Once you are no longer in the spotlight and everyone has returned to their desks, all kinds of disparate forces come into play. The idea you presented may not even be remembered shortly thereafter, prototypes and videos notwithstanding. When it is time to show your submission to a wider audience—a day, five days, or even a few weeks hence—to people who did not get to see your original presentation and feel your passion, watch out. This is when products frequently start circling the drain—or worse, get sucked down it. This is where the product needs PPP (post-pitch propulsion)!

Charlie Brower, an inductee to the Advertising Hall of Fame, explains the fragility of a new idea. “A new idea is delicate,” he says. “It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow.”

I was the new product acquisition consultant to a public company a few years ago. My assignment was to sweep across the country, accompanied by the vice president for R&D, meet with inventors, and bring back appropriate product for the company’s marketing department to consider. I recall how, on more than one occasion, when it came time to present a particular product, we would look at each other in hopes that the other guy remembered how to operate it. If the inventor had provided a background binder or video, we were off to the races. But when we had nothing to refresh our collective memory, we took the product off the table. We would reschedule to give the inventor time to supply us with a video and instructional information, but it was never as advantageous the second time around. When you make that first pitch, be sure you cover every base.

If you don’t have computer skills, present written material about your product in three-ring binders or folders, the kind that have cover and spine pockets. These notebooks become one-stop information sources for you and the executives. Binders are available at any office supply store in a large selection of colors and sizes.

Design a cover page, and use tabs to separate sections. Be sure every product submission is accompanied by its own background package. This can take many forms, but typically I favor a written proposal (more on this coming right up) plus marker renderings, if appropriate, and a video.

My preferred method is dynamic and great-looking presentations using leading presentation software applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Persuasion, Harvard Graphics, and Lotus Freelance. Companies are more accepting of these kinds of presentations, given the impactful nature of the technology. Software-based elements do not necessarily take the place of written material, but they can make a killer enhancement to a background binder and prototype. These presentations can also be printed and distributed as hard copies.

We built a PowerPoint pitch for a line of travel games. We took a digital video of our prototype, the centerpiece of which is a unique randomizer, and embedded a video link to it in a panel. It was visually very exciting. I remember when we used marker renderings on white paper mounted to Bristol board. That seems like such a long time ago. At Richard C. Levy & Associates, we’ve traded in our markers and pencils for bits and bytes, and what we can do in Photoshop is amazing. Art moves forward, and I am eager to see what radical new breeds of technology are coming our way.

Skype is a software application that lets you make inexpensive domestic and overseas voice calls and free video conferencing over the Internet. We use Skype to show prototypes to each other, to companies, to factories in China, and so forth. If your computer does not have a camera component, you can get one for under $50 and download the software for free.

Just be careful that with all this technology, you present an honest portrayal of your product. Do not oversell the concept in a way that can come back to bite you later. An overly complex or elaborate PowerPoint presentation can overwhelm people. You want your presentation to be slick but not slippery.

Depending on your time and computer skills, you can either learn PowerPoint and Photoshop or hire a computer artist to render the subject matter for you. I have an associate handle the technical side of building the presentations while I produce and create the text. Language is, after all, a critical part of any presentation. To quote Faith Popcorn, a respected forecaster of consumer trends: “We wear it [language], show it off and discard it when it’s no longer stylish or no longer fits. For that reason the interaction of language and fashion is a particularly fertile growing medium.”

Every proposal (paper or electronic) I write begins with an executive summary, a paragraph that allows executives to get a quick read on the product and do a gut check. This is a simple paragraph—nothing elaborate—that paints an image of the invention and your objectives.

Here are some examples of an executive summary:

Now let’s go over the categories (as appropriate) I like to include in a presentation:

Operating instructions. Take nothing for granted. Nothing! The worst thing that can happen is an executive’s inability to use and/or explain a product after you depart. Do not let the simplicity of your item draw you into a false sense of security. If I were to submit something as simple as a ballpoint pen, I would prepare written, illustrated, and video instructions. No item is fail-safe when you are not there to demo it. It is hard enough to guarantee successful operation when you are there.

Marketing plan. Highlight and detail your item’s unique features and advantages over existing products. Define its appeal and target audience. Suggest follow-ups, including second-generation product and line extensions, if appropriate. Manufacturers like products that have a future, especially if they are looking at beaucoup start-up dollars in the development and launch phases. You do not need a graduate degree in marketing to work up this kind of information. The more you can do to define the market and positioning of your concept, the better.

Trademarks and slogans. Offer possible trademarks and taglines. I like to suggest everything from word marks to logotypes. If you have conducted a trademark search, include its results or the status of any applications you may have in play. The right mark or slogan can go a long way toward securing a sale. For information on trademark searches, see Chapter 17.

Patents. Before you submit any concept to a manufacturer (or to an investor), conduct a patent search. Include the results of any search, USPTO actions, and so on. If a patent has been issued to you already, submit a copy. For information on patent searches, see Chapter 12.

Advertising/publicity. Suggest advertising and publicity hooks. This information, like a good trademark, helps make presentations more persuasive and polished. These hooks are also available to the manufacturer for focus groups.

Video. If a still picture is worth a thousand words, moving images are worth a million words. We do not let anything that features motion out of our studio without a demo video. Playback machines, DVD players, and multimedia framework capable of handling various formats of digital video, media clips, sound, text, animation, music, and interactive panoramic images are on most PCs and laptops. If you cannot be there in person, nothing beats moving pictures.

If the video file is too big to send as an attachment, take advantage of the free service offered by www.mailbigfile.com. You simply upload the file, the recipient receives an e-mail with a link to download your video, and the recipient downloads the file. It is simple.

Some companies do not allow video attachments. In this case, ask the executive if he or she has a personal account you can use. Many people use Google or Yahoo! accounts to receive larger files stopped by their companies. If you know the executive well, you may be invited to send the video material to a personal account.

If security is an issue, send the company the presentation on a DVD and do not transmit it via the Internet.

Don’t worry if the camerawork is a bit rough. This can work to your benefit. There is a warm and sincere feel and tone to home-brewed video. If a video is too slick, the viewers may think you are covering up something. Put it all out there, and let the product do its stuff.

In addition to using video as a medium for instructions, we use it to do technical briefings and to show people testing prototypes. Nothing beats showing satisfied consumers. If we have a technical briefing and ideas for a focus group, we might consider submitting two separate shows so two departments do not have to share one tape.

Your worst nightmare is a breakdown in communications. Full-motion audiovisual components added to a presentation help avoid problems.

Technical. In writing and on video media, you should address everything from design, engineering, and manufacturing issues to component sourcing and costing. Include exploded views, part lists, and anything else that will help a corporate research and development designer understand your item’s technical and manufacturing profile.

Personal resumé. If you are unknown to the company, provide a background sheet on your capabilities. Depending on the nature of the submission, a green light may hinge on a manufacturer’s confidence in your ability to make the product happen, albeit under the company’s guidance.

When possible, include with your proposal (in the “Technical” section) …

Approach every product submission in such a way that, if you were contracted by the manufacturer, you could take the item outside and do it for them. More manufacturers are relying on inventors to take products to tooling. This was not the case years ago, but with personnel cutbacks and increased workloads, often the only way a product gets done is through the inventor’s being able to manage a development program.

And don’t expect to be paid for everything you do in this regard. Frequently, other than out-of-pocket expenses, I don’t ask for payment. This is always a judgment call.

After we licensed our WarStone™ trading card game to Duncan Toys, I built the outside team to develop and manufacture the product. I found and affected the hire of freelance developers, copy editors, back story writers, an experienced project manager, and even the agent to find us a manufacturer for the components in China. Having been a TV producer in a previous life, I am very comfortable putting together talented teams of pros and helping manage them.