How to Play Nice with Others: Your Relationships with Inventor Service Providers

Finding Mr. Right is just as important as avoiding Mr. Wrong

“The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.” – Anthony Robbins

I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you. I can’t keep you from hiring bad inventor service providers. No one can, except for one person: you. If I were to go out and haphazardly spend my hard-earned dollars on a bad service provider and end up with nothing to show for it, ultimately there is only one person to blame: the guy staring back at me in the mirror. This is true about so much of an inventor’s success and/or failure. Sure you can blame that bad service provider (and there are a lot of hucksters out there!), that bad partnership, the bad economy or a lack of opportunity, but ultimately, it will always all boil down to you. That’s the thing about inventors and entrepreneurs; they are ultimately the one in control. The steering wheel is in your hand and the gas pedal is under your foot. Where you take the vehicle is where you take the vehicle!

So how do you take the vehicle where you want it to end up? Well, for one it’s up to you to get a map or stop and ask for directions! So many inventors have asked us those “directions” questions over the years. Ones like, “how do I know who to trust?”.

Let me make this crystal clear: yes, there are some heavily advertised, very bad companies out there that are looking to take your money, give you false hope and leave you with nothing but just that. There have been court rulings, charges by the Federal Trade Commission, and laws passed to try to keep these snakes from taking your money. Some people have even dedicated websites to pointing at the biggest offenders. But the problem is that the scam companies that don’t have any integrity to begin with are hard to point at and identify. It’s like trying to nail Jello to a tree! The bad guys aren’t going to just lie down and say, “well, I guess you’ve got me”. If you turn over a rock and find a snake, it’s going to just slither under another rock! Bad companies with no integrity will simply shut down, reorganize, and go across the street, advertising themselves as the “new and improved” inventor scam company.

So what do you do? How do you acquire the wisdom to know the difference between the really bad and the really good companies out there? If you can’t necessarily figure out who the bad guys are by looking at their name, then you’re going to have to identify them another way. There’s an old saying, “by their fruits you shall know them”, and I think it definitely applies here. If they walk like a duck, quack like a duck and swim like a duck, they’re probably a duck, especially when they tell you they’re an eagle. And if any company uses greed or fear to motivate you, or applies pressure for you to send them money, they are not a company with integrity. Basically, run!

That said, there are many good service providers out there that do have integrity. They can be found, but it takes time and patience. Ask the right questions. What exactly am I paying for? How are the results measured and quantified? Are there any fees prior to the work being done? Do they have references that you can verify with people you know and/or are involved in a good inventors organization like the CKIC?

I’m also a big believer in getting 3 quotes for everything. Once you have know what the quantifiable results will be, you can shop around, apples for apples. And never, ever, ever, ever, ever (did I say never?) purchase invention services that you don’t completely understand. Define the deliverables (exactly what they’re providing for the money).

Be totally immersed in the inventing step you’re purchasing services for. Understand your needs. If you don’t know what you need, you’ll pay more for what you want. You also have to be able to properly communicate exactly what it is you’re wanting done. I can guarantee you that even with good companies, any venture where the 2 people involved have different definitions for the same word will end badly with both parties feeling like they got the shaft.

In our microwave culture, some inventors have the idea that they can hire a service provider, add water and instantly have a successful patent, prototype, or whatever. Take the time to know and understand a potential service provider before you trust them with your money. And take the time necessary to find and work with good companies that have integrity and then refer them to others!