Have you ever heard about the line sheet? What is it, and how it can help wholesale businesses? Well, those who are new in the wholesale business might not have heard about it. Don’t worry! This article will tell you everything about the line sheets and how you can make a great line sheet to impress your clients to make purchases.
Before diving into the details, you need to bear in mind that a line sheet is a simple document that helps businesses make the buying process easy. It is a tool used by product-based businesses to showcase their product line to potential buyers in the best possible manner.
What is a line sheet?
So, you are landing into the wholesale industry. Well, that’s a good decision but how you are going to show them your products. How would you convince them to buy what you have to offer? The buyers will be interested in knowing everything about your products, from materials used in manufacturing to the sizes available.
Potential buyers want to know how you accept payments and how much time you take to deliver goods. As a matter of fact, the buyer needs everything that can make the buying process seamless.
A line sheet is a document that contains information about the products mix. It is a sales tool that helps brands represent their products to current and potential buyers.
When you are in the wholesale business, you would be pitching to several retailers in the hope of selling your products. But it is not possible to show them everything you have in your product line. Also, it is not possible for the buyers to contact every wholesaler to discuss the prices, payment terms, and return policy, etc. They do not have enough time for all this.
A line sheet is a simple document that makes things easier for both the buyer and seller. When you have all the information in one place, potential buyers would not have to call you again and again to seek answers to his questions.
How to create an effective line sheet?
Now you have learned what a line sheet is but how you can make an effective line sheet that actually brings you sales. Making a line sheet is not that difficult when you know what information you should include what information you should exclude.
A line sheet is a simple document that represents your entire rand, so make sure it is appealing enough to grab the buyer’s attention. If you are making it for the first time, then take a look below to find out what should be included in a line sheet:
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Cover sheet:
Start your line sheet by making an attractive cover sheet. It is a simple one-page document that reminds the buyer of who your brand is. Add your business name and logo along with the brand bio. But remember, you are not allowed to tell the entire brand story in the bio. Just use fewer words to explain what your brand is all about.
As far as the logo is concerned, many businesses do not consider it important. But the fact is it is your brand’s identity. Let’s understand it with an example. Have you ever visited Starbucks? If yes, then you know their logo, and by seeing it, you immediately recognize that it is the Starbucks logo. Having a brand logo can help you increase brand recognition.
General information:
Now you have to write the general information about the brand. You have to include the contact details such as phone number, fax number, email address, company address, etc.
Add your contact details at the top of the page so that the buyers can easily find them. Do not make him search for your contact details. It is suggested to recheck the contact details before sending the line sheet to potential buyers as giving wrong information can cost you sales, and this is what you do not want.
Product information:
You need to be very careful while adding information about your products. Under the general information section, you add product images. When it comes to adding images, most small businesses do not bother to take quality photographs. It is highly important to add high-quality images of the products if you want to make a great first impression.
So, spend some money on clicking quality images. Do not add pictures with colorful backgrounds. You want your buyer to focus on your products, not on their backgrounds. Select images with white or neutral backgrounds. Show the front and back of the product and avoid using editorial style images. Give your products a unique ID or style number. It is completely up to you how you give them numbers.
Under the product images, you have to add the product description but in fewer words. Now add the information about the styles and sizes available. For example, if you are dealing in fashion clothes, then tell potential buyers if there are small, medium, and large sizes available. Also, tell the buyer what materials are used in manufacturing the products.
Wholesale information:
You have started a business with the aim of earning profits, so you should add wholesale prices and suggested retail prices in the line sheet. Also, tell the buyers how much time you take to pack and deliver items? It is highly important to be realistic here. Do not make false promises as it may affect your business relations in the future. What shipping method you use? What is your preferred shipping company? Do you cover the shipping cost, or the buyer will pay it? Potential buyers want to get the answers to all these questions in the line sheet.
Payment methods should also be discussed in the line sheet to avoid any miscommunication. Tell the buyer if you accept payments through credit cards. Do you accept payments through PayPal? Tell him everything. Do you accept returns for reasons other than damage? It is highly important to state your return policy in the line sheets.
A few tips for making a great line sheet:
As a wholesale business, you understand how important it is to make a great first impression, and a line sheet helps you in that. Now you know what information to include in the line sheet but are you fully prepared to make a great first impression. Don’t forget that the line sheet gives you the opportunity to represent your brand in the best possible manner. So, take a look at a few tips to make a great line sheet to impress your dream retailer:
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Organize your line sheet:
A clutters line sheet does not leave a great impression on potential buyers. If your line sheet is disorganized, how would he able to understand the product sizes, materials, and prices, etc. In fact, he will consider a waste of time to go through all the pages. As a result, you will lose a customer, and no brand wants that. How many SKUs you have, and how many of them will look great on a page? Use your creative eye to find out what looks great and what makes a line sheet look cluttered.
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Customize your line sheet:
Most businesses make a line sheet and use it to reach out to every retailer. Bear in mind that every retailer has different requirements, and you should make a line sheet that caters to his needs. You should know what a particular retailer is looking for, so make a line sheet accordingly.
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Include all the important details:
You should not skip any important details in the line sheet. Adding the wholesale price and shipping policy etc. is not enough. You should tell the buyers about the materials used.
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Review your line sheet:
Once you have made a great line sheet, never trust yourself until you review it again. Review your line sheet and fix the errors. Recheck your contact details to make sure that you have not added any wring numbers or addresses as it can cost you a sale.
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Save in PDF:
The purpose of making a line sheet is to show your potential buyers that you are a professional. But sending a line sheet in word or excel is the most unprofessional way. Always save your line sheet in PDF format.
Can I use online templates to make a line sheet?
Making a line sheet can be a daunting task, especially if you are creating it for the first time ever. You cannot skip any of the important details as it can cost you a sale. You have to use fewer words to describe everything, which itself is a huge task.
The purpose of discussing all this is not to afraid you from making a line sheet. There are other options, too, which can make it easy to create a line sheet. For example, you can get the services of a graphics designer.
He is a professional, so he knows how to do the job efficiently. But there are a few drawbacks to hiring a graphics designer. Not every business can afford to pay a graphics designer for his services. Trust me! They are very costly. You have to pay them every time you make any changes in the line sheet.
If you do not have enough budgets, then drop the idea of hiring a graphics designer.
But there is another way too. You can use a sample wholesale line sheet. The templates are available online. All you have to do is to download the template and insert information in the given fields. Free templates available online do not look professional. So, spend some money on buying paid templates as they look more professional and leave a great impression on buyers.
The benefit of using software to make a line sheet is that they are specifically designed for the purpose, so they guide you towards every step. You do not have to bother much. Just keep adding the correct information in the line sheet. Here is how you can make a great line sheet using software;
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Choose a plan:
When you decide to use software to create line sheets, the first thing you need to do is to choose a plan. Choose a monthly or annual plan according to your needs and budget, of course. Then you will proceed to the next page where you have to choose the payment method.
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Download the template:
After choosing a plan and making payments, you have to download the template. When it comes to downloading a template, you will be given a few options. You should choose a template according to your business.
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Add information:
Now add information in the line sheet. You need to be very careful at this step, as adding any wrong information can cost you a sale.
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Review the line sheet:
After adding all the information in the line sheet, review it again. Check if there are any errors and mistakes in the sheet. Fix all these errors before sending it to your potential buyers.
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Send it to the buyers:
Now your line sheet is ready to send to the potential and current buyers. You can directly send it through email or print it out to send a hard copy. The choice is yours.
Summing up:
Now you know everything about a line sheet. Some people get confused between an Everything You Need To Know About A Line Sheet. It is important to understand that both documents are different and are used for different purposes.
A line sheet is a simple one or two-page document, so there is no need to add long paragraphs or flowery language. Use minimum text to explain everything. But it does not mean that you can skip important details. When you know how to make an effective line sheet, you will enjoy making it. Just make sure you do not ask the buyer to purchase your line sheet as it is a document that tells buyers how to place the order only.
