RETIRED - How to Sell Your Widget on SparkFun
This Tutorial is Retired!
This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.
View the updated tutorial: How to Sell Your Widget on SparkFun
jimblom 
Pitching Your Product
Pitching a product can be a daunting task. You need to demonstrate how awesome your product is in both technical and marketable aspects. Here you'll find a rundown on what a we look for when evaluating potential new products.
- Introduce yourself and, if applicable, your company. Talk about your company, other products you've designed, your market, and your involvement in the industry. Provide any relevant links, such as your website and product page.
- Lay your product spiel on us. There should be a clear, compelling reason for why this product was created. Explain what it does, how it does it, and some of the major design decisions.
- Include the basics: specifications, applications, pricing, design files, and bill of materials if applicable.
- A working prototype or product also really helps a pitch. It shows commitment via invested time and effort expended on working out the kinks. Additionally, it makes your product more enticing, since it represents significantly less risk.
- Be careful of a common pitfall here! Too many features will drive up price, size, and complexity. There is a sweet spot for all products with just the right number of features for the majority of users. When we design products, we aim to tailor it for the 90% use case. This keeps the ease of use and price down while still maintaining value.
- Compare and contrast your product with similar, competing products.
- Explain what makes your product unique and innovative. Show that there is significant differentiation between it and everything else out there. We need to understand why your product adds value over our current offerings.
- Point out what void or market demand is met.
- Another important aspect of a product is the market. Present your expectations of the market and competition. This doesn't mean a ten page report, but do your homework. Estimate how popular your product will be. Use real numbers over vague qualifications, projected average sales per month is a good example.
- Price is especially important! Compare the prices and features of your product versus its competition.
- Know how saturated the market is as well. If a product fits into a niche, that can be especially helpful.
Email Us!
Here at SparkFun we strive to be the place to get hard-to-find and innovative electronics. Additionally, we try to carry the extra parts and tools required for you to complete you project. We are always looking to expand our catalog and love to hear what customers and the community have created.
If either of these options sound like the opportunity you are looking for please shoot us an email at spark@sparkfun.com.