The Fin Forum

You might say I learned how to market a product by a process of trial and error, mostly error. I don’t feel like I’m bragging too much when I say I have been called a visionary more than once. Most people see me as an innovative and forward thinking designer. No one sees me as particularly practical, however, and practicality is a big part of what product marketing is all about. I never really bothered to think about product launches or publicity. I would send out a few press releases, market my product through word of mouth, and assume that it would sink or swim on its own merits.

I wear many hats, and being a small business owner is only one of them. I was marketing my own inventions as a comfortable little sideline in the hopes of one day striking it rich. I took flop after flop in stride, figuring that the time just wasn’t right. It probably could’ve gone on like this forever with none of my new and innovative designs making any money in I had not met a marketing expert.

She actually took me on as sort of a pity case. She was one of the premier regional experts in how to market a product, and didn’t really need to work with me. Nonetheless, we bonded pretty quickly and I think she saw something innovative and promising in some of my design work. She was moved to do something unheard of in the industry. She agreed to do all the marketing work on spec for a cut of the profits. She made me her project since she did not really need the money, but wanted something interesting to work on.

It ended up turning out very well for us. She used her product positioning skills to make me a lot of money, and she got a sizable cut of that money. I didn’t exactly get rich, but I certainly came out of it pretty well off, especially considering how I started. If she had never come along with her knowledge of how to market a product and her connections, I never would have gone anywhere. The best benefit was developing a good business relationship with someone I can trust and admire.