Why a good sell sheet gets your product into more stores
When you ask a shop to carry your product, the buyer almost always asks for a sell sheet. Buyers see dozens of new products a month, so they need a quick way to judge each one. A sell sheet gives them that on a single page: what the product is, why their customers will buy it, what it costs them, and how much they'll make on each sale.
Most small brands start without one. The product details live in a Shopify listing, the wholesale prices live in an email you sent to your first stockist, and the list of stores that carry you lives in your head or a notes app. That works for three accounts. It stops working at fifteen, when a café asks for your case pack and you can't remember whether you told the last shop six units or twelve.
So the job has three parts that depend on each other:
- build a sell sheet and line sheet that a buyer takes seriously
- find the right stores and pitch them well
- keep one clear record of every account once they say yes.
An AI agent suits this work because most of it is careful assembly and follow-through. The facts have to be gathered once and kept consistent, each pitch has to be tailored to a store, and somebody has to notice when an account hasn't reordered in two months.
Kite is an AI marketer. It researches your business, builds a growth strategy, and ships the work that brings you new customers. You can work with Kite in your browser or in Slack. Here's how it handles your wholesale sell sheets and the accounts that come from them.
How Kite creates your wholesale sell sheets and keeps track of your accounts
Kite starts with what it already knows about your business. During onboarding, it read your website, collected your brand assets, and wrote down your products and positioning in your team's knowledge base. For wholesale, it adds the details only you can supply, such as your wholesale prices, case packs, and minimum order, and puts them into one record that every later piece of work draws from.
From that record, Kite writes and designs a sell sheet for the product or line you want to pitch, plus a line sheet listing everything you sell wholesale. Then it turns to the stores. It finds shops that fit your product, researches each one, and drafts a pitch to the buyer. When a store says yes, Kite adds it to your account register and keeps that record current as orders come in.
The focus throughout is that a buyer's decision comes down to whether the product will sell and whether the numbers work for their shop. Kite builds every piece of the work around making that case clearly and getting the numbers right.
- Get your products and wholesale terms into one record
- What should a wholesale sell sheet include?
- What should a wholesale line sheet include?
- How do I pitch my product to retailers?
- Keep one record of every wholesale account
Get your products and wholesale terms into one record
Your sell sheet is only as trustworthy as the numbers on it, so Kite settles those first. It pulls what it can find on its own: product names, descriptions, sizes, ingredients or materials, and photos from your website or Shopify store. Then it asks you for the details that only you can decide.
Those usually include:
- the wholesale price and the suggested retail price for each product
- the case pack, meaning how many units come in one case
- the minimum opening order and the minimum reorder
- the barcode for each product
- lead time, shipping terms, and payment terms.
Kite checks these as it records them. A common mistake is quoting retail prices to a wholesale buyer, or a suggested retail price that leaves the store too little margin to bother. If your wholesale price is close to your own shop price, Kite points out that a buyer will see almost no room to make money and asks whether that's intended. The decision stays with you, but you make it before a buyer spots the problem.
Once you've confirmed the details, Kite saves them as the single source for every sell sheet, line sheet, pitch, and account record it produces. When a price changes, you tell Kite once, and the next version of each document uses the new number.
What should a wholesale sell sheet include?
A wholesale sell sheet should show a buyer, in under a minute, what the product is, why their customers will want it, and what stocking it costs and earns them. Kite writes and designs the sheet around those three questions, in your brand's colors, fonts, and voice.
A typical Kite sell sheet for a single product or a small line includes:
- a clear product photo and a one-line description of what it is
- three or four reasons it sells, written for the store's customers rather than for you
- proof that people already buy it, such as sales figures you share, notable stockists, press, or review quotes
- the wholesale price, suggested retail price, and the margin the store keeps
- case pack, minimum order, and barcode
- how to order, with a name, email address, and phone number.
Kite writes the reasons it sells from what it knows about your customers and your competitors. For example, a coffee roaster pitching an independent grocer might lead with the fact that its beans are roasted locally within the week, because that's a reason a grocer's shoppers pay more, while the same roaster pitching an office manager would lead with steady supply and an easy reorder.
For the visuals, Kite uses your own product photos from your website or the ones you upload. It can remove backgrounds so each product sits cleanly on the page and edit images to match your brand. You get the finished sheet as a PDF you can print or attach to an email. Kite can also publish it as a page with its own link, so a buyer can open it on a phone and download the PDF from there.
If you sell to different kinds of stores, Kite can make more than one version from the same record. A gift shop, a grocer, and a café buy for different reasons, and each version leads with the reason that matters to that buyer while keeping the numbers identical.
For examples of the layouts buyers respond to, see Sell Sheet Examples for Wholesale: What Buyers Want to See Coming soon .
What should a wholesale line sheet include?
A wholesale line sheet should list every product a buyer can order, with the details needed to fill in an order form without asking you a single question. Where a sell sheet persuades, a line sheet is for reference, so Kite keeps it plain and complete.
Kite builds the line sheet from the same product record as your sell sheet. Each product gets a row or a small block with its photo, name, product code, size or variant, wholesale price, suggested retail price, case pack, and barcode. The top or bottom of the sheet carries the terms that apply to every order: the minimum opening order, reorder minimum, lead time, shipping, payment terms, and how to place an order.
When you add a product or retire one, Kite updates the line sheet and tells you which version you're sending. That matters because buyers keep old line sheets, and an out-of-date sheet leads to an order for a product you no longer make.
How do I pitch my product to retailers?
The strongest retail pitch is a short, specific email that shows the buyer you understand their shop and gives them a reason your product fits it. Kite researches each store before drafting a pitch, so the email can point to something real about that shop instead of a generic introduction.
Kite starts by finding stores worth approaching. It searches for businesses by category and location, such as independent grocers in Oregon or gift shops within an hour of your studio. It can also read the "where to buy" pages of brands similar to yours to find shops that already stock products like yours. Kite reads each store's website to see what it carries and how it presents itself, then finds the owner or buyer by title and, where the source has one, a professional email address. It scores each store from one to five on how well it fits your product and explains the score.
Then Kite drafts the pitch. A good pitch to a natural-foods shop might note that it already carries two other local snack brands and that your product fills a gap on that shelf, then link to the sell sheet and offer to send samples. Kite writes each email in your voice, and nothing goes out until you approve it. Once approved, it sends from your team's Kite address or from your own connected Gmail account, reports which emails were delivered, and tracks the replies.
If a buyer doesn't answer, Kite can schedule a follow-up for a week or two later, and it brings you each reply so you can decide the next step. For a larger push to many stores at once, see Build qualified B2B lead lists and Run outbound email campaigns.
Keep one record of every wholesale account
A wholesale account register is one list with a row for every store that carries you, holding everything you need to keep that account ordering. Kite builds the register from the stores you already sell to and adds each new account as it says yes, so the scattered notes become one place to look.
Each account in the register holds:
- the store's name, location, and website
- the buyer's name, email address, and phone number
- which of your products the store carries
- the date and size of its last order
- when it's likely to reorder, based on how often it has ordered before
- the terms you agreed, such as any special discount or payment arrangement
- notes from your last conversation.
Kite keeps the register in a Google Sheet, an Airtable base, or your HubSpot account, whichever your team already uses. If your wholesale orders come through Shopify, Kite reads them to fill in each account's last order and what it bought. Otherwise, you tell Kite about an order in a message, and it updates the record.
Kite then uses the register to keep accounts from going quiet. You can ask it to review the register every week. When a store is past its usual reorder date, Kite tells you and drafts a short check-in to the buyer, perhaps mentioning a new product or a seasonal item that fits what the store already sells. Once stores carry you, Kite can also add them to a find-a-store page on your website, which is covered in Add a store locator to your website.
What you get
One record of your products and wholesale terms
Every product's prices, case pack, minimums, barcode, and ordering terms, confirmed by you and used by every document Kite produces.
A wholesale sell sheet
A one-page pitch in your brand's design, delivered as a printable PDF and as a page you can share by link, with versions for different kinds of stores when you need them.
A line sheet
A complete, plain list of every product a buyer can order, kept up to date as your range changes.
A list of stores worth pitching
Each store comes with its buyer's contact details, a fit score from one to five, and the reason for that score.
Drafted pitches and follow-ups
Emails written for each store, sent after you approve them, with replies brought back to you.
A wholesale account register
One row per account in your spreadsheet or CRM, with the contact, products, last order, expected reorder date, and terms, plus a weekly reminder about accounts that have gone quiet.
How to get started
Start by telling Kite what you want in plain language. You might write, "I want to get our hot sauce into independent grocers. Can you make a sell sheet and find some stores to pitch?" or "Here's the list of shops that carry us. Can you turn it into one account register?"
Kite comes back with what it already knows about your products and a short list of the details it needs from you, such as wholesale prices, case packs, and your minimum order. Once you've filled those in, it drafts the sell sheet and line sheet for you to review. When you're happy with them, it proposes the stores to pitch and shows you each email before it goes out. You approve the work in the Kite web app or in Slack, and you can give Kite more autonomy later.
You can create a sell sheet and line sheet without connecting anything. Connect Google Sheets, Airtable, or HubSpot when you want the account register to live where your team already works, connect Shopify so Kite can read your wholesale orders, and connect Gmail if you'd rather pitches come from your own inbox.
Integrations used to create wholesale sell sheets
Kite writes and designs your sell sheets and finds stores to pitch using its own built-in tools and research sources, so you can start without any connections. Connected accounts let Kite keep your account register where you already work, read your orders, and send from your own address.
Keep your wholesale account register
Kite creates the register as a spreadsheet, adds a row for each new account, and updates existing rows by store name as orders and conversations happen.
Kite keeps the register as an Airtable base, with a record for each account and fields for its contact, products, last order, and reorder date.
Kite adds each store as a company in HubSpot, with the buyer as a contact, and records notes from each pitch and conversation.
Read your products and wholesale orders
Send pitches from your own inbox
Common questions
Is there a template for a product sell sheet for stores?
Yes. Most effective sell sheets follow the same order: a product photo and one-line description at the top, three or four reasons it sells in the middle, proof such as notable stockists or review quotes beside them, and a block at the bottom with the wholesale price, suggested retail price, case pack, minimum order, barcode, and how to order. Kite uses that structure as its starting point, then adjusts the reasons and proof for the kind of store you're pitching and designs it in your brand.
What's the difference between a sell sheet, a line sheet, and a catalog?
A sell sheet is a one-page pitch for one product or a small line, written to persuade a buyer. A line sheet is a reference list of every product available wholesale with its prices and ordering terms, written so a buyer can place an order. A catalog is longer and more visual, usually showing your full range with lifestyle photos and brand story, and it's more common for brands with many products or seasonal collections. Many small brands only need a sell sheet and a line sheet to start.
How do I work out my wholesale prices?
Start from what each unit costs you to make and ship, then work out a wholesale price that covers that cost with a profit for you, and a suggested retail price that leaves the store enough margin to want to stock it. Many gift shops and boutiques expect to roughly double the wholesale price on the shelf, while grocers often work on thinner margins. Kite can lay out the math for each product from the costs you share and show you the margin both you and the store would keep, but you decide the prices.
How do I become a wholesaler on Faire?
Faire is an online wholesale marketplace where independent stores order from brands. To sell there, you apply as a brand, set up a shop profile, and list your products with wholesale and retail prices. Kite can write your brand profile and product descriptions and prepare clean product photos from the same record it uses for your sell sheet, so your Faire listing and your direct pitches show the same numbers.
Can Kite use my own design instead of creating a new one?
Yes. If you already have a sell sheet or brand guidelines, share them with Kite, and it will keep your layout and style while updating the copy and numbers. Kite also learned your colors, fonts, and logo when it researched your business, so even a new sell sheet looks like the rest of your brand.