There are many patents issued which the patentees thereof can as successfully dispose of from the smallest hamlet in the United States as from New York, Chicago, or any of our larger cities, while, of course, there are others which only those directly connected with the largest and wealthiest corporations can hope to dispose of successfully. The main thing is not to become discour[p. 46]aged or give up until one succeeds in making a sale.
About Advertising.
To make the merits and importance of an invention publicly known is, in many cases, one of the best ways of bringing about the introduction and sale of a patent. If the inventor has a patent on an invention that manufacturers or others want, and can make its merits and superior qualities known to them, negotiations will soon follow. There is no way for patentees to place themselves in communication with prospective investors quite equal to an advertisement in the proper medium. Here it may be well to state that patentees who decide to advertise their patents for sale or otherwise should place their advertisements in publications of known standing, such as the leading daily newspapers. A brief, well-worded advertisement in the "Business Opportunities" column of these papers bring quick and good results, though, perhaps a better class of inquiries may be obtained by advertising in the trade journals of the class to which the invention relates, and while the trade journals may not bring about as many inquiries as the dailies, those that answer will be more apt to be interested and talk business. Either of the above are good mediums, but in advertising patents for sale patentees should carefully avoid those publications that are published at uncertain[p. 47] intervals, and usually for the express purpose of circulating among inventors for various purposes. They do not reach the class of people that invest in patents. Inventors should know the class of people that would be likely to become interested in their inventions, and advertise in such mediums as have the largest circulation among that class.
How to Write an Advertisement.
In the construction of an advertisement there is often too much waste by using too much verbiage, too many unnecessary words or sentences, sometimes too much display. Prudence in the arrangement, and care in editing an advertisement, will save much expense. The size of an advertisement of this class has really little to do with its pulling qualities.
The statements should be assuming, and at the same time truthful, as any deception in an advertisement is sure to work an injury. There should not be more claimed in the advertisement than sounds reasonable, even though it be stating facts; if an advertisement sounds unreasonable it will not have the desired result. Inventors sometimes become so enthusiastic over their inventions that they exaggerate unintentionally. A good rule is for the inventor to read over the advertisement, and ask himself, "If this statement was read by me, would I believe it; would it convince me?" etc.[p. 48]
Putting one's self in the purchaser's place is always one of the best factors in writing good advertisements. The inventor should put himself in the place of the purchaser of the patent, and reason what would induce him to investigate its merits; what would likely cause him to take it up, and so on; he should think and write fully along these general lines, incorporate these reasons into an advertisement; then boil it down by cutting out the unnecessary words and sentences; prune, remodel, and rewrite until he has a brief advertisement, clear, concise, and to the point.
Correspondence as a Means of Bringing Patents before Interested Parties.
While to advertise, as suggested in the foregoing pages, would require a very moderate outlay, and be, perhaps, the better course to pursue: however, in connection with it, or if the patentee does not feel that he can afford the expense of advertising, a very good plan is for him to secure copies of a number of the trade journals of the class to which his invention relates, and carefully look over the advertisements therein, and select a list of such manufacturers as would seem likely to be induced to purchase the patent in question, or manufacture the article on royalty. In this manner the patentee will probably get the best up-to-date list obtainable, and it may be set down as a fact, with very few exceptions, that if manufacturers[p. 49] and dealers who make and handle just such articles as the patent calls for cannot be interested, it is very hard to interest others not engaged in such line, except when the invention is large, and requires a great deal of capital to work the same.
How to Correspond with Manufacturers.