Byron Woodruff / Paint Trix Inc.

In part one, we left our Inventor as he was experiencing a singular moment of creative, climatic ecstasy. The last pieces of his new tool had been fitted together. His creation was alive. In this installment, we will see how he unleashes his creation on an unsuspecting public.

Baby Pictures
The Inventor now has his hands on the prototype - the only living sample on the face of the earth. An experienced paint tool inventor will take this opportunity to get a few photos of the tool in it's clean, fresh, virgin state. It will never be this attractive again. These photos will adorn many a flyer, postcard, and may even be displayed (if lucky) in several trade magazines as a: "New Product Press Release."

Getting the Perfect Shot
All amateur attempts at photography fail in one critical area - lighting. It is nearly impossible to eliminate both shadows and glare on shiny metal products in any sort of "homemade" photo shoot. It doesn't matter what type lights - or how many you use. It doesn't matter what kind of background you use. I have seen (and experienced) a product drug from one end of the building to the other - and even taken outside and around a building in search of the elusive "ideal lighting" experience. Despite the difficulty, you try. It can safely be said that Inventors are much better at turning cranks and handles on machine tools than they are operating a camera. Nerves are on edge. Shaky hands position the product. They reposition the product. They reposition the product again - searching - striving - to get "the perfect angle" - the one shot that will perfectly display their creation and all it's glorious innovations. The game plan here is simple - out of the shear volume of photos taken a miracle will occur at some point and a usable image will emerge. Miracles do happen, but usually not in photography. Time to bite the bullet and schedule a "studio shoot." A quick check of your bank balance is appropriate at this time.

Entering the confines of the photo studio can be intimidating. It is the first time a member from the general public will see your creation. Insecurities begin to surface. It is product worth all the attention? Will the man behind the camera have to bite his tongue when you place your baby on the table? You easily find yourself getting defensive. "I know it doesn't look like much but..." Pro photographers have heard and seen it all before. They offer reassurance, kind words - and on occasion - fain genuine interest in the tool. All part of being a Pro.

There is no such thing as a "quick shot" with these guys. It can take hours. Background options, lighting arrangements, camera angles, etc., etc. They seem to have an unlimited list of options and suggestions. Pretty soon you find yourself nodding a lot and mumbling statements such as, "That looks good...I kind of like the other one too..." Your head is swimming with images. The final decision is rarely based on artistic criteria, more often, it's based on simple frustration, confusion, and - ultimately - lack of patience. At some point in this process you just grab one of the many Polaroid's developing on the table and say. "I like this one." For the rest of the day you are haunted with whether you made the right choice or not. In time, you forget about it. In 30 days, you pay for it. It can easily cost $400 for that one "perfect shot." This is why you see the same picture of a product in every piece of literature or magazine ad. Nobody wants to repeat the process.

Testing Part 1 - The Judge
 Now that the Inventor's creation has been immortalized on film, it's time for him to actually do some real work with the tool. Enter his world: You are looking for problems. Anything that may have been missed in design. This is a soul-searching experience for you. You will be examining every inch of your baby for any imperfections or blemishes. You are both the best and the worst judge. For now, you are the only judge. You pray for a healthy productive child. You wish this to be true. You may be too emotionally attached - too quick to explain away defects. Yet, no one knows the tool better than you. You know what it is supposed to do. You know how and why every component is shaped the way it is - you sculpted them yourself. You played god in it's creation.

Proof of Concept - Let's get dirty
The Inventor now enters the dark chambers of the test area - and hits the light switch. This area is usually a secluded back room somewhere that is far enough away to not incur the wrath of those who don't care for the smell of paint. For the paint tool inventor this is his inner sanctum. This is where the truth shall be revealed to him. He will be testing his tool for the first time "wet." He will be learning how best to setup and use it (with the understanding of including this information in operating manuals and warning labels). Mainly, though, he will be looking for problems. The tool will be tested under a variety of circumstances. This can last for days, weeks, or even months, depending on the complexity of the tool. Again, enter his world: You start with easy tests. If things look good, you try ever more extreme measures to find weaknesses in the design. You are learning to understand your child. At times, the Inventor may be overheard asking the tool a direct question under his breath, "Why did you do that? Now what's wrong?" You learn what your tool can and can't do. In almost every case you will find that a minor change - or tweak here and there is required. This is where things can get tricky. As an inventor, you are by nature a tinkerer. At some point, you force yourself to draw the line on further testing or refinements (or your shareholders surely will).

Testing Part 2 - "Look Ma, no hands!"
It is time for a field test. Picture a parent teaching their child to ride a bike for the first time. The child begins to wobble forward. Slowly, they begin to gain speed. The parent trots alongside - hovering over them - a flurry of waving, grasping, protective hands. The loving parent finds it very hard to let go! Same feeling an inventor experiences when he hands his tools over for field testing. In the field, you do not have the ability to shape the results. You must let go. This is the point. You must have the unvarnished truth. If there are flaws in the design this is the surest way to find out. Like a defendant in a trial, you await the decision of the jury. Their decision is final. You need far more than a jury of twelve. You need feedback from as diverse a segment of your presumed customer base as possible. OK...so, how do you get your baby in the hands of a diverse group of total strangers?

Birth Announcement
As stated above, you need an unbiased assessment of your tool from a wide a cross-section of your presumed customer base as possible. The best (and most honest) way to achieve this is to work with total strangers from around the country. How do you find total strangers form around the country to test a tool that is yet unseen? Enter the "New Product Press Release." Remember that expensive photo our Inventor sweated over? Well, this will be it's first use. All trade magazines feature a "new product" section. It is offered as a free service to manufacturers. Obviously, the magazine hopes the manufacturer will be back to further promote the product with paid ads, but there is no contract here. It is free. It is often one of the most highly read sections in a publication and serves to draw and maintain readership. There is no guarantee a magazine will run a new product release - it's the magazine editor's decision alone. This time, the magazine editor gets to play god with your baby.

Writing a new product press release can be a grueling endeavor for an Inventor. Because the tool is new, there is much to say. Similar to home movies, the narration can easily get out-of-hand. Like writing an ad, you try to cram all pertinent information in the first couple of sentences. Anything written after that may well be edited out due to space constraints. You need to prioritize and list things in a descending order of importance. The key here, is not to tell the whole story, but to get people to ask more about it. You want leads. When someone circles the number under your release in the magazine you have a lead. In the industry, these are known as "bingo cards." You generally see them about 3-4 weeks after the magazine hits the streets. They come to you as adhesive-backed/pre-addressed labels.

It can easily take 2 months between the time you send a press release in and get the results (bingo leads). This period of time is not unlike an expectant father (in days of old) sitting in the waiting room of a maternity ward. You are a bundle of nerves. The situation will take it's natural course. There is nothing you can do, yet you are responsible for the whole thing. What separates this experience from the maternity ward, is that it takes weeks and months - not hours. Soon, the whole world will see your baby - and you will be asking them what they think. If they are excited, you will be proud. If they are silent, you will be emotionally hurt - "What's wrong with my baby? Is everyone out there blind? Can't they see what I see?" It's hard not to take it personally. So much of you is in it.

But first, you have to put the "new product press release" together. After days of writing, rewriting, editing, and editing again, you decide that those two paragraphs just about say it all. You carefully package up the text and the photo and carefully seal them up in a FEDEX envelope. You fill out the address slip carefully. Your nerves are on edge - no time to experience temporary dyslexia. You find yourself checking and rechecking to make sure everything is filled out correctly. You jump in the car and speed off to the drop-off location. You dream as you drive. You imagine, "This was the trip that changed everything." As you walk up to the counter, you examine the address one last time. The man behind the counter takes it and hands you back a receipt. As you walk out of the building, you say to yourself, "There's no turning back now." You are momentarily relieved - but soon haunted again. Your mind swings from moments of extreme optimism and visions of wild success - to worry and visions of total disappointment. In two months the readership of the magazine will render it's opinion. Your first hint will come by phone. If interest is high, you will start getting calls the moment the magazines hit the street. After only 2-3 calls you will be able to detect the trend. The bingo leads will come later. You pray for a "big count." For now, it's out of your hands. All the Inventor can do is refocus on the complex task of reproducing copies of his baby. He needs to set the wheels in motion for a limited production run, because among those calls and bingo leads sits his field testers. They will need product to test.

Part 3 - Limited Production Run and the Field Test.