Q. I have an item I made and would like to sell to the masses. I only have a provisional patent. I was told that the key is how you market the item. What say you?
Area of Expertise: Marketing
Industry: Manufacturing
3 answers | Asked on 05/23/10 by:
John Adams
Hollywood, FL, United States
Answers
Dr. Craig Shoemaker
Davenport, IA, United States
Unless you have a fat wallet and can afford to mass market, I suggest marketing to a small segment or small geographic area to see "if the dogs will eat it." Answer these questions: 1) what is your competitive advantage?, 2) how is your product unique or different fram anything else in the market?, What needs or what problems does your product solve?
Posted on 05/23/10
Uditi Vyas
Norristown, PA, United States
There are many trade shows and fairs happening locally as well as nationally. You may want to explore such options where you can slowly build up. If you have a product with a unique features may be you want to first have a few trusted customers.
Posted on 06/15/10
Pauline Soeffing
Buffalo, NY, United States
In addition to the comments already made, I believe that one of the keys is to determine your distribution channel. Think about whether you want to sell directly to the end users of your item, or if you want to sell to wholesalers.
As far as having a provisional patent, you should also think about the pros and cons of partnering with an established company that has a similar product line, and then licensing the product to them and collecting royalty fees. If you go this route, make sure that you have the potential partner businesses sign non-complete and confidentialtiy agreements before the negotiations begin.
Posted on 06/19/10
