Subject: Re: Product Choice and Working with Designers

Renee asks:

I have a few questions about my product choice and
working with designers.

I have found a product ... I have found the
product online but not in ... Neimens, Nordstroms,
Macy's, and a few
boutiques ... but managers of these
stores have expressed interest in the idea
(unfortunately I have not yet been able to track down
buyers).

Even though the product exists, if
I change it's appearance (but not how it functions),
is this enough of a change to the existing product to
classify as "competing on design"? I just want to be
clear on this point.

***Yes, there is no solution that cannot be improved upon... everything new
is an improvement over something else... so if you see a way of making a more
attractive piece of glassware, that may be good enough, and often is. What is
remarkable is how LITTLE it takes to be competitive.***

I would like to start looking for a designer in the
next week or two to begin sketching and creating
samples. In your class you said that many designers
would waive the initial payment normally required when
working with larger companies and instead except
royalties as the only form of payment. As a start-up
company and a person who has never imported or sold
products to retailers why would a designer make that
kind of investment in me? How do I persuade a
designer that I'm worth the time?

***The easier the product the harder the customer. One step I recommend you
are avoiding so far, and that is asking the retailers for your product. If I
read you right, you are telling the retailers you have a better idea. I am
glad you have not spoken to any buyers, cuz it is not too late to get it right,
as a process. Go back and demand of the retailers the product you want. Work
the idea until a variety of the retailers say “it is a good idea and does not
exist” (milestone #2). Once you have accomplished milestone #2, then a
designer is not working on specualtion as to whether there will be a customer,
you
can name names. Until then, you are right, why would a designer waste time
with a “neat idea?” But once you have retailers who want your idea, then no one
will care about whther or not you have experience.. the fact is you are “hot”
right now.


Also, what would
prevent designers from bypassing the newbie importer
and just do it themselves? Is it common to have
designers sign an NDA?

*** Just do what themselves? Just make multiple trips to a variety of
retailers? Just listen and do what the retailers say? Just find the best place
in
the world to have the product made? Just organize the logistics? When will
they have time to draw? Designers want to design, they will not go around you.
Once you ship your first orders, the feedback will come in and make very
much redesign work for your designer.***

Yes, NDA’s (Non-disclosure agreements) are common, but only among people who
never, ever see any success whatsoever. Which means they are very common
indeed.***

Since the item is relatively simple to make I thought
it would be easier to have the designer make some
samples to show buyers and eventually sales reps. I,
of course, would pay for the materials. If sales reps
agree to represent my line at that point I would
engage the manufacturer. Do you see any problems with
this approach?

***Better approach: get the retailers to say it is a good idea and does not
exist. Get the designer to design it. Find the best place in the world to
have it made. Your designer cannot and will not make anything that resembles
what the best place in the world will make... why? The best place in the world
has intelligence and expertise which they will lend to you in the final
executiuon of your sample. By going to the best place in the world, they will
naturally improve upon anything your designer comes up with. So never have the
designer bang out a prototype for you.***

And my last question, you said as importers we will
need to create a line. If the variation between each
version is too different - differerent materials used
in each design - wouldn't that drastically increase
the cost of production? I imagine I would then need
to meet a minimum cost of production for each design,
is this correct?

***Right... but if you get to milestone #3, enough orders from customers here
to cover the suppliers minimum production run in a workable amount of time,
profitably, then financing will come. Your guessing that you will have a
problem downstream.

Anyone who goes into this business gets into jams that have to be worked out,
and one reason I keep this list going is to help out quick and efficiently.
Almost everything can be fixed. When someone starts guessing about possible
problems in the future, I begin to wonder if they REALLY love the product they
are working on.

I spoke to a fellow the other day, who had some strategy problems. We talked
over options, and away he went. He never mentioned a single possible problem
downstream. If anything, his attitude was as soon as he sorts out his
present jam, he will be scooting forward to ever better circumstances. And I
expect
he will.

So maybe I can add this to the “how to pick a product” section: do you see
problems today, right now that have to be solved? Good. Do you start to worry
about problems downstream? hmmm... something may be wrong here.

If the product is truly coming from you, who YOU are, then there is nothing
that will get in your way that cannot be overcome, even if you have to get a
wee bit of advice now and again.

I don’t know if this is helpful, but let me add another observation. I have
been teaching long enough to where people who took my class long ago have
developed their businesses, put their kids through college, built their custom
homes, done all they hope to do with the biz. One of these fellows once told
someone I know he “owed everything to having taken my class” long ago.

That of course is nonsense, although kind of him to say. The fact is his
success is from having put his heart and soul into something he loved (wood
furniture in this case). He would have figured out “compete on design” and
“make
your business your lifestyle” soon enough anyway... if I did anything, I saved
him some time and money.

Certainly, it is most gratifying to be complimented by someone who has an
enviable business. On the other hand, if you find yourself mucking about with
a
product you do not truly love, well, I too did much of that way back when.
I got away from it. Now, if I can figure out a way to show others how to make
what is essentially a psychological shift into working on what one truly
loves...***

John

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