Everyone loves the invention that they have come up with on their own and nobody works on an idea that they hope to see lose money one day.

Sadly, we have all seen products go nowhere that held great promise. Products that could change the health of a nation by providing clean water, products that could change the environmental and political landscape by providing clean cheap energy. It is not always nice, and it is never fair, but we do live in a market driven economy. So I offer this as a piece of friendly advice, if you prefer to keep a lack of experience to yourself, never say that you have an idea that is going to make millions, or a product that you know will sell.

More importantly remember that when explaining your product to a patent attorney, don’t waste time (and your money) talking about the marketability of your product idea. Remember, your patent attorney needs to discern what it is about your product that is patentable, not how much everyone wants one.

When talking to your product development professional, hold back on the future sales information there as well, he needs to know how it works. He doesn’t need to know why it is unique or who is interested in putting it on the shelves of what store.

When talking to a marketing professional you can delve into the information that you have been waiting to shout, but only for twenty seconds. A marketing professional at a trade show may need to see 100+ booths and more than one product per booth. I once heard a buyer say that if you can’t write on the back of his business card a description of your product, including what it is, what it is called and what it does; then you are not ready to show your product.