Of the four people whom you must have to launch an invention – a patent attorney, a marketing expert, a manufacturing expert and yourself – the most important person is the marketing expert, since often inventors aren’t good salesmen or marketers. For whatever reason, the side of the brain that helps people think of inventions, seems to conflict with the side needed to market inventions. And to make money, you need to sell your product.

Having a marketing expert on your team as early as possible is absolutely necessary, because your success as an inventor depends on whether you can sell your invention. For that to happen, you have to successfully market your invention. How well your product will sell is not dependent on patents, because patents don’t mean your product will sell.

You might be a brilliant inventor, but a marketing professional on your team will help you evaluate the market needs, inform you about your customers, and determine exactly where and how to market to customers in order to earn a profit.

Since marketing types are expensive to hire, consider bringing them in as a partner. That’s what we did with ideatango, and boy has it paid off. Just be sure to do your due diligence when looking at anyone. I suggest using a trial period where either party can back out if it’s not working out. However you do it, make sure you have someone with the right marketing mindset when getting your product or business off the ground.

- Bryan Daigle
President & Founder of ideatango.com – the #1 site for inventors & invention ideas For more good info & advice, check out the official IdeaTango Blog