So next time you have an idea for a little invention, product, service, etc, don’t let yourself automatically think, “No, no one would pay for that.” As you can tell from the chia pet version of Elmer Fudd here, people will buy most anything. You just have to connect the right audience with the right product or service.

Whoever came up with the pet rock and didn’t let himself get talked out of producing it was a genius, or what about the ridiculous things you see sold on the Home Shopping Network and QVC? It might seem stupid, but plenty of people have made millions on ideas that others came up with first, but did not follow through on because they did not think the right market existed for their products and services.

I advise plenty of start-ups, formally and informally, and one of the main things I think about is where is the buyer and how will the company get the product to them. Even if the product seems useless to you, there is someone out there that thinks it’s useful. Now, ask yourself, “How many of that type of person exist and how can I get my product to them?” Because, they will buy it. . . even if it is something as ridiculous as a plastic bust of Elmer Fudd with alfalfa sprouts for hair.

Tags: advising, audience, chia pet, consulting, elmer fudd, home shopping network, marketing, qvc, start-ups

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 4:51 pm and is filed under Ideas, life, work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.