How would a consultant use a one-sheet?

A one-sheet can serve many purposes whether you are consulting, or promoting an item. This document contains a quick synopsis of the organization and what the company can do for the client.

The one-sheet is also called a sell sheet because it is a summary of the services and benefits of buying your services. The words used must be precise and to the point without all the fluff of other types of documents.

Here are the steps in preparing a good one sheet:

Step one - place your photo or a photo that represents your organization. People relate to photos so make sure yours is on this document. Remember companies do not buy, individuals buy. Also create a unique title for the one-sheet.

Step two - introduce your consulting firm but be brief and keep it to one or two sentences. This should only take up 10 - 15% of the page.

Step three - create a short paragraph describing the services you offer, this is where you tell the reader how your services will benefit them. This will take up 10 - 15% of the page as well.

Step four - add some endorsements, let others sell for you but don't overdo the number of endorsements, keep it to two or three. Try and keep this to 20 - 30% of the page - third party endorsements actually say more about you that giving your bio.

Step five - talk about some standard or common services you provide. Keep this to one or two sentences. You want to make your audience aware of their need and most importantly about why they WANT them. Buying, after all, is an emotional decision and is usually a want that gets the sale. Add another 20 - 30% of the document here.

Step six - include a reason to contact you such as a free white paper plus make sure you have all your contact information including your email and website address. This should be the last 10 - 20% of the document.

When you put all of this information together, you will have a well balanced document you can hand out to prospective clients, send to the media if you are issuing a press release, or use it for working with people who can refer you to others. The one-sheet should be used in place of a brochure when attending leads exchange groups as it is more precise and gives all the information needed to recommend your services.