copy into nice layouts instantly. Design was made very easy and efficient.But we discovered that you still have to write good copy … first. How do we know? Becausethe science of measuring what people read, read most and associate has NOT changed inover 120 years despite the changes in technology. The message still has to work no matterhow pretty it looks.In the KPI example, the copy works because the author, Daniel, writes good copy … first.Here are two of his tricks that make his copy conversational and compelling.Trick 1: Sound proof itHere’s a great writing tip from the good old days of advertising. Once you’ve finishedwriting the copy record it and then listen back to it. If it doesn’t sound right to you … it isn’tright yet. Your two ears are the best BS detectors invented. Read it aloud, record it, or havesomeone read it back to you. You’ll hear what doesn’t sound right and needs reworking.Trick 2: Have someone else edit itAnd edit thoroughly. If you can afford a journalist or professional writer, get them to edit it.They will pick up typos, grammatical errors and most importantly, over writing. They willtrim the copy and make it sizzle. You do this step in the Publish part of the KPI programme.Of course, you would be following the Perfect Pitch structure, wouldn’t you?

Part 3 A Worked ExampleOK, I’m going to be very cheeky and use my sales booklet as a simple illustration.(To balance that up the print is small and almost illegible and if you try reading this you willprobably go blind!) NB: I’ve featured six pages here but it is an 8-paged sales booklet.TitleMoving left to right, you can see a Title page. The name of the product is plain enough. I’veincorporated a piece of clip art, i.e., a globe. And the front page features the special offer.I’ve only used two fonts. And I’ve broken up my copy with sub-heads. It probably needssome images to help break up the text.Product spreadI’ve mirrored the KPI booklet and started off with a 2 page spread on the product – what it isand why it works etc. The only difference is I’ve used two columns instead of one.Bare in mind, this is a first attempt.Presenter spreadI’ve maintained the two-column format. Again I’ve copiedthe KPI booklet format by spending a little timeestablishing the credibility of the presenters.And I’ve introduced headshots. Notice that headshotslook directly at the reader.Here’s a tip about headshots.

What’s wrong with this picture? The copy reads OK. It offers many benefits … but where am I looking? Correct. NOT at what I’m offering. The message being conveyed is: I’m not interested in what I do … and neither should you. This mistake is so commonplace it’s not funny! One poorly placed picture can undo all your effort. See the difference? At least I am now looking at what I am promoting. So, make sure your headshot – at least - look at what you are selling. But have I connected with the reader, at all? I can connect with the reader simply by facing the reader and making eye contact. This face on shot dramatically increases the impact of the piece. Now I am interested in what YOU think and I’m at last connecting with you. Does it make sense?That’s why, headshots come in three kinds – looking left (left facing), looking right (rightfacing) and looking directly on (face on). In your Press Kit you would supply all three or atleast offer these three options. Why? Because given a choice, a graphic artist will always tryand position your headshot either looking at your product or the reader.Tip: in the examples above I simply flipped the picture.But if I were standing in front of a sign, the writing wouldalso be reversed telling you the picture has been flipped.The Product Kit spreadI’m selling a home study, self-paced, business turnaroundprogram and so I want to show what’s included in the kit.I’ve used screen shots taken off my computer. (Again, goto YouTube for how to take a screen shot – it is differentfor Mac and PC but screen shots are fabulous).

Once again, the two column format is maintained; and I’ve stuck with two fonts – one formy headings and sub-headings (Caslon 24pt bold); and one for the body copy (Goudy 12pt). (Again, this is an example and NOT a font recommendation. However, please note I haveNOT used quirky fonts because this product is for business people).Sales PageYou’ll also notice a picture of the entire kit on the Salespage. This was actually created in Photoshop by a friendand supplied to me as a JPEG. I believe it’s easy enough todo, but I still had to phone a friend to make that happen.OverallI did the whole booklet in Word. Nothing fancy. It is a verysimple two-column layout using a small amount ofpictures. It took me about four hours to get it to thefinished proof stage. Oh yes …Proof Read > Prof Read > Poof Read!Guess what? In preparing this tutorial I only just picked upthat my booklet does NOT have the correct phone number! I cannot emphasise enough –prof read everything. Proof read for typos and grammatical errors. Spell check will NOTpock up everything.Especially check phone numbers, email addresses, the correct spelling of people’s names,titles, mandatory numbers (i.e., licenses, VAT), dates, prices, physical addresses. And so on.I have seen very expensive booklets go to print … with the wrong price. They reversed twonumbers from £3172 to £1372 and undersold the product by £2000. So proof, proof, proof.We’re almost done. So now …Part 4 Let’s print it!Finding a printerCan I suggest you shop around? But you do NOT want the cheapest printer even though werecommend that you are cost sensitive. The most important thing is that your printer canhandle your working file. If you created your booklet in Word on a PC … you want a printerwith a PC who can handle Word files.If you created the file on a Mac, you need a printer who can handle Mac files. (I recently,spoke to a VERY CHEAP printer … who said he needed to convert my Word file into a CorelDraw file before he could print it! This is an accident waiting to happen.)

In any case ask the printer what computers they use (platform) … and software … andthen how they want the file supplied.PDF filesYou can get around the platform issue by saving your file as a PDF document. But …… despite being the 21st Century some printers still want the PDF … and all the source files.That means the original Word file … and the JPEGs …and the fonts. If this is the case, you’llneed to parcel all those files onto a USB memory stick or burn to a CD.Fortunately, most printers can handle PDF files. But ask, “What do you need, exactly?”Printing vs. PhotocopyingThere is a difference. In most cases today, your booklet will be photocopied on a commercialphotocopier. It is faster and cheaper this way. And the quality no longer suffers. It is stillprinted but not on a traditional printing machine. Just thought you should know.Flat size and Finished SizeTraditional printers will ask, “What’s the flat size?” If you are doing an A4 booklet the flatsize is going to be an A3 spread (420 x 297mm).The finished size is what you want to end up with when its finished. In any case,I recommend that you take in your dummy and show them what you want to finish up withand in this tutorial we are aiming to finish up with an A4 booklet.What is A4?A4 is a universal standard sized piece of paper that measures 210 x 297mm. A4 wasinvented by an Australian. (Not really). OK … now here’s the tricky bit.Bleed vs. No BleedLook at the very bottom of this sample page from the KPIdocument. You’ll see a colour box that goes right to bottomedges of the page. This is what we call a bleed or a bleed off.Full bleed means it bleeds off all four sides. (The page in theexample actually bleeds off the two sides as well).The only way to do a bleed off is to print on an oversized sheet ofpaper, and then trim the paper back to the finished A4 size.For example, and A4OS sheet is 12mm bigger all round than astandard A4.

You can do a bleed off but it adds cost to the job because you use more paper and there isa finishing charge to trim the paper back to a standard A4 finish.And … the working file must be set up so that the printer CAN do a bleed off. If you want ableed off you need to talk to your printer BEFORE you start any design work. They will tellyou how they want the page sizes set up. Or even supply you with you a template file.You’ll notice on my booklet that there are no bleed offs. This means I can work with astandard Word file and keep my costs down. Given my skill level, its less fiddly.Pre-PressPre-press simply means everything mentioned above. Deciding the finished size … bleed orno bleed … supplying the artwork in a file that is compatible with the printer’s platform andsoftware etc.It also means that you printed out a finished copy of your brochure at home, collated it andstapled it into a finished art mock up brochure and carefully proofed it. I stronglyrecommend you give the finished art mock up to the printer so they can SEE exactly whatyou want.First Test ProofIf you can be there, ask for one copy to be printed as a test proof. The reason you do this isbecause sometimes the file you supplied can corrupt on the printer’s computer and revertback to a previous saved version. It is rare but it can happen. So if you can, check the testagainst your mock up especially if you are printing more than 50 copies.Get ‘em going!Get it into the hands of your prospects. I know a guy with 1000 sales booklets neatly storedunder his staircase. If you have any questions email us at info@triumphantevents.co.uk

Creating a Sales Brochure

by Andrew Priestley on Jul 04, 2012

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