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Licensing – Sales Reps Make a Great Partner

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Two heads are better than one, so if you are trying to license your idea why not get a partner – and often the best partner is a sales rep that is already in the industry. He or she will know the market, many of the major players, and what kind of deal really makes sense.For inventors, this partnership doesn’t mean you have to give an equal share to the partner, often just a 10 to 15% share will be enough if you have a “works like, looks like” prototype and a marketing plan. You might need to increase the sales reps share if you need money that he or she contributes or helps raise, but typically you will pay a modest amount to the rep for all the value they can offer you. Besides just licensing an idea straight up, the rep can help you take other steps that might be important to land a licensing deal. An example is a partnership with a manufacturer who will help design the new product, build prototypes and eventually produce the product. This can be a key tool if you are licensing to a company that outsources production and if your product is too expensive for you to produce on your own.Inventors form alliances or partnerships with sales reps because they don’t have established contacts in the industry or because either they need a partner to help foot the bill. Most inventors think they just need an idea or patent to get a license, and in some cases that works, but the next section details some of the additional steps that an inventor can take to improve their chances of landing a license and to help land a higher royalty. Sales reps can help with all of these steps. One thing to note is that it is not just the reps contacts that help you. You also receive a major boost with everyone you talk to when they realize that you have an industry professional backing your idea.Improving Your Chances of Licensing

Having a patent or patent pending. Inventor typically does this step on their own.

Finding an engineer or designer to complete design work on the invention. Sales rep typically knows industry people with the right expertise to do this and often knows contacts who might work for a percentage of the idea.

Finding a manufacturer to make the prototype and possibly set up a small production run. Again the rep may know people who can do the job, and might do it for a share of the product rather than an upfront fee.

Setting up a sales test at a key retailer or end user to get market feedback. Reps will have contacts for a wide variety of market tests.

Getting conditional purchase agreements from manufacturer sales rep agencies, other marketers, retail chains or other key target customers to prove the product is viable.

Arrange for the product to be shown at a trade show to get market feedback to show potential licensors that the product has high chance of creating strong sales.

Line up other industry people as investors or supporters of the idea.
What You Need to SucceedSales rep partners, or any other partners, look for a significant benefit when they decide to team up with an inventor. Typically, they are only interested in your product if it can increase their annual income 15 to 25%. The perfect product, from their perspectives, is one that has considerable market impact. But inventors have another card to play with sales reps. They want to differentiate themselves from all other reps who seek profitable lines from major companies. Working with inventors is a way for sales reps to increase their value in the market and make a mark for themselves in the industry. This is important for reps, and it is a key factor in why they might help you.From the inventor’s point of view, perfect products for a joint venture are ones that the inventor doesn’t have the resources to produce, or the marketing network or credibility to launch. A partnership with a rep allows inventors to move quickly to improve and finalize their products for licensing with much less financial risk. The key to success is finding the right reps to approach. Here are some other factors to consider as you investigate partnerships with a rep:

Money matters: Other than key contacts, typically the main advantage of partnership is that you get funding from your potential partner. For example, you may have identified a big market opportunity, but lack the money to create prototypes. Reps can help you with the money, or help you find an engineer or a manufacture to help you develop the product.

Protection: You don’t really need a patent to strike a partnership agreement with a rep, but it does improve your negotiating position and helps ensure that the product’s intellectual property rights belong to you.

Prototypes: Many inventors choose a partnership because they don’t have the experience or the money to finalize a “looks like, works like” prototype. But a drawing often isn’t enough to get a positive response from a potential partner. Having a prototype is important and it helps in getting a better deal from a rep. But don’t spend too much money creating a rough prototype; just take it far enough so the partner can see your product’s sales potential.

Research: You won’t have any trouble finding a partner if you uncover a product that satisfies the needs of a large market. The reps often know the market, but I feel it helps your negotiating position if you can show that you know the market is there. Your research should show that customers need and want your product, and that they’re willing to pay a reasonable price for it.
Dos and Don’ts

Don’t be greedy. The sales rep will make you a lot more money in the end so don’t be afraid to offer him or her their terms if they can do the job for you.

Do give yourself an out. Tell the rep you will offer the percentage only if they spend 20 to 40 hours every three months to help promote your idea. State that if you are unsatisfied with the effort, you will let the sales rep know you are unhappy and give him or her 60 days to rectify the situation or your agreement will be terminated.

Don’t approach a potential partner without at least some market research from target customers. Your position is more favorable if you have survey results from at least 15 to 20 potential users.

Don’t be a pain. Sales reps won’t proceed with a partnership arrangement, no matter how profitable, if you appear difficult to work with. Don’t call constantly with questions, revisions or suggestions. Limit your contacts to one or two per week where you mention major concerns.
Is a Partnership Right for You?Pros:

Allows you to introduce new products that are beyond your reach in terms of either resources or experience

Helps you gain market experience that you can use in the future

Speeds up the introduction and market penetration of a new product

Allows you to improve your odds of landing a licensing agreement

Allows you to introduce new products when you can’t afford to produce a “looks like, works like” prototype
Cons:

Doesn’t give you total control of the product

Depends on another party to do their jobs effectively for the product to succeed

You can’t withdraw the product to start a company on your own

May not establish you as a market force capable of launching your own company

Your input may be overridden by the sales rep partner
Finding RepsThere are lots of reps, but you need to know how to find them. Follow the below steps and you should be able to locate plenty of reps.Trade Magazines and Trade ShowsLocate the leading trade magazines and trade shows for the industry. If possible attend the trade show, go to booths with complementary products and see if they have reps or maybe the booth is even run by reps.Subscribe to the industry trade magazines and in the new product sections, send away for information on complementary products and when you receive the sales literature, see if there are local reps names included. Talk to the rep and see if he or she knows additional reps.Trade Association WebsitesSometimes industry trade association websites have lists of reps. Gales’ Book of Associations, found at most larger libraries, and Internet searches should be enough for you to find industry trade associates.Also check out manufactures sales representatives directories such as MANA, Manufacturers Agents National Association which is available in larger libraries.Talk to Other InventorsWhen attending trade shows or other industry events, network with other inventors and ask them if they know any good reps.Prepare rep materials for a mailingHaving great materials for your rep mailing is key to success. You need to let reps know that you have a hot new product, that you are running a professional and serious business and that you are ready to do all it takes for your product and your reps to succeed.The literature should include sales flyers, picture of the prototype if you have one, stories and testimonials. You need professional looking materials so the reps know you mean business. If your mailing looks like it was put together by a fly-by-night company, it is unlikely you will attract talented and experienced reps.Sending out the mailingSend your mailing only to 10 to 15 reps to start. Then call them up and see if any of them are interested in your line. If not, check to see why they are not interested. You may need to make some changes in your package.If your first mailing didn’t go well, make changes to your package and send it to another 10 to 15 sales reps and again call them up and if they are not interested, find out why. Keep on doing this until you know you’ve got the right mailing materials. Then make a larger scale mailing to all of the reps on your list.Interviewing the repsIf a rep is interested, make sure you ask him or her a few questions to make sure that he or she is really the right rep for you. Here is what should you look for:Driven to SucceedYou want a hungry rep. Selling new products can be hard, so you want a rep that is ready to go out and give it his or her all. The best reps are ones that worked for another rep agency and then started his or her own agency and is anxious to build up sales.Successful Track RecordCheck that the rep has taken on other new lines successfully over the last two years.Impact of Your ProductThe rep needs to believe he or she can make at least $10,000 or $15,000 with your product. If they can’t make that much, it is unlikely they will support it for long.Technically QualifiedThe rep has to have the technical knowledge to properly represent your product. This doesn’t apply to all products, just ones that have a technical or scientific nature. For instance, if you have a chemical product, you need reps that can intelligently and understandably talk about how your product works and answer questions possibly of a technical nature. They don’t need to be chemists, but at least have a basic understanding.

Deciding On The Correct Healthy Lifestyle Choices

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Your body is an absolute reflection of your healthy lifestyle choices. For the most part it is very basic to tell what someone thinks about their own health which is seen in their physical body and how they look. You are able to tell when one cares about themselves and they appear physically fit while at the other end of it you realize the people that do not care about their health seeing that they are very overweight and you should see them out at restaurants eating the absolute worst foods possible.Before I go any further, I know there are some people out there by now yelling at the top of their lungs saying “But I’m born this way!” Unfortunately, Well, I’m not a medical professional so I cannot answer that question towards a biological standpoint. But my personal opinion is that the “genetics” reasoning is thoroughly laughable. Your skinny friend that eats everything she wants and never gains an ounce of weight is like that because she has a faster metabolism. That fast metabolism is because they are being physically active. It’s the same thing for the person that is overweight that continues to keep getting bigger and bigger. The reply to that is to start making healthy lifestyle choices. Begin consuming beneficial healthy foods rather than junk and begin exercising. Your metabolism will then increase which will also help you burn fat.So what are these decisions that you need to make so that you can live a healthy life? As I said, start by fixing those eating habits. And this does not only mean to count how many calories you eat & drink. Even if you meet your calorie goals for the day, it doesn’t mean you’re being healthy. You should watch what foods you consume as part of those calories. If it’s made up of candy and chips, you’re not doing your body any favors. So begin by eating fresh fruits & vegetables, lean meats, and high protein foods. In fact, as you get started with a new healthy lifestyle plan, don’t even walk up and down the aisles at the supermarket. Stick to the edge of the store and you should find everything you need to eat healthy (except for the bakery section).You should additionally get started in some sort of regular workout program to begin to improve your healthy lifestyle choices. If you’re very overweight, you obviously would not run a race tomorrow or begin doing the exercises which an athlete would do, but you have to begin somewhere. Rather than sitting on the couch today, take half an hour and go for a walk. Then tomorrow do exactly the same, but push yourself to take fifty additional steps in the same amount of time. Slowly increase the number of steps and/or minutes until you can run the entire 30 minutes. This will not happen overnight and it could actually take you several months to get to this point depending where you currently are. While continuing to work to that, add a little bit of strength training to your exercise program. This is very good for you and will be of great help to your body and increase your metabolism.The combination of a beneficial nutrition and a little physical activity will put you on the correct track to having a life of health. Those eating habits will consist of about eighty percent of how you look, so it is obviously of great importance. Your workout routine will consist of the other 20%. This may allow you tone your body as well as giving you that extra push for weight loss and become healthy.Your choice to live a healthy lifestyle is your own decision. No one can make you a believer of it and it has to be something you want to have. If you do not want to change how you live it just will not happen. You must desire that vision and set the goals for yourself in order to have success with these healthy lifestyle choices.

Financing A Home in Oregon

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If you’re an Oregon homeowner, then you surely have benefited from the rise in values of homes in the state. In the recent years, home values have increased which allowed homeowners to build home equity faster. If you’re someone who’s looking for a new place to call home, then you should consider relocating in Oregon. With attractive home financing offers, you’ll have nothingto lose but everything to gain when decide to get an Oregon home.If you have a good credit, you shouldn’t have any problems in finding yourself a low interest home financing deal. For somebody with a not so good credit, you’ll still be able to get home financing, albeit with a slightly higher interest rate. If you want to take advantage of better offers, you might want to work with improving your credit score first.Oregon home financing rates are relatively cheaper than those in other bustling cities such as New York and Los Angeles. But you’re sure to get the kind of comfort you would ever want in a home and in a neighborhood in Oregon. Whether you’re considering getting one of those popular “green homes” or maybe get a home in the new developments of Central Oregon, it could be the most profitable investment you can make.To get better rates on your home financing, you shouldn’t just settle on an offer without first conducting extensive research on what other home financing comapanies have to offer. Unlike in shopping where you can maybe impulsively buy that attractive dress on display, you need to carefully consider your home financing decisions. It’s not something that just adds a few dollars on your credit card, or something that you’ll be able to pay for in less than a year.In looking for the best home financing deals that would work within your budget, you would have to spend a lot of time and effort. You wouldn’t be able to get the best bargain if you don’t take the initiative to do more researches yourself. There are a several home financing services in Oregon. You can even find national agencies which may also offer competitive home financing rates for houses in Oregon.When you have set your eye on one of the beautiful homes in Oregon, the next thing you need to do is find a home financing agency. The good thing about these financing agencies in Oregon is that they offer very low rates. They also have flexible terms. You can even get home financing with a term of more than thirty years.Getting home financing for an extended period may however mean higher interest rates. So if you think your total household income can cover all your expenses, you should consider shortening your financing loan to get the lowest financing rates possible. Short financing loans also mean getting home equity in a shorter period of time.This is how homeowners benefit from their Oregon homes. Because of lower interest rates and less expensive homes, homeowners can quickly achieve equity over their new homes. With home equity, it’ll be easy enough for you to get other loans to make your life more comfortable. Your new home will help you establish a good financial stability among your lenders.So don’t delay and start working in getting your dream home. There are actually over 200 lenders in the Florida state which can provide you with home financing schemes so you can settle in Oregon. You don’t need to worry as to the reliability of these agencies as they have been proven to provide high quality service.Just try applying for a home financing service. If you think it’s too much hassle to personally go to their offices, you can actually just sit at home and complete an application form online. You’ll surely be impressed at how smoothly their financing process applications go. But before you decide on which agency to hire, make sure that you have fully understood their terms and conditions. Having prior knowledge of the basics of home financing will give you the advantage of being able to select which scheme would work best for your needs and financial capability.If you’re not so sure which home financing service to take, you might want to consult a loan counselor in Oregon. Loan counselors are experts in the state laws concerning home financing. They can explain in detail everything that you need to know and do. With that, you should be able to develop enough confidence to make your decision.

Photography Specialties – An Introduction

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In photography you will come across different ways to depict your subject matter. These ways are more commonly known as processes and include black and white or monochrome, color photography, full-spectrum and the latest to date – digital photography. The process which you use will create differing effects on the end result.Lets take black and white photography, or monochrome photography. This process will only record the image in a single color or wavelength of light. Whenever you come across a black or white photograph, this is done through the monochrome process. Before the emergence of color in photography, this process was always used. These days, despite the option of color and other means, black and white imaging appeals to both beginners in the world of photography, due to its simplicity, and those who want to capture beauty and stop the aging process (its a well known fact black and white has more staying power than color). Furthermore, its the detailing in its composition, lighting, perspective and the context that attracts the viewer as opposed to the playfulness of color. To create photographs in black and white you will require a black and white film or you can manipulate color images by using computer software.Then we come to color photography. This was all made possible due to the discovery of James Clerk Maxwell in the mid 19th century. What he discovered was that color photographs could be made using red, green and blue filters, a discovery which he showcased to the world in 1861. The process has developed greatly over time and can include the use of prints, roll and sheet films, transparencies with slides and color negatives.Full- spectrum photography is necessary in many professional careers, like forensics and geology, providing a broad spectrum of a film or camera sensor bandwidth. It can be used to capture visible and near infrared and ultraviolet radiation, hence its use in the aforementioned sciences.In contrast to the above methods, digital photography doesn’t require any chemical processing. These photographs are often manipulated using digital and computer techniques. The convenience of this process makes it popular amongst commercial photographers and anyone who wants to publish their works over the world wide web. There is no doubt that the cost of digital photography as opposed to other methods, drops considerably if you can store your images on the computer and not have to print each one. A smaller sensor format allows for smaller lenses and wider zoom ranges.Once you understand the different processes of photography, you can apply your knowledge to experiment with different genres such as portraiture, landscape and wildlife photography.Portrait photography captures the similitude in a person or small group of people. Good examples of portrait photography are wedding photos. The idea is to capture the mood and expression on the subjects face and more often than not, that person will be looking towards the lens in a still position.Nature, landscape and wildlife photography are very vast, but what they all have in common is the means to capture elements within nature, whether it be photographs of lions basking in the sun, scenic views of a mountain range or a close-up of a bunch of flowers. Many landscape photos exclude any human subjects and focus purely on the beauty of natural spaces. Landscapes are often created with such tools as a pinhole camera, or a large format camera and tripod, usually with a wide angle lenses (24 mm and 35 mm are especially popular).