For sellers who constantly have to put up with bid snipers, non-paying bidders and other anti-social, timewasting buyers, eBay’s ‘pre-approved buyer’ feature is a godsend.
Pre-approving buyers lets you choose in advance who you’re going to allow to bid: not by banning people you don’t want, but by explicitly allowing people you do want. Anyone who is not on the pre-approved list will have to email you and ask you to let them bid.
While that might sound great, it’s only really a good idea to do it on very, very high value items. After all, half the point of eBay is that it’s such an open marketplace – if you’re going to restrict bidding to a few people, why not just email them to offer the item?
Most buyers will be very upset if they come across an item that they need to be pre-approved to bid in. They almost certainly won’t have heard of the rule before, and they’ll think this ‘new feature’ (it must be new if they’ve never heard of it, right?) is absolutely terrible. The one time I required pre-approval for an item, someone actually wrote to eBay to complain about the auction’s format – as if eBay had nothing to do with letting me list that way! The chances are that almost no-one will ever email you asking to be included in the auction – they’ll go somewhere else instead.
Of course, it’d be better if you could just require that bidders have a minimum feedback level, but then that might overly restrict the choices of new buyers, and make them less likely to buy anything to begin with. There’s a delicate balance at play between trust and openness, and pre-approval tends to violate it. If one of your regular buyers wants to bid on your item only to find out they weren’t pre-approved, the chances are they’ll be more than a little offended at your lack of trust.
The only situations in which you might find an advantage in pre-approving bidders are if your auctions get consistently disrupted. Jokers sometimes bid millions because they think it’s funny, or people bid high and then don’t pay as a protest against whatever you’re selling – this is a pain to deal with. Requiring approval makes sense on very high-ticket items simply because it shows the buyer is serious about wanting to buy.
Before you can restrict an item to pre-approved buyers, you have to list it and get an item number. You can then set up pre-approved bidding on this page: http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?PreApproveBidders. From there on, it’s a simple process – just type the usernames of the people whose bids you want to accept, and then keep checking your email.
Remember, though, that you don’t need to restrict your auction to pre-approved bidders to keep people you don’t like from bidding on your auctions. You can simply cancel these buyers’ bids when they appear, and then use eBay’s ‘block bidder’ function to ban them from bidding on any of your auctions again. Edit your block list here: http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?bidderblocklogin.
In the next email, we’ll take a look at whether your eBay design is as effective as it could be.
Friday, March 30, 2007
list online business
ttp://www.doteasy.com
Free, bannerless web hosting...'nuff said. The only complaint I have is that reliability is not up to par with the paid hosts, but then again, what do you expect -- IT'S FREE! While I wouldn't use it to host my main site, it's great for testing mini sites and new products.
http://www.linkcounter.com
LinkCounter is a free service that tracks clicks on any link you want to track, from inside, outside, or within your site itself. It's a great way to track affiliate programs and link exchanges, or to create referring links for sites you trade traffic with. They provide you with an unbiased report that you can use to keep track of your outgoing and incoming hits.
http://www.securitymetrics.com
Worried about your own site's security? Afraid you might be vulnerable to hackers? Don't wonder -- find out! Security Metrics will give your computer a "FREE Port Scan" where it will test for the 20 most common TCP/IP ports that are often vulnerable. If you're like me, the results will surprise you.
http://www.score.org
S.C.O.R.E stands for the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and they pride themselves on being the Counselors to Americas Small Business. In effect, S.C.O.R.E. is a non-profit group that offers FREE counseling to anyone who has, or is thinking about starting, a small business. I've utilized their trained counselors on numerous occasions, and have been grateful every time.
http://www.spyonit.com
Spyonit has dozens of FREE spy tools that allow you to keep tabs on all the sites and auctions that matter most to you. (Including your competition's.) There's too much there to describe it all, so go to the site now to check it out. They're also adding new "spies" fairly frequently, so check back often. Who knows what they'll come up with next?
http://www.tracerlock.com
TracerLock is another "spy" type tool that monitors search engines, UseNet groups, and personal ads for whatever word or phrase you tell it to. It's great for keeping tabs on the competition, and seeing what others are saying about you or your business. They have both a FREE and a paid service, so check it out.
http://www.scumware.com
If you've been keeping up with software or e-biz news, then you've no doubt heard of the controversy surrounding traffic stealing software such as Top Text and Surf+. This site is dedicated to eradicating the world of such thieves. It will tell you if your computer is currently "infected", and give you some lines of code that will disable the traffic thieves when they "invade" your site.
http://www.trafficology.com
This is easily my new favorite newsletter. Trafficology's creator, Wayne Yeager, gives away literally THOUSANDS of dollars each month for new and creative traffic generating ideas. He then turns around and gives these ideas to his subscribers for FREE. I've been receiving the newsletter for a few months now, and I have yet to be disappointed. While some of the ideas are WAY too crazy for me to EVER try, the newsletter is *always* entertaining, and often useful.
http://www.onebox.com
Onebox is an incredibly low-cost service (I believe I pay around $10 a month for it) that provides you with an email address, a fax number, and voice mailbox -- all in one place! If you're just starting out and you need a phone service, but don't want to pay hefty charges to your local phone company, this could be an ideal solution.
Free, bannerless web hosting...'nuff said. The only complaint I have is that reliability is not up to par with the paid hosts, but then again, what do you expect -- IT'S FREE! While I wouldn't use it to host my main site, it's great for testing mini sites and new products.
http://www.linkcounter.com
LinkCounter is a free service that tracks clicks on any link you want to track, from inside, outside, or within your site itself. It's a great way to track affiliate programs and link exchanges, or to create referring links for sites you trade traffic with. They provide you with an unbiased report that you can use to keep track of your outgoing and incoming hits.
http://www.securitymetrics.com
Worried about your own site's security? Afraid you might be vulnerable to hackers? Don't wonder -- find out! Security Metrics will give your computer a "FREE Port Scan" where it will test for the 20 most common TCP/IP ports that are often vulnerable. If you're like me, the results will surprise you.
http://www.score.org
S.C.O.R.E stands for the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and they pride themselves on being the Counselors to Americas Small Business. In effect, S.C.O.R.E. is a non-profit group that offers FREE counseling to anyone who has, or is thinking about starting, a small business. I've utilized their trained counselors on numerous occasions, and have been grateful every time.
http://www.spyonit.com
Spyonit has dozens of FREE spy tools that allow you to keep tabs on all the sites and auctions that matter most to you. (Including your competition's.) There's too much there to describe it all, so go to the site now to check it out. They're also adding new "spies" fairly frequently, so check back often. Who knows what they'll come up with next?
http://www.tracerlock.com
TracerLock is another "spy" type tool that monitors search engines, UseNet groups, and personal ads for whatever word or phrase you tell it to. It's great for keeping tabs on the competition, and seeing what others are saying about you or your business. They have both a FREE and a paid service, so check it out.
http://www.scumware.com
If you've been keeping up with software or e-biz news, then you've no doubt heard of the controversy surrounding traffic stealing software such as Top Text and Surf+. This site is dedicated to eradicating the world of such thieves. It will tell you if your computer is currently "infected", and give you some lines of code that will disable the traffic thieves when they "invade" your site.
http://www.trafficology.com
This is easily my new favorite newsletter. Trafficology's creator, Wayne Yeager, gives away literally THOUSANDS of dollars each month for new and creative traffic generating ideas. He then turns around and gives these ideas to his subscribers for FREE. I've been receiving the newsletter for a few months now, and I have yet to be disappointed. While some of the ideas are WAY too crazy for me to EVER try, the newsletter is *always* entertaining, and often useful.
http://www.onebox.com
Onebox is an incredibly low-cost service (I believe I pay around $10 a month for it) that provides you with an email address, a fax number, and voice mailbox -- all in one place! If you're just starting out and you need a phone service, but don't want to pay hefty charges to your local phone company, this could be an ideal solution.
list online business
ttp://www.doteasy.com
Free, bannerless web hosting...'nuff said. The only complaint I have is that reliability is not up to par with the paid hosts, but then again, what do you expect -- IT'S FREE! While I wouldn't use it to host my main site, it's great for testing mini sites and new products.
http://www.linkcounter.com
LinkCounter is a free service that tracks clicks on any link you want to track, from inside, outside, or within your site itself. It's a great way to track affiliate programs and link exchanges, or to create referring links for sites you trade traffic with. They provide you with an unbiased report that you can use to keep track of your outgoing and incoming hits.
http://www.securitymetrics.com
Worried about your own site's security? Afraid you might be vulnerable to hackers? Don't wonder -- find out! Security Metrics will give your computer a "FREE Port Scan" where it will test for the 20 most common TCP/IP ports that are often vulnerable. If you're like me, the results will surprise you.
http://www.score.org
S.C.O.R.E stands for the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and they pride themselves on being the Counselors to Americas Small Business. In effect, S.C.O.R.E. is a non-profit group that offers FREE counseling to anyone who has, or is thinking about starting, a small business. I've utilized their trained counselors on numerous occasions, and have been grateful every time.
http://www.spyonit.com
Spyonit has dozens of FREE spy tools that allow you to keep tabs on all the sites and auctions that matter most to you. (Including your competition's.) There's too much there to describe it all, so go to the site now to check it out. They're also adding new "spies" fairly frequently, so check back often. Who knows what they'll come up with next?
http://www.tracerlock.com
TracerLock is another "spy" type tool that monitors search engines, UseNet groups, and personal ads for whatever word or phrase you tell it to. It's great for keeping tabs on the competition, and seeing what others are saying about you or your business. They have both a FREE and a paid service, so check it out.
http://www.scumware.com
If you've been keeping up with software or e-biz news, then you've no doubt heard of the controversy surrounding traffic stealing software such as Top Text and Surf+. This site is dedicated to eradicating the world of such thieves. It will tell you if your computer is currently "infected", and give you some lines of code that will disable the traffic thieves when they "invade" your site.
http://www.trafficology.com
This is easily my new favorite newsletter. Trafficology's creator, Wayne Yeager, gives away literally THOUSANDS of dollars each month for new and creative traffic generating ideas. He then turns around and gives these ideas to his subscribers for FREE. I've been receiving the newsletter for a few months now, and I have yet to be disappointed. While some of the ideas are WAY too crazy for me to EVER try, the newsletter is *always* entertaining, and often useful.
http://www.onebox.com
Onebox is an incredibly low-cost service (I believe I pay around $10 a month for it) that provides you with an email address, a fax number, and voice mailbox -- all in one place! If you're just starting out and you need a phone service, but don't want to pay hefty charges to your local phone company, this could be an ideal solution.
Free, bannerless web hosting...'nuff said. The only complaint I have is that reliability is not up to par with the paid hosts, but then again, what do you expect -- IT'S FREE! While I wouldn't use it to host my main site, it's great for testing mini sites and new products.
http://www.linkcounter.com
LinkCounter is a free service that tracks clicks on any link you want to track, from inside, outside, or within your site itself. It's a great way to track affiliate programs and link exchanges, or to create referring links for sites you trade traffic with. They provide you with an unbiased report that you can use to keep track of your outgoing and incoming hits.
http://www.securitymetrics.com
Worried about your own site's security? Afraid you might be vulnerable to hackers? Don't wonder -- find out! Security Metrics will give your computer a "FREE Port Scan" where it will test for the 20 most common TCP/IP ports that are often vulnerable. If you're like me, the results will surprise you.
http://www.score.org
S.C.O.R.E stands for the Service Corps of Retired Executives, and they pride themselves on being the Counselors to Americas Small Business. In effect, S.C.O.R.E. is a non-profit group that offers FREE counseling to anyone who has, or is thinking about starting, a small business. I've utilized their trained counselors on numerous occasions, and have been grateful every time.
http://www.spyonit.com
Spyonit has dozens of FREE spy tools that allow you to keep tabs on all the sites and auctions that matter most to you. (Including your competition's.) There's too much there to describe it all, so go to the site now to check it out. They're also adding new "spies" fairly frequently, so check back often. Who knows what they'll come up with next?
http://www.tracerlock.com
TracerLock is another "spy" type tool that monitors search engines, UseNet groups, and personal ads for whatever word or phrase you tell it to. It's great for keeping tabs on the competition, and seeing what others are saying about you or your business. They have both a FREE and a paid service, so check it out.
http://www.scumware.com
If you've been keeping up with software or e-biz news, then you've no doubt heard of the controversy surrounding traffic stealing software such as Top Text and Surf+. This site is dedicated to eradicating the world of such thieves. It will tell you if your computer is currently "infected", and give you some lines of code that will disable the traffic thieves when they "invade" your site.
http://www.trafficology.com
This is easily my new favorite newsletter. Trafficology's creator, Wayne Yeager, gives away literally THOUSANDS of dollars each month for new and creative traffic generating ideas. He then turns around and gives these ideas to his subscribers for FREE. I've been receiving the newsletter for a few months now, and I have yet to be disappointed. While some of the ideas are WAY too crazy for me to EVER try, the newsletter is *always* entertaining, and often useful.
http://www.onebox.com
Onebox is an incredibly low-cost service (I believe I pay around $10 a month for it) that provides you with an email address, a fax number, and voice mailbox -- all in one place! If you're just starting out and you need a phone service, but don't want to pay hefty charges to your local phone company, this could be an ideal solution.
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saya akan beritahu rahasianya...
saya akan beritahu rahasianya...
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Plan for Success
Planning is mandatory for business success. Fail to plan and you plan to fail.
Planning is difficult because there is no immediate feedback as to its value. But if you think of starting and operating your business in the same way you might think about climbing a mountain, the purpose and advantages of planning become clearer.
When you start up the mountain you never know what to expect: sudden change in weather, lost or broken equipment, mistakes in maps, an injury. Planning for these eventualities will allow you to deal with them and still reach your objective in spite of temporary setbacks. On the other hand, lack of planning can spell disaster. The more careful the planning, the more likely problems will be anticipated and not allowed to interfere with your ultimate business objective.
The Business PlanCountless books have been written on how to write an "effective" business plan. The traditional business plan is a very well defined and structured document. It is written as a presentation to lenders, potential investors, and bankers in order to raise capital. As such, it is sort of an advertising document and, well, maybe tends to exaggerate a little.
Although many will argue the business plan is a planning document, it frequently is not because of these exaggerations. After a while YOU will start to believe the business plan ... even if you know that what is contained within the document is absurd in places. (Yes sir, there is no doubt about it, sales will easily double each year ... as long as we can obtain adequate financing.)
If your business is going to require investor capital at the onset, you will need that traditional business plan. But BEFORE you even get to this point, or if you are like so many of us and are starting a small business venture where little or no formal investment is needed, you need another plan ... A plan for YOURSELF ... A HONEST plan for you. You need a strategic plan.
The Strategic PlanA strategic plan is your plan for success. It will define your business mission, your present situation, and where you want to be in three to five years. A strategic plan, like the traditional business plan, should be well-structured, and include a number of short succinct statements covering the following areas:
Vision Statement
Mission/Purpose Statement
Scope of Business
Assumptions
Goals and Objectives
Risks
Strategies
Progress Reporting Methods
Planning is difficult because there is no immediate feedback as to its value. But if you think of starting and operating your business in the same way you might think about climbing a mountain, the purpose and advantages of planning become clearer.
When you start up the mountain you never know what to expect: sudden change in weather, lost or broken equipment, mistakes in maps, an injury. Planning for these eventualities will allow you to deal with them and still reach your objective in spite of temporary setbacks. On the other hand, lack of planning can spell disaster. The more careful the planning, the more likely problems will be anticipated and not allowed to interfere with your ultimate business objective.
The Business PlanCountless books have been written on how to write an "effective" business plan. The traditional business plan is a very well defined and structured document. It is written as a presentation to lenders, potential investors, and bankers in order to raise capital. As such, it is sort of an advertising document and, well, maybe tends to exaggerate a little.
Although many will argue the business plan is a planning document, it frequently is not because of these exaggerations. After a while YOU will start to believe the business plan ... even if you know that what is contained within the document is absurd in places. (Yes sir, there is no doubt about it, sales will easily double each year ... as long as we can obtain adequate financing.)
If your business is going to require investor capital at the onset, you will need that traditional business plan. But BEFORE you even get to this point, or if you are like so many of us and are starting a small business venture where little or no formal investment is needed, you need another plan ... A plan for YOURSELF ... A HONEST plan for you. You need a strategic plan.
The Strategic PlanA strategic plan is your plan for success. It will define your business mission, your present situation, and where you want to be in three to five years. A strategic plan, like the traditional business plan, should be well-structured, and include a number of short succinct statements covering the following areas:
Vision Statement
Mission/Purpose Statement
Scope of Business
Assumptions
Goals and Objectives
Risks
Strategies
Progress Reporting Methods
How to Find a Product to Market
Any product you bring to market is going to be the direction of your life force for the next four or five years - maybe longer. So the first rule of thumb in the selection of a product is to make sure you love the product, the industry it serves, the prospects, and the purchasers - because you’re going to be immersed in their bathwater for quite a while. Better make sure you like the scent.
If you have no product in particular you’re thinking about bringing to market, how do you select one? Well… do you have a hobby? Do you have a passion? For example, do you love computers? How about plastics? Are you interested in metals? Or in manufacturing? Can you sit and talk about antiques endlessly with your friends? Does the conversation always turn to airplanes? Or to food? All of these passions are great pursuits that become industries you can get involved in. The industries become markets to sell your products.
Or… do you have an industry that you’re familiar with? Have you been on the distribution end of a particular field? Are you in retail (ouch, those long retail hours!) Are you familiar with direct mail? Do you enjoy catalogs?
What are you good at? Are you a good writer? A great chef? Do you enjoy working with your hands? Are you creative? Are you good at design? Are you good at art? Are you skillful at creating mechanical objects? Are you a great negotiator? Are you detail oriented? Do you have a special gift in any one area? These are all considerations in product selection.
Once you figure out some product ideas and the industry you’d like to be involved in, ask yourself if, somewhere down the road, there are other products you can market to the same audience. Keep in mind that some products can’t be marketed profitably by themselves. You may need to have additional depth in your product line and companion sales to make a profit. For example, if you sell a book, can you sell your purchasers additional books by the same author or by other authors in the same field? A person who buys one book on computer programming is likely to purchase a second on the same topic.
Throw the above mix into a hat, swish it around with a few beers, and these are your considerations for product selection. Stay with product fields in which you have a great interest. If you decide that you can stick it out, selling the same products to the same group without getting bored or tired of it, here’s where to find the products.
The U.S. Patent Office holds a wealth of stimulating ideas for products in every field. There are 81 patent depositories, located in libraries around the United States, where you can look up patents to find hundreds of thousands of both great and poor ideas in any particular field. Since patents are only good for 17 years, any patent issued before 1980 is fair game for you to duplicate, improve, or borrow from. Take a look at the product; if you can improve it - all the better! Voilà - your product concept is ready to go.
If you see a product with a patent issued after 1980, call the patent holder and ask if you can license the patent. Don’t offer - or pay - any money up front, and only offer a very small percentage - 2% to 5% of any net income - “if and when” your marketing of the product is successful. Most patent holders never market their inventions and will be happy to grant you permission to sell their products. Most inventors are just that - inventors; they invent a product, then move on to the next invention. Most aren’t marketers, which is a profession far removed from inventing.
By the way, one of the most fun government publications to read is the Patent Gazette. It’s the weekly publication of the Patent Office, and it shows all the patents issued for that particular week - usually 1,500 to 2,000. The booklet shows a line drawing of the invention and a one-paragraph description of the device. A single copy costs $50, but you can find it at the patent depositories.
No luck at the Patent Office? Go to the library and ask to see their copy of the Thomas Register of American Companies. This set of reference books weighs in at an incredible 270 pounds and contains products and their manufacturers in EVERY field. There are about 30 books in the Thomas Register set, each containing well over 1,000 pages. Just imagine all those manufacturers and distributors, all referenced in this one huge directory for only one reason: just to increase their sales. Can you find products and manufacturers to help you? Heck, yes. And in great depth.
So look up the industries you’re interested in, and get a look at all of the manufacturers and the multitude of products in each. Call any of them and see if they have any inventory - or tooling - of products they’ve tried to market and haven’t been successful with. Remember, most manufacturers are good at… well, manufacturing. They may be horrible at marketing, and as a result, they may have had little success in launching new products. These may be great products. Of course, they may be terrible products, too. But you never know until you ask and explore.
One thing is for sure - if you're an OK negotiator, the price will be right. Products sitting in their basements for a couple of years have little value to manufacturers - and have already cost them time, and still cost them space. They may just want to get rid of them. They may take 5¢ on the dollar. Plastics houses, like injection molders, are a good source of overstock and unsold inventory. Toy manufacturers, too!
If a manufacturer already offers a product you’d like to market, the price goes up. Naturally, as a “special marketing licensee” of their products, you’ll want their best pricing structure. But if you have to go through their set of distributors and retailers, there won’t be enough profit for your nontraditional marketing efforts. You may ask to license their products only for select industries, or through special avenues where they have no presence, such as only marketing through the mail or through TV ads. Make an offer.
If you have no product in particular you’re thinking about bringing to market, how do you select one? Well… do you have a hobby? Do you have a passion? For example, do you love computers? How about plastics? Are you interested in metals? Or in manufacturing? Can you sit and talk about antiques endlessly with your friends? Does the conversation always turn to airplanes? Or to food? All of these passions are great pursuits that become industries you can get involved in. The industries become markets to sell your products.
Or… do you have an industry that you’re familiar with? Have you been on the distribution end of a particular field? Are you in retail (ouch, those long retail hours!) Are you familiar with direct mail? Do you enjoy catalogs?
What are you good at? Are you a good writer? A great chef? Do you enjoy working with your hands? Are you creative? Are you good at design? Are you good at art? Are you skillful at creating mechanical objects? Are you a great negotiator? Are you detail oriented? Do you have a special gift in any one area? These are all considerations in product selection.
Once you figure out some product ideas and the industry you’d like to be involved in, ask yourself if, somewhere down the road, there are other products you can market to the same audience. Keep in mind that some products can’t be marketed profitably by themselves. You may need to have additional depth in your product line and companion sales to make a profit. For example, if you sell a book, can you sell your purchasers additional books by the same author or by other authors in the same field? A person who buys one book on computer programming is likely to purchase a second on the same topic.
Throw the above mix into a hat, swish it around with a few beers, and these are your considerations for product selection. Stay with product fields in which you have a great interest. If you decide that you can stick it out, selling the same products to the same group without getting bored or tired of it, here’s where to find the products.
The U.S. Patent Office holds a wealth of stimulating ideas for products in every field. There are 81 patent depositories, located in libraries around the United States, where you can look up patents to find hundreds of thousands of both great and poor ideas in any particular field. Since patents are only good for 17 years, any patent issued before 1980 is fair game for you to duplicate, improve, or borrow from. Take a look at the product; if you can improve it - all the better! Voilà - your product concept is ready to go.
If you see a product with a patent issued after 1980, call the patent holder and ask if you can license the patent. Don’t offer - or pay - any money up front, and only offer a very small percentage - 2% to 5% of any net income - “if and when” your marketing of the product is successful. Most patent holders never market their inventions and will be happy to grant you permission to sell their products. Most inventors are just that - inventors; they invent a product, then move on to the next invention. Most aren’t marketers, which is a profession far removed from inventing.
By the way, one of the most fun government publications to read is the Patent Gazette. It’s the weekly publication of the Patent Office, and it shows all the patents issued for that particular week - usually 1,500 to 2,000. The booklet shows a line drawing of the invention and a one-paragraph description of the device. A single copy costs $50, but you can find it at the patent depositories.
No luck at the Patent Office? Go to the library and ask to see their copy of the Thomas Register of American Companies. This set of reference books weighs in at an incredible 270 pounds and contains products and their manufacturers in EVERY field. There are about 30 books in the Thomas Register set, each containing well over 1,000 pages. Just imagine all those manufacturers and distributors, all referenced in this one huge directory for only one reason: just to increase their sales. Can you find products and manufacturers to help you? Heck, yes. And in great depth.
So look up the industries you’re interested in, and get a look at all of the manufacturers and the multitude of products in each. Call any of them and see if they have any inventory - or tooling - of products they’ve tried to market and haven’t been successful with. Remember, most manufacturers are good at… well, manufacturing. They may be horrible at marketing, and as a result, they may have had little success in launching new products. These may be great products. Of course, they may be terrible products, too. But you never know until you ask and explore.
One thing is for sure - if you're an OK negotiator, the price will be right. Products sitting in their basements for a couple of years have little value to manufacturers - and have already cost them time, and still cost them space. They may just want to get rid of them. They may take 5¢ on the dollar. Plastics houses, like injection molders, are a good source of overstock and unsold inventory. Toy manufacturers, too!
If a manufacturer already offers a product you’d like to market, the price goes up. Naturally, as a “special marketing licensee” of their products, you’ll want their best pricing structure. But if you have to go through their set of distributors and retailers, there won’t be enough profit for your nontraditional marketing efforts. You may ask to license their products only for select industries, or through special avenues where they have no presence, such as only marketing through the mail or through TV ads. Make an offer.
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