You cannot present your invention until you get through the door. And this action, by its high visibility, becomes an integral part of your presentation.

If you have never dealt with a company, you’re a stranger and, as such, untested. You will stand out. So do it right, and you will always be welcome. Mess it up, and it could haunt you into the future. First impressions are lasting impressions.

While your mission is, of course, to sell your invention, you are always selling yourself first. Don’t ever lose sight of this fact. Your credibility is more critical than any invention because few people will put their career on the line for a person whom they do not trust or whom they feel is capable of delivering the goods. Loose cannons can cause unpredictable and indiscriminate damage to livelihoods.

Your first concern must be how you will be perceived. Even if you are capable of dreaming up innovative product, without a delivery system, nothing will happen. If you cannot command respect from corporate management (or investors), your inventions will never be taken seriously—if at all. You cannot put a dollar value on your ability to make an encore presentation. Stop! Look! Listen! Give considerable thought and attention to how you’re going to get yourself through the door. Do not take it lightly, because this initial stage sets the tone for future discussion. Images will be engraved into psyches. This undertaking requires imagination, experience, and the ability to think out the ramifications of future moves before making them. Like a game of chess, the process resembles war, in that it consists of attack and defense—and your ultimate object is to make the king surrender.

Anyone can get a company’s attention if he or she is willing to pay the price. If it is not done in the right way, the price can be steep. It takes a very talented person with a unique concept to gain access and then be invited for lunch, dinner, and, if you are really good, an overnight stay, so to speak. Getting inside is one thing, but the amount of time you hold this position separates the amateurs from the pros.

By the time you finish reading this book, it is my hope that you’ll possess the knowledge required to not only be invited inside to show your product, but also become part of the corporate family and a trusted creative resource.