04.11.2017 - By Kevin Mako of Mako Design + Invent
Bill McAlister is President of Top Dog Direct, one of the most successful marketers of “As Seen on TV” products. Bill and his team are constantly on the look-out for the next hit consumer product and they meet with at-home inventors regularly.
Bill discusses what direct response television (DRTV) marketers look for in consumer inventions and how an at-home inventor can get a product to market without breaking the bank.
In this episode, we learn about
* The 14-Day JUST START Challenge
* Bill's experience in QVC and HSN
* The essential elements of a good As-Seen-on-TV pitch
* How to determine if your product will be successful
* The role of patents in product development
* How to compete without a patent
* How to know who to trust in the product development space
* The advantages of licensing and downsides to rolling your own product
* The "as-seen-on-TV" audience and the grow of the Millenial generation
* The positioning of Amazon in ecommerce, and consumer expectations
* The appropriate cost of goods vs the sales price
* Sample royalty rates in as-seen-on-TV products
* Other reasons for people to pursue licensing
Links and resources mentioned in this episode
* Website: topdogdirect.com
* Social Media
* Twitter: @TopDogDirect
* Facebook: facebook.com/TopDogDirect
* Instagram: instagram.com/topdogdirect