Speak Up 2: Talking to Clubs and Organizations

Last week, I talked about the value of speaking to clubs and organizations. Speaking up helps an inventor/entrepreneur to network and promote a product. It is also can be kind of scary. You only get a few minutes in which to make an impression and convey your message, so it's important to do it right.

I joined Toastmasters to improve my speaking skills, so I do my best when I went out and spoke to organizations. Toastmasters is an international organization that has groups that meet in just about every community--even my small rural community.

At Toastmasters, there is no instructor; instead,you learn from other participants as each speech and meeting is critiqued by a member in a positive manner, focusing on what was done right and what could be improved. You learn skills by filling a meeting role, such as giving a prepared or impromptu speech or serving as timer, evaluator, or grammarian.

Here is what I learned at Toastmasters:

• Humor is important;
• People want to be entertained while being informed;
• Know your audience so you can deliver the right message;
• To be prepared you have practice, practice, practice.

I highly recommend joining Toastmasters to become a better public speaker. And then go out and speak up!

Speak Up I: Talking to Clubs and Organizations

I've never been shy. My first marketing ploy was to dress up in whiteboard clothing at a trade show to demonstrate the eraser I had invented for dry erase markers. One of the first things I learned when I went into business was that I had to speak up and talk to people about my product, my business, and myself.

I'm a tad more subdued in my approach these days, but I know the value of talking ever time I get the chance. Speaking at local clubs and organizations is a particularly delightful and enterprising opportunity. Most organizations, like Lions and Rotary, have lunch or breakfast meetings to which they invite speakers. I've taken to wangling invites to be a speaker at such meetings. I can hear you thinking: Why in the world would she want to talk to Kiwanis or Soroptimist Clubs? Let me speak to that.

Just last week, I gave a talk at a Sons in Retirement (SIR) meeting. SIR is an organization for men who are are retired from full-time, gainful employment. They have a monthly luncheon meeting that includes a featured speaker. The organization espouses no political party, religion or sect of any kind, nor promotes any cause regardless of how worthy. However, they are a bunch of really cool retired guys who are interested in all kinds of things.

So I told my story to the guys at SIR, and as always, I emphasized how my story shows that the American Dream is still accessible. I told them it takes hard work and perseverance to take ideas to market, but for anyone willing to do the work and ask for help, it is possible. Then I told them all the ways that I worked hard, and I closed by asking for help. That's right! I put out a request for investors, and one gentleman approached me after the meeting to find out more. We will be having lunch soon.

So the answer to why I speak at groups is basically this: I like to tell my story in the hopes that it will inspire and inform AND I also know that connecting with people this way opens doors, especially if I am boldly willing to ask for help. Remember, I'm not shy!

In my next post, I will say more about crafting a talk that fits the needs of the group to whom I am speaking. Tune in for more on speaking up!

Outsourcing

At the start of their journey, most inventors hope to manufacture their product in the United States, but as the women in The Right Sisters reveal, financial challenges often compel inventors to outsource the manufacture of their invention to a third part outside of the United States. I was one such person, and though I'm now finding ways to manufacture stateside, I have learned some important lessons about about outsourcing.

Most importantly, I learned that when you can't manufacture in the USA, you need to establish excellent relationships with the third party with whom you are working. The great distance as well as language barriers and cultural differences make this a challenging task. That's where networking comes to play.

I met Michelle Bonn through Big Fish Nation Nation, a business development program. Michelle is the owner of Expedient Trade, LLC, an international sourcing and manufacturing service company located in Buffalo, NY. Her expertise extends to international trade and manufacturing project management, so she was an excellent contact to help me negotiate some of the hurdles I faced while manufacturing in China.

I was drawn to Michelle's excitement, enthusiasm and drive as well as her expertise in the business of importing and manufacturing overseas. I was especially impressed by the fact she outsourced with women in third world countries--not to make money, but to help them to start businesses. I hired her to assist with outsourcing the manufacture of some of my new products.

Michelle's knowledge of importing and exporting and her relationships with customs was invaluable. When the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSIA) issued new laws, she found a qualified manufacturer to ensure that our products were constructed to be safe for kids. Michelle than helped KleenSlate secure the required Compliance Certificates. When I needed the advice of Chinese lawyers, she set up the communications. As our prototypes began to arrive for the new products, she listened to what needed to be changed and helped facilitate the necessary corrections. She understood that we wanted to be a leader in the dry erase industry and knew that meant delivering quality products to our customers.

Working with Michelle Bonn helped me build strong relationships with my manufacturing partners and underscored the value of surrounding myself with experts to help negotiate the intricacies of my inventor journey.

Back to School Gifts

One of the greatest pleasures of being in business is giving away KleenSlate products to worthwhile causes. That's why I was thrilled when Julie Kenny included KleenSlate paddles and markers in the Jewels and Pinstripes Back to School Gift Bag.

Jewels and Pinstripes is a gift bag company that is dedicated to raising money for charitable causes. Each year the gift bag project helps a charitable cause. This year, a gift bag will be auctioned to benefit the Care to Learn Fund.

According to the press release:

The gift bag, valued at more than $1,150, includes a wide assortment of fashion-forward children’s products to prepare top celebrity kids for their first day of school with such essentials as lunch boxes, eco-friendly apparel, accessories, kid-friendly stationery, jewelry, learning aids, gift certificates and many other fabulous products.

KleenSlate paddles are one of those fabulous projects!

Not only is my product coupled with "a wide assortment of fashion-forward children's products" (Woohoo!), I am proud to be connected with the Care to Learn Fund which strives to lift children out of poverty.

Pockets of Inspiration

One of the women inventors in the The Right Sisters, talks about the importance of staying upbeat during trying circumstances. Beth Butler, who gives motivational talks at teacher conferences, tells teachers, "If you're not refreshed and rejuvenated to start your day, how can you deal with twelve or seventeen preschoolers?" Beth practices what she preaches by taking time for herself at the start of each day to pray or read inspirational material.

I've found a great way to insert a little pocket of inspiration into the start my day. Each morning, I get my cup of tea and head to the computer to check my email. Since I subscribe to "Inspire Me Today," I always find an inspiring message tucked in among the business messages.

Gail Lynne Goodwin's website and blog is a fountain of inspiration for she broadcasts words of wisdom and encouragement. At the website, you can subscribe to a steady flow of inspiration that arrives daily in your email inbox. If you are like me, you will often click into her website from the message to read more. For me, this little pocket of inspiration launches my day, filling me with determination and enthusiasm.

ADVERTISE

What do you think of when you see the word ADVERTISE?

Do you see a print ad in a newspaper, magazine or phone book? Or maybe you think of those magnetic business signs that folks put on cars. Business cards are another way to get your company name out there. Advertising is an essential business practice.

In the 21st century, you also have to advertise on the web. Early on, one of my mentors told me that I need a cyber-presence and he urged me to get my business website up and running as quickly as possible. Writing a blog like "Inventor Mentor" is another way to have a cyber-presence.

Recently I found my business advertised repeatedly by others on the World Wide Web.

In July I was the featured inventor in the "Flash of Genius" column in the July 2010 issue of the USPTO online newsletter InventorsEye. I wrote about this honor in a previous blog, "Protect Your Ideas."

Then Dane Carlson ran a fabulous vidcast on his blog in a segment called "That's My Business #102." In this 3-minute production, Rich Whittle interviews me about starting my business while pictures of my products appear on the screen as I answered his questions.

And this week, an article about KleenSlate Concepts was featured on the Marquette segment of Examiner.com. This site writes web-based articles related to specific geographic locations, in this case the upper peninsula of Michigan, where my erasers on now being manufactured. The article is called "Back-to-school COOL with KleenSlate (R) Concepts." In this article, my business name and the value of my product is promoted in a region I might not otherwise have been visible.

Advertisement like this is priceless and free. Each piece is unique in tone, emphasis and format thus providing a fresh look at KleenSlate. Best of all, the KleenSlate name is locked into these sites virtually forever and has the potential to come up in web searches for a long time to come.

What do your customers want?

I find it incredibly important to listen to what my customers want. This tactic has served me well in the past to improve my products, packaging, and the specials that I offer.

For example, when I first invented the eraser for dry erase marker, I was listening to potential customers who didn't want to take the time to reach for the block eraser and wanted something on the end of the marker. Later, when I was selling the eraser, teachers started asking about hand-held whiteboards, and that's when I invented the KleenSlate Paddle. When I heard teachers say that they disliked the scent of dry erase markers, I developed a marker without an odor.

I've learned that it is essential to listen to my customers if I want to grow my products and my business. Since my business caters to educators, I plan to take some teachers to lunch in the next few weeks. I've created a list of questions to ask them:

• What are the biggest challenges you have in your classroom?
• What tools do you use that you frequently tell others about?
• What's one thing that's not working in your classroom right now?
• When buying a "widget" tool for your classroom, what features are important to you?
• What annoys you when dealing with suppliers of educational products?
• What's on your wish list?
• If you could invent a product that would make teaching easier, what problem would it solve?

My focus at lunch will be to ask the question and LISTEN to the answers!

What about you? Who do you need to take to lunch to grow your business? What questions will you ask? How can you hone in on what your customers needs?