It is music to your ears, as an eager inventor, when a prospective marketer says to you:
Tell me about your invention….
How you respond to that inquiry – during the next two minutes – will make or break your chances for moving forward to the next step.
Grab your free – Learn to Speak Marketing 101 – cheat sheet now. Also, sign up for a free License Your Invention for Royalties webinar.
Let's dig into this a bit.
You Must Answer the Question They Are Really Asking You
Have you ever been in an important job interview when the interviewer vaguely asks you:
Tell me a bit about yourself…
You know, instinctively, not to describe the fact that you love to play chess or that you are an avid fly fisherman or that you are studying Mandarin. Why?
Because you know the real question being asked is…
Tell me a bit about yourself [as it relates to the requirements for this job]?
You know to tailor what you say to answer the question they are really asking you, rather than talk about things you enjoy doing. This is the challenge with broad, open-ended questions, the answers can veer off in many different directions.
What Does – Tell Me About Your Invention – Really Mean?
Unfortunately, many inventors hear the following question being asked:
Tell me about [the process you went through in creating] your invention?
They then proceed to spend the next 15 minutes discussing – in minute detail – all the trials and tribulations they encountered in designing their invention, all the different prototypes they created, etc.
Why?
Inventors love to talk about processes and details. But, marketers don't care to hear about processes and details, not at all. This will always end badly!
Here is the rather specific question they are really asking you to answer:
Tell me – in 60 seconds or less – what problem your invention addresses and what differentiates it from other similar products in the marketplace.
Put another way, they want you to address:
- The problem
- Your solution
- Why/how it's better
So, for my thin wallet invention – now called Wonder Wallet – here is how I answered their question:
The Problem: Like many people, my wallet was full of cards, making it thick, bulky and painful to sit on. I hated this, but I needed to carry lots of cards.
The Solution: I designed a wallet, laid out like a photo album, so I could quickly see and find any card, instead of digging through a thick stack.
Why/how it's better: Compared to other wallets, my design is half as thick, holds twice as many cards, yet is thin and flexible for comfort in the back pocket.
All of the above can be easily articulated in less than 30 seconds.
It succinctly tells them the problem, my solution, and why it's better than other wallets.
Notice also, it sells the sizzle: gives them lots of benefits (find any card, lots of cards, thin, flexible), but doesn't tell them everything. You want them to be curious to actually see the product so they can understand the full solution for themselves.
This is called a 30-second commercial.
Grab your free – Learn to Speak Marketing 101 – cheat sheet now. Also, sign up for a free License Your Invention for Royalties webinar.
Stay tuned.