In Taking Your Idea to the Next Stage, 
You Must Begin Researching How People React to It.

Doing a survey in a local mall can often give you valuable information about your product and how people react to it. When you get a positive response to your preliminary market survey, you'll have the confidence to spend more time and money on your idea. A negative response shows you that you need to alter some aspect of your idea, or scrap it and go on to the next idea.

The most dangerous thing to do is to fall in love with your idea so much that you fail to become objective about it, and proceed with a product that few people want or are willing to pay for. Remember--love can be blind.

With that in mind, one of the most important responses to look at in the market survey form is, "Would you buy this product for yourself?" If they answer "No" to this question, but "Yes" to buying it as a gift for someone else, it may be an indication that they don't really like the product and are just being polite in saying that they might buy it for someone else.

The preliminary market survey is an "early stage" survey to make sure you're going in the right direction. I recommend that you do a final market survey when your prototype is complete. At the final survey, I recommend that you do have the people fill out a confidentiality form.

The above article was excerpted from Tarlow's MIND TO MONEY, a cassette tape/workbook package that can help you develop a new product from the idea stage to the marketplace. MIND TO MONEY may be ordered from the Dream Merchant at $59.95 plus $4.95 CA sales tax and$5 shipping and handling ($69.90 total). Send orders to the Dream Merchant, 2309 Torrance Blvd., Suite 104, Torrance, CA 90501.

      

         

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