Releasing the flaps another 10 degrees and straightening up for final approach I looked at him quizzically, “The first time people are in the air and it starts to rain they think the plane won’t fly for some reason,” he answered, “But as you can see, we’re still in the air.”

Last week while I was on-air at QVC selling my successful line of Envelope Templates once again, I was reminded of that day in the airplane years ago when it started to rain and my instructor wanted to be clear that I understood that the plane would continue to stay aloft despite the pouring rain outside.

You see, the economy is raining right now, yet products are still being sold. It might be hard to understand for the people following the dreaded nightly news, but yes, the majority of our world still has a job, and the majority of the world is still functioning normally despite the current proclamation of doom and gloom by the media.

The truth is, this is actually a great time for inventors and entrepreneurs because we are currently witnessing the sheep herd mentality at work. While the economy is indeed being strained from all sides, the sheep are hunkering down or have already run for cover. And what this means to the savvy business owner keen enough to spot the gap of opportunity, is that there is now less competition and the ground is fertile for planting new seeds for a harvest that can be taken now, yes, but, if planted now, will also be prime for the picking as things return to normal in the coming times.

Will you be ready when that time comes? Invention marketing requires intelligent planning so be sure to do your homework.

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If you’ve got a fantastic product, idea, or invention and you’re ready to take it to the next level and meet the power players that can help make that happen for you, then we’re looking for you. If you’ve got something that you just know is going to change your life and the lives of others and you just need to get your product or invention the proper exposure, then we’re looking for you. Read on.

Over a decade ago, I received my first patent for an item in an industry I knew nothing about. Nor did I know anything about marketing an invention for that matter. Truthfully, I didn’t think I needed to know anything about marketing. My naïve thoughts at the time were that I thought I had done all the hard work, now I was ready for people to call me. But the phone never rang.

But everywhere I went, family and friends asked me about my invention. And everyone I showed it to had the same reaction, “Wow, you’re going to make millions with that.” There was only one problem, I didn’t know what to do with it, so I started my research on how to sell or license my invention. Then one day, by a series of “interesting” events, I met two businessmen that brought products to the home shopping channels - a then fledgling QVC, (now, the largest home shopping show in the world reaching over 166 million viewers worldwide) - and a short time later, I landed on television with my invention, and my whole life changed.

In my first appearance on QVC I sold 4,000 units of my $12.56 item. This lead to more and more appearances - a run on QVC that is still going to this day. And not did my product succeed on the home shopping channel giant, but the exposure it gained from television lead to it being sold in over 22,000 stores in 23 countries!

Flash forward to the present and millions of dollars in sales later. I now sit in the seat of experience, and if you’re looking to learn and connect with power players that can help make your dream a reality, then I’m happy to announce that we have a fantastic opportunity for you. Only five seats remain, however, so don’t delay. The Intensive 2-Day Bootcamp that I am sponsoring has had a fantastic response and we expect to sellout. Make 2009 the year your product and invention gets launched into the stratosphere of success. For more information visit this website: How to Market Your Invention

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The economic stimulus plan for entrepreneurs remains the same blueprint as it always has. It consists of adapting to the times, believing in one’s instincts and recognizing opportunity. This is a glorious time for true entrepreneurs and one needs look no further than the Great Depression to see that more millionaires were created during that time of economic collapse than in any other time in history. So what will you being doing with your savvy in the next year to capitalize on this chance of a lifetime?

Here are five tips to not only survive tough times but thrive in them:

1. Take a magnifying glass and inventory all your marketing strategies. To control them means you have to track them. If you haven’t yet figured out the 80/20 rule on your successful marketing efforts, get in gear and find the profit makers. Fine tune them and exploit them to a greater degree and seek to uncover more opportunities that the sheep are running from. Remember, the recent statistics pointed to the holiday shopping revenues of 2008 to be only 3% less than in 2007. People are still spending money!
2. If you haven’t already, now is the time to mine your existing customers for greater profits. It is much easier to sell to your existing customers than it is to find new ones. Your existing customers already know you and your products so devise a clever marketing plan geared toward selling them more of your products. This can be an outright sell, or you can implement an upsell strategy for your current product line.
3. Purchase competitive businesses. The sheep are quitting in all regards. Let them quit, but before they do, make an offer to buy their existing business if it can help you broaden your customer base. One of the best opportunities on the cheap exists online. The internet is flooded with hobbyists that have started businesses they don’t know how to run and you can pick up high ranking websites in many industries that have high traffic or membership counts for dirt cheap that can help you market your products.
4. “Co-opetion”. Cooperating with a competitor is a great way to leverage your marketing efforts at a low cost. Co-opetition can lead to building a strong relationship with a competitor while building your bottom line.
5. Leverage the Social Media. It’s free to participate in the big social sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and many more, so develop a plan to increase your presence in these areas.

In the midst of the last dot com bust, two would-be billionaires started a little search engine called Google. Had Larry Page and Sergey Brin followed the sheep during that difficult time for online entrepreneurs, they surely would have missed out on a fantastic opportunity. Don’t sit this one out, it’s going to be a great ride for those with courage and commitment.

Gotta great invention or product and the courage to see it forward during these challenging times? I personally invite you to attend my next MillionsOnTV Bootcamp. We’re looking for a few great inventors, inventions, product developers. For more information visit: MillionsOnTV.

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It makes me wonder how many people are three feet short of getting their product or million dollar idea off the ground.

For many people that I have met, the problem is marketing. Where to start, what to do, the question of financial resources, and so on. And no matter what scale your business marketing budget revolves in, whether small or large, you have to look at the most effective methods of marketing and this often entails the effective use of leverage.

Leverage is when you get maximum results for minimal effort. In other words, if you only had one opportunity to market your product, what could you do that would give you the greatest exposure and opportunity for your product with the least amount of effort.

Leverage is the secret of all great businesses and below is my list of high leverage activities that you can incorporate into your marketing efforts:

1. Get your product on one of the shopping channels (QVC or HSN) - one exposure here is the equivalent of having a sales force of hundreds pounding the pavement for your product.
2. Participate in a trade show - hundreds of buyers attend industry tradeshows - having a booth in one of these gains great exposure for your products.
3. Find a qualified manufacturer’s representative to pitch your product to the major stores. Leveraging the work of others gives you the time you need to focus on things within your strength.
4. Create a viral word of mouth video campaign using the internet. Many videos on Youtube that have gotten millions of hits are produced with nothing more than a consumer video camera. Creativity and humor are just a few keys to going viral, so place your creative inventive mind to work for you in the area of video ideas and you’ll be surprised what you can come up with.
5. License your product or idea - quite often licensing provides the product creator with phenomenal leverage. Yes, you’re missing out on profit, but you’re also not doing the day to day work and marketing of your product. The key to going the licensing route is to of course have great ideas, but also to have many of them working for you. If you’re focusing on day to day business activities you won’t have as much time for idea creation and thus the power of licensing when it comes to leverage.

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Question: Will QVC replay my appearance?
Answer: No, QVC is a live broadcast 24 hours a day, 364 days a year. The one day in the year that it does not broadcast is Christmas Day.

Question: How long do you have to ship your orders to customers after your air date?
Answer: In almost all cases your product is due in QVC’s warehouses well before your air date, so you won’t be shipping direct to customers, QVC will.

Question: Can I sell golf clubs on QVC?
Answer: QVC recently updated their list of product categories they are not actively pursuing and golf related items is one of the categories on the list. Some other categories they are not actively pursuing include condiments, salsa, sauces, and computer software. This does not mean that they won’t sell them, it’s just that they are not actively seeking them.

Question: I have a product idea that I know will be a big hit. Will QVC manufacturer it for me?
Answer: Generally, QVC does not finance or assist inventors, entrepreneurs, or businesses with the manufacturing of products.

Question: How much does it cost to be on QVC?
Answer: It doesn’t cost anything to be on QVC. QVC is free. The only cost to you is the cost involved in manufacturing your product. Plus, you are responsible for your own travel expenses and lodging.

Question: I heard QVC is also in England. If you get your product on QVC in the United States will you automatically get on in England?
Answer: Not only is QVC in England, it is in Germany and Japan as well. But being on QVC in the US does not guarantee an appearance on any of the other stations. Being successful in the US does work to your advantage and you may be contacted by buyers in the other countries if your product is a fit, and you can also contact them. If you have been successful in the US you will certainly gain their attention.

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Question: Will QVC replay my appearance?
Answer: No, QVC is a live broadcast 24 hours a day, 364 days a year. The one day in the year that it does not broadcast is Christmas Day.

Question: How long do you have to ship your orders to customers after your air date?
Answer: In almost all cases your product is due in QVC’s warehouses well before your air date, so you won’t be shipping direct to customers, QVC will.

Question: Can I sell golf clubs on QVC?
Answer: QVC recently updated their list of product categories they are not actively pursuing and golf related items is one of the categories they are currently not active in pursuing. Some other categories they are not actively pursuing include condiments, salsa, sauces, and computer software. This does not mean that they won’t sell them. The listing clearly states that they are not actively pursuing these categories.

Question: I have a product idea that I know will be a big hit. Will QVC manufacturer it for me.
Answer: Generally, QVC does not finance or assist inventors, entrepreneurs, or businesses with the manufacturing of products.

Question: How much does it cost to be on QVC?
Answer: It doesn’t cost anything to be on QVC. QVC is free. The only cost to you is the cost involved in manufacturing your product. Plus, you are responsible for your own travel expenses and lodging.

Question: I heard QVC is also in England. If you get your product on QVC in the United States will you automatically get on in England.
Answer: Not only is QVC in England, it is in Germany and Japan as well. But being on QVC in the US does not guarantee an appearance on any of the other stations. Being successful in the US does work to your advantage and you may be contacted by buyers in the other countries if your product is a fit, and you can also contact them. If you have been successful in the US you will certainly gain their attention.

Stay tuned for more…

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Trevor “ToeCracker” Crook, copywriter and international speaker,
www.TrevorCrook.com

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