The around-the-clock salesman: advice on your company brochure.

The Around-the-Clock Salesman

Advice on your company brochure

A company's success depends, among other things, on the quality of its sales staff. That's why it's important not to slight that silent member of the staff that works around the clock seven days a week: the brochure.

"The brochure is the next step after the basic marketing materials, which are the business card, the letterhead and the envelope," says Debra Ann Boyer, owner and creative director of Brochures Unlimited, a design firm based in the Brown County seat of Nashville. The brochure can introduce a company to a prospective customer, then remain on a desk or in a file as a continuous sales presence.

Needless to say, whether a sale is made or not can depend on the first impression the brochure makes. So plan it carefully.

"There are three pieces of information that you need before you start on a brochure," Boyer explains. "You need to understand the purpose of the brochure, you need to know the audience and you need the information that you'll include in the brochure."

Boyer tells clients that they must understand how the brochure will fit into the sales process. Will it be used to generate leads, or will it be sent to nail down the sale among leads that were generated in some other way? "It helps a business understand itself because it crystallizes the business in the owner's mind."

Knowing the audience is crucial, and it may not be as difficult as it sounds, she says. "I have found that business owners know their business and audience better than they might think, even if they have not put it on paper before. Most know the demographics and psychographics of their buyers."

Gathering information is the next step. It is helpful to collect other brochures and advertisements, articles in trade publications, even competitors' brochures if they are appealing. "From this, you can organize your selling points," Boyer says.

"You get down to the decision of whether you will do it yourself or hire someone. That boils down to what is the best use of your time." She says owners of small, new businesses may have the time it takes to create their own brochures, while those at busier companies might prefer to have someone else do the work. Bigger companies may have their own art departments to handle the job.

One reason to consider hiring a professional is that printing can be a tricky business. Design firms know how to submit materials to printers so that the job can be done as well as...