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My Invention Didn't Sell. I Was Scammed!

Thursday, May 6, 2010 9:56 am

My invention didn’t sell, so I must have been scammed!

Although there are unscrupulous people in every walk of life from inventor agents to the clergy, to doctors, and even to Mom and Dad, the vast majority of people are not out to scam anyone. Admittedly different individuals in every profession have different skill sets and capabilities. Not everyone can be the best. If trying hard but not winning was a crime, the Pittsburgh Pirates major league baseball team would certainly be guilty after 17 losing seasons.

There are a few truths to begin with:
1. No one can accurately predict market success.
2. Everyone is not really out to get you.
3. There are very few millionaire inventors.
Assuming that we all agree to these basics truths, allow me to offer some analogies. If you believe, however, that people are out to get you, please stop reading now.

Sports Analogy
A Baseball Player hires a Sports Agent to represent him. The player trains his body and mind, eats a healthy diet and refrains from drugs. After awhile, he becomes the very best ballplayer that his town has ever seen. He can run like the wind, field like a wizard and hit like Babe Ruth. The Sports Agent against all odds gets his unknown phenom a try out with the New York Yankees. The fateful day comes and our hero steps confidently into the batter’s box and hits fastball after fastball over the fence. The Yankees' Manager orders the pitcher to throw some sliders and curve balls. Our champion’s waterloo was the dreaded breaking ball. He swung and missed, pitch after pitch. In a few days he’s back home with no major league contract.

Movie Star Analogy
A want-to-be movie actress travels to Hollywood California to be discovered. She gets a job in the famous Scwab’s Drug Store on Sunset Boulevard. She purchases the top of the line make-up and has “head shots” taken to send pictures to Casting Agents. She studies acting, singing and dancing from the very best teachers. Knowing that the best way to get into to the movies is to practice, practice, practice – she does so religiously. A Talent Agent catches a local performance and immediately signs her to a representation contract. Unbelievably, the agent plays golf every Saturday morning with Steven Spielberg and is able to get her a screen test. Our starlet takes her screen test but sadly Director Spielberg says that although there is talent, there is no “it factor.” After many more months of auditions, her movie star dream ends.

Inventor Analogy
An inventor dreams up a million dollar idea. Virtually everyone will want one. The inventor knows exactly how to build it and has a vision of selling it everywhere. Realizing that he can’t do everything himself, he hires an Inventor’s Agent to guide him through the process. The agent hires a patent attorney to file and prosecute a patent. A design engineer is brought on board to make the invention more attractive and less expensive to make. Up next are the marketing specialists to make brochures, do pr, and whatever else is necessary to sell the invention to a company who will make and sell it while paying the inventor royalties. A major company becomes interested and asks for time to source and cost out production. Several weeks go by, then sadly the company reports that costs came in too high to make a satisfactory profit. The invention is great and people would certainly buy it, but the profit just isn’t there. As time passes, other companies come to the same unhappy conclusion.

In each case, the ballplayer, the actress and the inventor were living the American Dream and climbing the ladder to success. They each did everything they could. Their agents got them the big break. Although riches were not in the cards, they were all very successful. How many people ever make it to the top of the mountain, if only for one brief shining moment?

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