Successful marketing begins during product development; Innovators Need 5 Steps to take now!

Most of the innovators - individual inventors, authors, software developers, artists, etc. - assume there is a logical, sequential process involved in getting their products on the market. Thus, most of their initial activities will focus on how to get the invention from the brain to the drawing board to prototype.

Unfortunately, once the prototype is complete, a large percentage of the inventors' hitting the wall "and are challenged by how to market their product.

This situation should not happen! In fact, many steps marketers can - and should - be taken concurrently or even before, the product takes shape and form.

So, where do you start?

Here are 5 key steps that will help build a strong foundation for marketing:

1.Begin networking soon.

Known Minnesota businessman and author, Harvey McKay, says it all in the title of his book Networking: Dig Your Well before you need it. If you have not cultivated key contacts in your area of ​​expertise for the moment the product is ready for market, you will waste precious months, even years, knocking on doors that probably would have opened to you if you had developed key relationships at work to perfect your invention.

2.Conduct initial market research before approaching the drawing board.

While some innovations do not seem to make sense of all, most are designed to solve some kind of problem. As the innnovator, the problem is to make sure there are enough other people who seek the solution. If there are enough potential consumers do not really want to spend your time and money for things like prototypes and patents and copyrights or editor? Then head to the library or retail outlets or at any other place that will give you a sense (a) if something similar already exists, or (b) if the retail buyers or customers are looking for what you can create .

3.Protect the product as soon as you can.

Just recently I spoke with an inventor who had an interest in coaching. What I just discovered is that a major magazine was to characterize his invention in depth (great for marketing, right?), But had not yet obtained a patent! At the end of our conversation, I referred to a patent attorney and he suggested we discuss coaching at a later time. Of course, not every product carries a patent, copyright or trademark, but if your idea has great market potential, because this man has done, you want to be sure that you have retained an attorney and that all intellectual property protections lawyers are in place.

4.Discover a wide variety of resources of the supplier.

While innovation can be a lonely process, not something that can be done successfully by themselves. As soon as your vision takes shape in your mind is the time to connect with suppliers prototype, raw materials, suppliers, manufacturers, publishers, gallery owners, marketing consultants, a coach, accountants and other professionals you'll need along the way . If you do not know anyone in these fields, begins to ask questions and participate in meetings of local professionals, the Small Business Administration and fairs. Then, start talking with vendors that meet, so that when the product is ready, it will already have these relationships key enablers in place.

5.Planning self-market? Educate yourself now, reserve your domain name and find ways to connect with your potential market.

We have all heard the stories of internet marketers who make $ 500 000 "overnight". While some may actually happen that way, there is almost always a "story behind the story" in these situations. Usually, you will find that the Internet entrepreneur has spent months or years learning the secrets of Internet copywriting, working with an engineer to produce the web site marketing, support the site with the product "pre-launch" of communication, and has a loyal following of 1,000 or more customers already in place. So, what appears to be an "overnight success story" is often the result of becoming an expert in computer and Internet for a long period of time. In short, as with the network, you need to "dig your well before you need the internet", and the time to start digging while authoring product.

-2006. . Impact Coaching International (TM). paragraph must be included when reproducing this article .......