How does one contact OEM's to present a product invention?

[Springbok]

Hi All.

I have a training aid I have invented that I believe is quite revolutionary and I expect will have significant tour usage, since it will give any user that uses it a competitive advantage. Some general details which may influence your responses:

1) I have a comprehensive provisional patent filed.

2) I have a fully fledged product proposal with cost and profit analysis.

3) I have a product one-page

4) I have a fully working prototype

I do not want to violate any promotion/solicitation rules. Hence no product name, websites or any product details/info has been stated/provided. I am am simply looking for information on the best way to approach OEM's, since they all have bans on unsolicited product proposals. I realize it is a training aid, and OEM's don't sell training aids. But in all honesty, the aid could significantly impact the sales of clubs in the area it is designed/intended to be used with.

I have so much confidence in my product... but I don't have the contacts to make it happen. All the elite amateurs I have shown it to here in South Africa have been very impressed. If I were in the USA, I would make an effort to go to the PGA show, but in all honesty, I don't know how I would set up meetings with OEM's or present it.

Your help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[GolfSpy_APH]

8 minutes ago, Springbok said:

Hi All.

I have a training aid I have invented that I believe is quite revolutionary and I expect will have significant tour usage, since it will give any user that uses it a competitive advantage. Some general details which may influence your responses:

1) I have a comprehensive provisional patent filed.

2) I have a fully fledged product proposal with cost and profit analysis.

3) I have a product one-page

4) I have a fully working prototype

I do not want to violate any promotion/solicitation rules. Hence no product name, websites or any product details/info has been stated/provided. I am am simply looking for information on the best way to approach OEM's, since they all have bans on unsolicited product proposals. I realize it is a training aid, and OEM's don't sell training aids. But in all honesty, the aid could significantly impact the sales of clubs in the area it is designed/intended to be used with.

I have so much confidence in my product... but I don't have the contacts to make it happen. All the elite amateurs I have shown it to here in South Africa have been very impressed. If I were in the USA, I would make an effort to go to the PGA show, but in all honesty, I don't know how I would set up meetings with OEM's or present it.

Your help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Easiest way is just through the contract us. 

Making connections through the PGA show would be the other near must. 

Alternatively you could contact smaller brands such as DTC which may be more responsive in that they are smaller and can be perceived as more approachable. 

Contacting shows like dragons den or shark tank is another way to get the product out there. 

Finally why does it have to be an OEM? Could it not be a company that already produces training aids or more in that space. Think speed training companies? 

[Springbok]

Thank you for your response. It doesn't have to be an OEM. LAB would be a perfect partner. So would AimPoint, or even SKLZ. I sent LAB and SKLZ a message. LAB CS said they would forward it, but never heard anything back. SKLZ never replied to my message. Every OEM I contacted through their contact page sent a message back simply stating that they do not take unsolicited product requests.

[Springbok]

Obviously no details were provided to them. I was told one can't/shouldn't do that because it would automatically get rejected for legal reasons. I simply provided them the exact info I stated in my original post here. That it was a training aid, and that I had all those things listed in points 1-4

[GolfSpy_APH]

41 minutes ago, Springbok said:

Thank you for your response. It doesn't have to be an OEM. LAB would be a perfect partner. So would AimPoint, or even SKLZ. I sent LAB and SKLZ a message. LAB CS said they would forward it, but never heard anything back. SKLZ never replied to my message. Every OEM I contacted through their contact page sent a message back simply stating that they do not take unsolicited product requests.

In that case sounds like you need to get to a golf expo or sorts. There is one here in Zurich beginning of February. PGA show starts next week. At least there you may be able to make connections that lead to something. 

That or may be that you will need to start up on your own, do your socials and try to get something going there and hopefully the results translate to being noticed and them going to you? 

Training aids are tough... there are literally millions out there and enough that are crap or don't work (not at all saying this is yours) which make consumers cautious. 

[Josh Parker]

First, congrats on creating a product! 

Honest question 

What is holding you back from doing your own thing?  

[RickyBobby_PR]

Promote it yourself using social media, show someone using it and how it changed their game with before and after results, as mentioned above get a booth at a golf expo or go and make pitches in person.

Find a golf instructor and partner with them so that they can use it with their students and help promote its benefits. 
 

But for the most post you are probably going to have to go it alone until it’s making money and someone buys you out or you keep at it on your own

[revkev]

40 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Promote it yourself using social media, show someone using it and how it changed their game with before and after results, as mentioned above get a booth at a golf expo or go and make pitches in person.

Find a golf instructor and partner with them so that they can use it with their students and help promote its benefits. 
 

But for the most post you are probably going to have to go it alone until it’s making money and someone buys you out or you keep at it on your own

Everything that I would suggest has already been suggested  - if you could find a teacher with some sort of following to hop on with you - that would be your best case scenario.  First now though you need to do things that get your product on the radar - no doubt on your own - if you can get to expos as APH suggested, that's good but producing your own social media videos would be better - you'll reach more people.  

[cnosil]

Sounds like you have an idea that you are hoping for someone to invest in so you can bring it to market.  OEMs don’t want solicitations because they probably get thousands a day.  You could go the route of something like kickstarter to get funding to manufacture the product.  This would give you actual sales numbers and not just a projected sales analysis.
 

 PGA show is probably your best option.  You would buy a booth in their new product area which would give you the exposure you are looking for.   https://www.pgashow.com/en-us/interested-in-exhibiting.html

Edited January 16 by cnosil

[Springbok]

8 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

First, congrats on creating a product! 

Honest question 

What is holding you back from doing your own thing?  

In all honesty... my current stable job. I can't quit a stable well paying job to pursue this.. hence was trying to find a buyer/licensor,

[Springbok]

6 hours ago, cnosil said:

Sounds like you have an idea that you are hoping for someone to invest in so you can bring it to market.  OEMs don’t want solicitations because they probably get thousands a day.  You could go the route of something like kickstarter to get funding to manufacture the product.  This would give you actual sales numbers and not just a projected sales analysis.
 

 PGA show is probably your best option.  You would buy a booth in their new product area which would give you the exposure you are looking for.   https://www.pgashow.com/en-us/interested-in-exhibiting.html

Yeah... being in South Africa makes that difficult. I will be returning to the US in April

[Josh Parker]

1 hour ago, Springbok said:

In all honesty... my current stable job. I can't quit a stable well paying job to pursue this.. hence was trying to find a buyer/licensor,

Personally, if it's something that you really want to pursue or get off the ground, it's going to take some work.  If you are wanting just a buyer/licensor, it will still take some leg work and getting a name built.  Get it in the hands of some instructors, golfers, etc to get feedback and then it's really just sitting down and beating the phones to get it in front of people/companies.

If I were just wanting to sell the license/product to a company, I would be reaching out to 5-10 a day until I got a response and then repeat the process on the ones that didn't answer.  May take an hour a day but if you accomplish what you want, would be well worth it.