Creating an Effective Sales Document: A Comprehensive Guide
Learn why a well-structured sales document is essential and how to create your own with our practical tips and real-life examples.
The Document Serie. The Sales Journey with Useful Business Documents. 3.
Hello,
A well-structured sales document is a powerful tool for convincing your prospects and partners. Whether you are an entrepreneur, salesperson, or content creator, a clear and effective presentation of your products or services can make the difference between a closed deal and a missed opportunity.
In this article, we will cover:
Why a sales document is essential and how it can boost your commercial performance,
The key elements of an effective sales document,
Concrete case studies illustrating the impact of a good sales document,
How to create and structure your first sales document,
Recommended tools to create one easily,
Free downloadable resources to help you get started.
Ready to optimize your sales documents? Let’s get started!
MusicScore: the research and writing of this paper was done while listening to the excellent new song by Pharrell Williams and Miley Cyrus: Doctor! What a bass line! I suggest listening to it while reading. This is a Happy Song for Work!
Listen to the MusicScore complete list on YouTube! Enjoy the Music At Work!
The W+M Edito and Experience
For W+M, in the prospect research and business presentation exercise, I like to define the ideal sale path, which I call my sales stages to purchase the products or services. Some business models will need several other steps, other companies just one.
Stage 1: prospecting with a catalogue, inventory promo or a media kit.
Stage 2: documentation leading to the purchase, with sale documents, order form and services included.
Stage 3: after sale document and relationship offers, partnerships and service exchanges.
Once my first Inventory brochure prepared, the second step is to present a document of each product or service offered. I therefore produce sale documents with the details required for a purchase.
Of course, you have to brand it finds a way to design it so it looks professional, while still being effective.
Also, this documentation must be available for all presentation platforms, both virtually and as a physical document for in-person meetings and networking.
In this article, I suggest the steps to create and program your business instruction. This text is the second in the series of three reports on sales and customer service.
Jeff
Why is a Sales Document Essential?
Today’s market is highly competitive, and a good sales document can give you a crucial advantage. A structured and professional sales document allows you to:
Present your offer clearly and impactfully,
Highlight the added value of your products or services,
Reassure your prospects with testimonials and case studies,
Speed up the decision-making process of potential clients.
According to a HubSpot study, 40% of salespeople say that well-structured sales materials increase their conversion rates by 20% or more. (Source: HubSpot Sales Report 2024)
Presentation of a business document
The introduction of a sales document and its updating in the administrative procedures of a company will be beneficial.
Besides standardizing the company’s brand image and presentation and sales text, the document can easily be sent as an attachment in an email or saved on the web to create a clickable link to insert into signatures and virtual communications.
I will use the sale document for this blog, produced for buyers of advertising space, to demonstrate the steps of web creation and integration. Since in this era, a sale document not accessible to be distributed in a few seconds via a mobile between two handshakes during networking times, this is very appreciated and above all, noticed!
It’s also essential to update our documentation, especially for legal aspects, such as changes in price, tax rates, addition or withdrawal of services or offers. We never want half of our representatives distributing the wrong information. Establishing good communication of the disclosure of new documentation, its location on the server or website and the effective date will optimize the management of the company.
What to Include in a Sale Document
Have you searched the web for the contents of Sales documents? You will deduce the subject is large and many have their own definitions. Let’s be logical, Sales document must ensure our prospecting search move prospects to the purchase stage.
I then put myself in the shoes of my customers and put together the required information that responds to a purchase request for a prospect, regardless of whether their request comes from the web, in person or through an agency (third-party purchase often seen in the field of advertising).
I then went through the sales document of several companies in the field, to see what competitors put in their sales and presentation document and I checked my course notes from my business start-up training, as I realized that most of the information was in my business plan, sometimes a simple copy/paste.
Anyway, I’m listing here what Sales document should include, with general explanations and where to place the elements of your sales speech and other technical things. Below in this paper, there is an example of this blog Sale’s documents and I indicate how to upload and disclose this type of document on the web, the best saving time kind of thing for all your staff! My smart guy stuffs.
Description of the Contents of the Sales Document
The W+M sales document starts with a visual, whicThe visual and introduction of a document
The W+M sales document begins with a visual, the main image of my product. I only put one visual and I refer to a gallery or the product page for more images. So my document will be light in weight, therefore easily attached in an email. The image is accompanied by the descriptive text of my product of 150 characters.
We absolutely must not underestimate the importance of the visual and design of corporate documentation. Even for communications that take place internally, or for a procedure that is intended for a client administrator, the image, the logo and a careful presentation are always essential.
Indeed, a neat appearance not only contributes to better understanding, but also to an overall positive and organized impression. It is truly a mark of professional respect which is widely appreciated by all those involved.
here is the main image of my product. I only put one visual and I refer to a gallery or the product page for more images. So, my document will be light in terms of weight, so easily attachable in an email. The image is accompanied by the descriptive text of my 150-character product.
Here, the image of the first third of a one-page sales document with visual, main description and link to the website to see the product in real time. A multi-page document may, on the contrary, specify the product description in the document and not use a link to the website.
For multi-page documents, we put redirect links for additional or subsequent information near the end of the documentation. It is rather the means of contact or the submission or purchase link which will often appear in multi-page documents, close to the pagination.
The goal of good corporate documentation is that the reader consults all the documentation before purchasing, and then directs them to specific content, blog articles or a subscription to social media or the newsletter to allow them to follow us for subsequent purchases.
If you take the reader out of your documentation too quickly, you will have to repeat to them all the relevant information that they did not consult on the phone or by email; unnecessarily lengthening the sales and customer service management process when closing your transaction.
The Magic of the lists
I find myself in the middle of the page where I put the sale text with the incentives for the buyer.
I like to use a list with points, 5 or 6, in order of importance, except for the last point on the list that I reserve for the second most important argument, so that the incentive list ends with a highlight. I often see on other documents the last words of the last bullet point in bold to get the reader’s attention; however, my designer side doesn’t like it.
Keep in mind that the end of the list is a strong point in terms of perception. Maybe it’s because we’re used to scrolling down a list to see a bill total, for example, or scrolling down our mobile screens.
Example of an incentive sale text located in the middle of page 1 of the sale document. This is the most important text in the most important location of your document. Here, a list is used rather than text with the most important points at the beginning and at the last position of the list.
For example, for this web integration service, the company’s recurring and most paid requests are the Mailchimp integration, followed by the cookies and subscription terms and conditions policies. Take a good look at where they are placed in the list, in positions 1, 5 and 2.
Conclude the document and finish in Style
Of course, the bottom of the first page includes the sales elements, such as prices, discounts and promotions and the elements required for the contract. I like to put links at the bottom of the page to products related to the one in the document, while others prefer general contact details. The important thing in my eyes is to put clickable links to something that will arouse interest, like in e-commerce businesses that program a gallery of products offered as an extra to shopping in their purchasing sequence: You might also like this.
In this photo, the example of the end of the first page of a sales document with prices and special offers in the last third of the document. Notice the 3 links at the bottom right, leading to additional information on the website, inspired by suggestions for additional products offered before the checkout process in e-commerce.
The end of this document mentions contact details at the bottom of the page. If the document had had several pages, the contact details would have been at the same level as the pagination at the bottom of the page, except on the first page, if there is a cover page, of course.
One page or two?
There are several opinions on the length of sales documents and I believe that the product or service to be sold also depends on the length of our documents; a short-sleeved shirt that may be easier to explain than a factory automation service.
In the press industry, for W+M, it is common to see a one-page Sale document without images and with links to more information on websites, so that the documents remain lightweight and easily transferable by email.
Of course, not every company’s target audience is the same and many must do physical documents with an audience that is not familiar with QR Codes. At this point, it might be a good idea to make two versions of your documents, a heavy one to send to print with high-dimensional images and a second light version, with smaller images, for your internal communications and the web, which will make life easier for your sales team, who often have to send documentation on the spot to take advantage of a momentum to conclude.
The important thing in your sales document is to make it sell. If a second and third page is needed to allow you to add statistics, if your sales department asks for useful additions to your document, let’s add the required information on extra pages and let the graphics come up with design solutions. However, let’s stick to the principle that the sale document should not include superfluous information, repetition or images that weigh down the document unnecessarily.
The Sale Documents Serie
Three reports about the documentation for business sales department and entrepreneur to guide your prospects research:
Step 1: The Inventory Presentation - Media Kit
Step 2: The Sale Document - product and service
Step 3: The Partnership and long-term relationship Document
Online here
Distribution of the Sales document
Once your document has been composed, consider putting a printable copy of your file directly on your website, which is very convenient for workers in agencies and purchasing departments, who often have to ask for budget authorizations or take information steps before contacting us.
Here’s how I go about making my document visible. I add a button that opens the pdf document on a different page. This way, all workers have access to information and it reduces my management time, in addition to that of my clients.
Additions in web policies
Of course, when a sale service is offered and documentation is public, there are adjustments to be made to the web policies of our sites in order to take into account the billing and sale of products and services according to the laws applicable on the territory of Québec, since the head office of the company that invoices is located in Québec, Canada.
In order to continue reading on this subject, the third report on site web policies for sales and billing will be online by the end of May. Check out all these reports via the web policy tag and subscribe to receive this article by email.
Case Study: The Impact of a Well-Designed Sales Document
Let’s take the example of a software company seeking to convince large corporate clients. After implementing a structured and detailed sales document, the following results were observed:
25% increase in sales within three months,
Shortened sales cycle due to better product understanding by prospects,
15% improvement in conversion rate by integrating client testimonials and case studies.
A McKinsey report indicates that companies incorporating detailed sales documents with data and testimonials increase their sales by 20-30% compared to those that do not. (Source: McKinsey Sales Transformation Report 2023)
How to Create and Structure an Effective Sales Document
If you are new to creating a sales document, here is a simple and structured approach to help you:
Define the document’s objective – Are you trying to convince a client, an investor, or a partner? Your document should be tailored to your audience.
Present your company and its added value – Describe your mission, your history, and what sets you apart from competitors.
Detail your products or services – Include visuals, precise descriptions, and clear benefits for each offer.
Incorporate social proof – Add client testimonials, performance metrics, and case studies to strengthen the credibility of your offer.
Provide a clear offer and a call to action – Conclude with an attractive business proposal and an easy way for the client to contact you.
Tools to Create a Professional Sales Document
If you want to create your own sales document, here are some recommended tools:
Canva (Free & Paid - Pro version available): Allows you to design professional documents with ready-to-use templates.
Adobe InDesign (Paid - Subscription required): An advanced tool for complete control over layout and design.
Google Docs (Free): A simple and accessible solution for drafting and sharing your document easily.
Visme (Free with paid options): Enables you to create interactive presentations and documents with charts and animations.
Canva and Visme are among the most used tools by entrepreneurs to create visually impactful sales materials. In 2023, Canva recorded over 60 million active users per month. (Source: Canva Press Release 2023)
A well-designed sales document is a powerful tool for convincing and converting your prospects. It’s not just about presenting your offers but telling a story and showcasing your added value in a clear and engaging way.
If you need a custom sales document for your business, contact W+M!
Conclusion
I hope this post helps you understand and compose your product and service presentation document for sale. It’s important to be proud of the documentation we create for our business. This is an important communication that we should have in our pocket at all times via mobile.
I invite you to create a QR code and keep this visual in your phone’s image gallery and use this code in your printouts and outdoor advertising.
I conclude by inviting you to visit the next article of these reports on the after-sales and partnership presentation, in order to conclude your sales journey with a tool inviting your new customers to follow you in the medium and long term.
Thank you for reading,
Jeff
Sources:
HubSpot Sales Report 2024 – https://www.hubspot.com/research/sales-report
McKinsey Sales Transformation Report 2023 – https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/sales-marketing/our-insights
Canva Press Release 2023 – https://www.canva.com/newsroom/press-releases/
Production: W+M Services.
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