Should I give Free Samples To Get Testimonials?

Carrie Jeske

12 years ago

Should I give Free Samples To Get Testimonials?

Free Samples? Testimonials? Formula Protection?

Here’s the follow up from a FREE consultation I did with a man who has a consumable product. Products that are ingested or applied topically have higher standards of accountably, by law, when selling on TV. Here are some of my suggestions that came out of our conversation.

1) Free Samples

No more free give away’s unless you are certain of the value you’ll get. Sometimes, especially with consumables or repeat type products, giving samples can be a great strategy. Unfortunately, too many inventors give valuable product away with no accountability at the start. It’s time to make it a business and track each bottle you choose to trade for a “before” photo, at least. Have whomever you give a bottle to, sign an NDA and agree to email you updated photos each week or month. Get more organized about collecting this data. You need it to validate the product, even if you don’t go forward with clinical trials. Almost all phones have video now. It would be awesome to start getting quick video testimonials and posting to your YouTube channel. Your sons should be able to do this well.

Also, when you’re just starting out, everyone wants a free sample and it’s easy to get caught up in giving them away, without realizing how much money you’re spending. There are times to give product away, but in general I suggest you charge wholesale value, at least. If people are truly going to help you by investing, etc, then they should be willing to start by paying wholesale.

Tell them once you agree on terms to move forward, you’ll reimburse them the cost or allow them to return it at 100% refund. If someone is telling you they want to help you, but not willing to do this, how serious do you think they really are? I can’t tell you how many people wasted my time and took my sample, just because they wanted free product. It’s more common then you think and easy to get lost in excitement and expectations of success.

2) Need Clinical Trials

Done by Third Party to validate claims, if sold on TV. I’m working on getting a list so check the website to see if it’s there.

3) Research Intellectual Property Protection (IP Strategy)

For protecting formulas. There is some concern that when the patent grants, your secret recipe will be public. More and more inventors are choosing to protect formulas or lists of ingredients as a trade secret. Examples include: The formula for Coca Cola is not patented. It’s a trade secret. Many other examples worth looking into. You need to research this information on your own to maximize your time with a patent attorney.

You asked if you could call me anytime, which I’m sorry I cannot do. Thanks for understanding.

I’m focused on As Seen on TV products now and cannot help you with this one until you have clinical trials. If you’d like to talk again, I charge $50 per 30 minutes consulting and normally save people much more because of my experience and contacts.

Here’s a PayPal link, if you ever want to do this.

I’m posting more and more free info on my website also. Keep learning and keeping your mind open to As Seen on TV products.

http://www.inventiveideas.com/index.php/services/inventor-video-educaton

________________________________________________________

RESPONSE

Carrie

Thank you so much for your time. Down to earth people are hard to find.
Ed