You Have a Great Idea Every Man, Woman & Child has, sometime in their life, a great idea for a new tool product or service.	#1. First Step. Write it Down!		#2. Step Two.   Preliminary Market Research Ask Questions!
#4 Step Four Register your idea with the Document Disclosure Process.DO NOT mail a letter back to yourself; IT DOESN'T WORK!		#3. Step Three   Patent Search
	#5. Step Five   Build a Model or Prototype.		#6. Step Six. Submit your idea to potential buyers to obtain confirmed orders.
#8. Step Eight   Approach potential investors with your idea, for funding.		#7 Step Seven.   Apply for a Patent.
	#9. Step Nine   Manufacture!		#10. Step Ten   Distribution to customer.

Idea To Market Flow Chart

Step 1: The first step in developing and marketing your idea is to write it down in an INVENTOR'S NOTEBOOK. You can use an inexpensive MEAD or similar composition book, available from most any stationary or office supply houses. The binding must be SEWN, so pages cannot be easily removed or replaced. You must not skip any pages, make sure every entry is in ink and have every major entry signed/dated and witnessed by two NON-FAMILY members. Patent Attorney David Pressman has co-authored a very detailed guide referred to as The Inventor's Notebook available for only $25.60.

 

Step 2: After your idea has been logged and witnessed in your notebook, you need to perform a PRELIMINARY MARKET RESEARCH, to find out about the MARKETABILITY of your idea. You want to find out who is going to purchase your product, where they expect to buy it and how much they are willing to pay for it. The Dream Merchant has prepared a PRELIMINARY MARKET FORM to make this process much easier. Price $1.00 plus S.A.S.E. FREE with any purchase!

 

Step 3: When your market research indicates your product meets with consumer demand, you should conduct a patent search to make sure your idea has not already been patented. You can conduct a patent search by enlisting the services of a patent attorney, a patent agent or do it yourself with the help of David Pressman's PATENT IT YOURSELF. Price $44.00

Step 4: If no similar patents could be found, you should register your idea with the patent office using the Document Disclosure process. Send two copies of your idea with a check for $6.00 made payable tot he Commissioner of U.S. Patents, Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC 20231 also include a S.A.S.E. THIS is NOT A PATENT nor is it patent pending, you have simply registered your idea with the Patent Office.

Step 5: The next step is to build a MODEL (non-working) or, if possible, a FULL WORKING PROTOTYPE. This is a very critical area and you should attempt to build a working prototype as near to the actual market ready product as possible. You can either make it yourself, use a college, trade school, local inventors or model builder group. You can also consult the yellow pages under product development or run a FREE ad in the Dream Merchant (FREE service to all subscribers). To assist in this area of product development, James Riordan provides an excellent manual call "How To Evaluate The Potential for Success of a New Product or Technology. " A 36 point Checklist for $59.13.

Step 6: Once you have constructed a PROTOTYPE or MODEL, make appointments with buyers who may purchase your product for sale through their channels of distribution. Most large companies have a special buyers day for new product developers to display their products. Try to get actual purchase orders for your product, if you can get buyer commitment that means they have faith in your products ability to sell. If they don't display great interest toward your product, ask them what it is they don't like. Then ask them if they would buy it if those corrections were made.

Step 7: When response from store buyers has proven to be more than favorable, and you have made the necessary changes and refinements to your product to meet with buyers approval, apply for your patent.

Step 8: Armed with your patent pending and your confirmed orders from store buyers, approach investors, banks, venture capitalists, potential partners etc.

Step 9: With the funds you secure from investors, start manufacturing either from your own facility or have someone else manufacture for you.

Step 10: After your product has been manufactured, you may deliver to buyers for distribution to their stores or set up your own marketing channels through sales reps and distributors. Joe Cossman provides a complete Home Study Course on Marketing, for those who want to learn about how to market their own products. @ $437.00 including Postage/Handling.