..........$$$ There's know-business like show business
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Inventors are in Show Biz -- The Top Ten Reasons You Can't Sell Ideas Over the Phone and [Maybe?] In-Person
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-- -- Everything about it is appealing. YES! Getting your product successfuly into the marketplace. Scoring a hit. Getting RICH!! -- -- I still get people calling in and asking, "Who can I call up to sell my idea to? - I don't want to go into the business, I just want to call them and tell them, and maybe it's worth something for them to know?" -- -- -- So, as a concerned mentor, I'll take the time to tell them what you are about to read: -- Maybe, I haven't repeated it to you already? And maybe you just called up somebody and made it worse for all of us inventors? "You muddied the waters by your inept bungling." -- -- The Top Ten Reasons You Can't Sell Ideas: Over the Phone and [Maybe?] In-Person #One: It's N.I.H. / Not Invented Here. If they haven't thought of it internally, they don't want it - because their geniuses would have thought of it first.
#Two: They have no money to give away or throw out. They haven't budgeted for outside inventions and the paying of your Royalties.
#Three: They are satisfied with their own inventory and don't want to risk or 'toy around,' experimenting beyond their normal growth.
#Four: You, they think, may have peddled this idea around and why should they pay for something that their competitors may already be reverse engineering ahead of them?
#Five: Why should they be doing your job of researching your doubtful invention? If you had an ongoing patent pending on this newfangled "idea" (product), they would possibly consider licensing it?
#Six: They have deep pockets and you don't. What this means is that they may have this very same idea as you have and within months they are coming out with "it." You may sue them, saying that they stole this idea from you? - They have heard or even experienced these kind of cases -- and paying off big dollars. They won't risk it by talking over your "idea."
#Seven: Did you ever think that manufacturers copy from each other? When new products catch on, haven't you noticed how just about everyone in the industry is doing it? They trade patents with each other. They gamble infringing upon each other. And they even think that they don't need you.
#Eight: Their R&D Departments are combing the fields. They get reports of new inventions issued at the PTO and at foreign patent offices. They buy and receive brainpower as well as products when they merge their growing businesses. -- It's that N.I.H. Factor. Not Invented Here. {There are exceptions.}
#Nine: Everyone in The Big Business plays their cards 'close to the vest.' They want to know what you - the man in the street - knows, but don't want to pay for it. They believe that you win the Big Game by outsmarting your competition. - It doesn't hurt to talk to you, and they'll offer you their own twelve-page "Letter of Consent"
/"Letter of Confidentiality Document" for you to sign. - They're not buying. They're researching the public.
#Ten: You are a potential customer, so they won't throw you out. They will listen to you. But in the back of their minds: a) You have to prove to them that you invented 'it' and not lifted it from the 'true inventor' who will come-after them and not after you. b) You didn't do your homework and they have seen almost umpteen inventions similar to yours. c) You've harassed them in the past by your not having the gutsy patience it takes for new products to grow into the larger marketplace and make money for all. --> "You're counting chickens before they're hatched." d) + Maybe they'll buy you out, later, when you made your 'idea' into a successful product all by yourself? - A proven product is worth paying more. Keep in touch.
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-- The What's-what of Inventing -- "Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still." [___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___] [___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___][___]Follow The Yellow Brick Road
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-- What to do? What to do.
-- The What's-what of Inventing.
-- A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs. He can't wait for tomorrow. He can't possibly live without it. He must possess it and make it his own!!
-- A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need. It's too good a bargain to pass up. It fits what she already has and she needs it now. Live for today for Life is just too short! * * * Based on these facts ::
#One: You decide who wants your product and would pay you good money for it?
#Two: You find out how they are living and what they are doing today without your marvelous invention?
#Three: You find out what's available to satisfy their present needs that is offered by your competition?
#Four: You find out how much money they have and what kind of budget for Inventions they may have?
#Five: You locate their favorite watering holes and material supply line resources.
#Six: Reconnoiter. You scout-out their herd and try to blend in to learn all you can.
#Seven: You plan your attack and look over your own shoulder to be sure that someone isn't about to pounce on your own back.
#Eight: You have a written-out Plan B to fall back on to.
#Nine: You walk through your Plan A to discover the non-obvious flaws and to fine-tune improvements.
#Ten: You rest up for the ultimate confrontation, going over the script in your mind. Then proceed with determination. -- You read the IASL's recommended preponderance of books.-->> Then Charge!! -- "17 Mistakes Start Ups Make" -- -- "The 3 P's of Inventing" -- -- "New Inventions - How To Dream Them Up" --
-- Inventors' Top Ten Most Common Mistakes and Tips to Avoid Those Mistakes by Don Kelly
-- #1 STUBBORNLY INDEPENDENT ~ Often, Inventors are too independent and
isolated, unaware of resources and networks. They mustn't hesitate to seek
advice, and never should ignore previous work of others in the same field.
Networking may be the most important tool of all.
-- #2 BELIEVE SOMEONE ELSE WILL PAY ~ Inventors too often think they’ve done
their part by dreaming up the solution to a problem. Others, they believe,
will work tirelessly and without remuneration just to be part of the dream.
Inventors must realize that the inventing step is often the easiest part of
the innovation process. They'll need to take a team approach from that point
forward.
-- #3 LACK INVENTION RECORDS ~ Inventors can be too lax about record keeping.
In this business, the early dates of conception and invention development
stages can be critical. Under present patent laws, inventors should have
clear and witnessed journal entries. Keeping good records also helps the
inventor stay organized and self-directed in terms of timelines and goals.
-- #4 WILL NOT LISTEN ~ Inventors commonly ignore feedback they don't like.
That's why they talk only with friends and associates about their
inventions. Those are the people who always will say "Your baby is
beautiful." They must step outside of their safety nets and seek the
opinions of non-friends/relatives who indeed may point out: "Hey, this baby
is really somewhat ugly." If it's broken, they need to know it and need to
fix it.
-- #5 EASY MARKS FOR SCAMS ~ Sadly, inventors are sitting targets for illicit
businesses promising to patent and market any and all inventions (for a
sizeable fee, of course). Invention Marketing Scammers are quick to profess:
"Your baby is beautiful." With those four words, they rake in more than $200
Million each year from people who can least afford it. The best advice where
scams are concerned is the old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, don't believe it."
-- #6 DON'T COMPLETE THEIR INVENTIONS ~ Inventors are almost always too quick
to believe the invention is finished and beyond any improvement. This is
never true. Being reluctant to work on the invention’s next generation, the
inventor paves the way for those who can, and will. They should back off
from their "babies" and take a new perspective: How could it work better?
-- #7 TALK TOO MUCH ~ Premature public disclosures or sale offers may cause
loss of patent rights and significant advantage to competitors. Inventors
should secure their patent rights before talking to others, except under
strict conditions of confidentiality.
-- #8 PROCRASTINATE ~ Just can't get around to taking action on an idea. They
too often don't realize this until they've seen their invention on store
shelves. This mistake can be avoided by good record keeping habits and by
"doing" rather than "talking."
-- #9 WILL NOT PLAN ~ Most inventors recognize are late in recognizing they must have a plan. An invention is a business opportunity - - nothing more and nothing less. To seize the opportunity inventors need a technology development plan and a business plan; and they need an infrastructure to carry out these plans.
-- #10 IGNORE FAMILY ~ The Achilles heel for the ambitious inventor is inattentiveness to family and significant others who are, after all, their most important corporate assets. Friends and loved ones should be kept
informed and involved in the dream. Life is what happens while great plans are made. At the end of the day, the memories we value are never about technical accomplishments or consummated deals.
-- Good luck, Don Kelly -- You Need to Know --
-- To Beginning Inventors -- -- -- Thought of the day --
-- "Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent." -- Marilyn vos Savant,
Author -- "Seeking Cost-effective Patents" -- -- What do most inventors wish for? They wish for reaching the Pot-of-Gold.
-- And where is that Pot-of-Gold? It's at the End-of-the-Rainbow.
-- - "BooksForInventors" - -- -- Dr. Phil's Advice -- "Dr. Phil suggests that any inventor ask himself/herself these questions before pursuing an idea:"
-- -- Did I forget something? --
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--> "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optomist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." --
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>--> /// The Rainbow Connection \\\ <--< >--> Inventors Headquarters >--> Patent Search International >--> Inventors Asistance Center >--> All I Need is Money (AKA) "How to Finance Your Invention" >--> "How the Little Guy Can Land Big Contracts" >--> "Don't worry about the egg, worry about the chicken." --> "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optomist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." --
Sir Winston Churchill
-- "The point of all this is simple: Selling your invention to a company may require you to call a lot of companies, but all you need is one, if you hit their hot button. The more companies you call, the luckier you get!
-- One other thing – if you’ll set aside a certain part of every week to make those phone calls, such as a Tuesday afternoon, it will eliminate some of the natural tendency to procrastinate." -- Paul Niemann
-- “Can the Super Bowl Ads Benefit Inventors?” --
by Paul Niemann of MarketLaunchers.com -- -->
-- How many times have you heard of the “Not Invented Here” syndrome that seems to affect so many manufacturers? If you’re not familiar with it, it basically says that many companies feel that if the product was not invented by someone at their company, then it is either not worth pursuing or it’s not worth the (real or perceived) hassle of dealing with an outside inventor. Many companies still don’t deal with outside inventors at all.
-- Here’s one way to combat the “Not Invented Here” syndrome – and they won’t have any choice but to agree with you (but it doesn’t guarantee that it will change their way of doing business).
-- One set of Super Bowl ads relied on non-company personnel – “amateurs” – to create their ads. Do you remember which company that was?
-- It was Doritos. At a cost of $2.6 million, that’s not cheap. More than 1,200 entries were sent in, and 5 finalists competed for the chance to have their ad run during the Super Bowl.
-- If a company is willing to trust $2.6 million to an unproven outsider, then doesn’t it make sense to at least consider looking at products that were created by outsiders? I think it does!
-- In my opinion, the Doritos ads can have a huge benefit to inventors who pitch their new products to companies. It will help you make your case more effectively. Market Launchers -- -- Thought of the day: --
-- -- "There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success instead of eluding him flows toward him."
--
Norman Vincent Peale,
1898-1994, Minister and Author
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A tremendous open showcase of activity, with as many as 3,000-4,000 visitors at the St. Louis Science Center this year, September 20, 2008 --- >> KEYSTONE INVENTORS DAY
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-- "Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still." -- Chinese Proverb -- Members and Associates of the
Inventors Association of Saint Louis --
-- -->> Imagine that you have a great idea and want to share it with the world. How would you go about it? -- -- The Inventors Association of St. Louis, Illinois Innovators and Inventors Assoc'n, and Innoventors, Inc., are fully committed. Together, bringing forward "Invention" to our forsighted young public. -- We were invited by the world renown Saint Louis Science Center to advance a "Young Inventors Day" into the creative limelight. -- How about that?-- The key word was "Free." This didn't cost us anything but our time and the display and hand-out materials that we brought along with us. The tables, chairs and electrical extensions were provided by the Saint Louis Science Center. -- -- We premiered our inventions right there on the main floor. -- A tremendous open showcase of activity, with as many as 3,000-4,000 visitors at the Center, -- Saturday, August 14th, 2004. --> Read on --> -- Whereas other inventor organizations are having planned conferences and charging for their services, we were providing you with a golden opportunity. -- A "First Time" for everyone. And we were told to plan to do this every year - even before our initial effort. [Footnote: However, we found that they decided to do this 'internally' in 2005.] PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE
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We will continue to provide you with a golden opportunity Call and tell me if you want to make a presentation at the Science Center? -- 314-432-1291 Think Positive
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-- Saturday, September 20th, 2008 ----------->>
-- THE GOOD WILL OUT -- ROUND #TWO
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-- This means to you, the Inventor, that we will be back to the St. Louis Science Center for our "KEYSTONE INVENTORS DAY" - SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2008. We negotiated a New Deal very similar to the first for Inventors, so tune in this Topic for further updates. Call and tell me if you want to make a presentation at the Science Center? -- 314-432-1291 or e-mail to: president@inventorsconnection.org
-- 07/28/2008 * * LOL * *
-- Sad to say, I called-off the Keystone Inventors Day. Received no positive response for having it. I guess I don't know my members thinking? I should have headed the advice of the cowboy: - "If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there."
-- "Ice cream craving? Treats to feel good about
New light desserts allow you to indulge while watching your waistline"
-- HAVE A BOWL OF ICE-CREAM ON US :-)) -- > My Story Writing Pet Peeves < ---- I hate it when I read something and the author gives his paragraphs those cutesy undeciferable acronyms. It isn't exactly the acronyms that irk me, it's his way of surprising me on his second page into his story, by using those 'barbed acronyms.' - For by then, I have forgoten what those awful @#% acronyms stand for. I need to go back. Grrr! -- I'm trying to be different; I spell it all out clearly for you, over-and-over again. -- The next thing that irritates me is that smart-alec that inflates his paragraphs to enormous non-understandable pompous proportions. Let this act as my example: "In all the works on view, our IASL conjures a sempiternal relm that exists parallel to mundane reality and which is accessible through art, reverie and the imagination." -- [I don't understand this either. I should have quit while I was ahead. Short, choppy sentences will do. {:-] -- And one more peeve: I detest that geek who ends every one of those statements he writes with an "LOL." - They should die the same death as that one where they raised both arms and tweaked their thumb and fingers, as if adding quotation marks to their live story. (Die, you "warm filliping fuzzies.") Thanks for reading.
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We have a big problem with the USPTO. There doesn't seem to be anyone there with any working knowledge of technology or of the history of technology.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (article by Stephen W. Frey)
-- I have been seeing too many patents being issued on old news, public knowledge, and on obvious things that many of us have played with before but never thought of patenting. I was recently looking into the patent database to see if there was a patent on using sunlight and time to determine heading. I played with systems doing this back in the late 1960s and in the 1970s. This is an old idea that goes way back to before the patent system existed. I found a patent issued in 2007 with a ton of claims. The claims were all old news. We have a big problem with the USPTO. There doesn't seem to be anyone there with any working knowledge of technology or of the history of technology. This problem has been creating plenty of work and wealth for lawyers but doesn't help support or encourage innovation.
-- Another problem with the patent system is the belief that things are invented once, by one person or team. Most so called inventions come about when a need and the technology to meet it mature to the right point. This is often recognized by many people at the same time and is more often than not the result of the input of many more people that are not mentioned on the patent application. Is it proper to give a few people controlling power on an invention that was really a creation of a larger society? The telephone patent was won by Alexander Bell but he was not the only inventor of the telephone. And his
wasn't even the best design. The early patents on the computer were eventually
thrown out because too many people had really contributed to making it happen.
-- Another aspect of the problem is that sometimes the line between invention and engineering gets a bit blurred. People engineer something and think they
invented something. If you can find the solution in an engineering textbook you
are probably not inventing something.
-- I think there really are inventions out there. These are the things that come out of the blue, that nobody else was paying any attention to and that are truly unique and valuable solutions. It would be great if the inventors of these innovations could get protection through some sort of patent system but I think it is hard to legislate honesty and knowledge which are the requirements of such a system.
Stephen W. Frey
President, Inventors Council of Dayton
swfday@aol.com (mailto:swfday@aol.com)
-- Dayton, Ohio USA (the birthplace of aviation)
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