There ya go... :-D
So here`s what comes out of this role play: At the start, you focused
much more on your own excitement, the "idea" of the game, and used only
superlatives and feelings to try to convince me that I should invest
lots of moolah.
As we worked it and reworked it, you`ve now come to a point where I
think you`d be much more successful in a "pitch" to get some investment.
What I`d suggest is that you do some practicing with a video camera or
perhaps just a cassette recorder (do they still have those?). Give
yourself 5 minutes exactly, like when you make a pitch in front of the
US Supreme Court.
In the first 30 seconds, you describe the idea completely. But that`s
all you use, no more. So you might say something along the lines of:
My product is designed to modify a
simple table-tennis (ping-pong) game into a 3-dimensional, "extreme"
game. Using plexiglass walls to surround the ordinary table, players
will now handle a flying ball coming at them from all directions.
I`m making that up, but the point is you have 30 seconds to get a
visual impression. Later, if you have the chance to use a PowerPoint or
photo presentation, you can get some quick pictures to drive home the
point.
From there, you take the next 4 minutes (exactly) to summarize what
you`ve now listed in the above post. Go with what you DO have, not what
you expect to have, based on hopeful promises. So, for example, you
have a pretty solid commitment to demo the game at the local club. You
have a pretty solid promise on the 5 contacts, and you sound like
you`ve got a pretty solid connection to the manufacturer.
Despite your thoughts about banks, sit down and figure out exactly what
it would cost to build out the number of pieces you`d need to set up
the demo at the club. Include in that the cost (get estimates) of a
professional videographer and editing company.
That should be well below the $100K you`re looking for, but it will get
you a DVD that you can hand out to your meeting participants. From
there, take the meeting with the manufacturer. You`ll now have your
5-minute presentation (the last 30 seconds is your summation).
Explain to them the idea, and suggest that they take a look at the DVD.
With pro editing, you could get it down to about 2 minutes or
thereabouts, with music, voice-over, and so on.
ALL of this is going to mean having a protected idea, so that if the
manufacturers are interested, you`re protected. You certainly will need
an attorney to help on that end, to make sure you`ve got the whole idea
protected.
It looks to me as though the pathway here would more likely be a basic
startup loan from a lender of some kind, then a distribution and
manufacturing contract. That`s my overall supposition, not being a
heavy-duty business manager.
- Get an attorney: Protect your idea.
- Build the prototype, demo it at the club
- Film a documentary commercial (short)
- Take the manufacturer meeting, present and leave behind the DVD
Again, being a philosopher, not a business manager, I would
suppose that if you get real interest from the manufacturer, then you
also could get something in writing. At THAT point, with a real
manufacturer interested, you`ll also have a much more solid number you
can take to an investment lender.
Ultimately, it comes down to proof of concept and a prototype.
CraigL2008-6-26 23:12:6
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