InventHelp Sales Representative - Alonzo Rivera

InventHelp® Appears on World Business Review

World Business Review (WBR) is a television newsmagazine that airs on both CNBC and Bravo. It discusses business and technology, and presents segments about specific companies. Recently a program was run on innovation featuring an InventHelp review. InventHelp paid for the production costs of this segment to inform the public about its services.

 

Robert Susa, Director of Sales & Marketing, appeared on the show. Susa said, "Our goal in being on the show was to educate inventors about InventHelp's services and to differentiate ourselves from other competitors through our honest approach to the invention business."

Hosted by General Norman Schwarzkopf, the weekly review series is among the longest running TV programs utilizing the newsmagazine format. General Schwarzkopf is best known for his service as Commander-in-Chief, United States Central Command and Commander of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

The WBR field-shoot crew visited InventHelp's corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh in mid-September. In October, Susa traveled to Florida to be interviewed by General Schwarzkopf. (Read the full transcript here.)

Among the program highlights from this InventHelp review, the General noted that two-thirds of new inventions come from individual inventors. He asked Susa what types of challenges inventors face.

"Many companies adhere to the 'not invented here' mindset – which means if they didn't invent it, it's not worth producing," Susa replied. "It's really hard to get a company just to look at an invention, much less review it in confidence. At InventHelp, we have a databank of companies that agree to review our clients' inventions in confidence."

When asked what is different about InventHelp when compared to other invention companies, Susa replied, "I would have to say it's our people. We have a staff of committed, dedicated people."

"We have INPEX®, America's Largest Invention Trade Show featuring the INPEX Inventor's University™, which helps to educate inventors on subjects of interest. We let inventors know up front that the invention business is high risk and our policy is to tell the truth. We teach our sales people that policy and if they don't do that, they can't work for us. I don't think the other companies share that same commitment."

The General asked what's in store for the invention industry in the future. "With TV shows like American Inventor and Everyday Edisons, I think the invention business will continue to grow," Susa said. "It seems like the American public is fascinated with inventions. I believe that this may persuade companies to see the American inventor, the garage tinkerer, as a great source of innovation in the future."

InventHelp World Business Review Transcript

General Schwarzkopf:
Currently, two-thirds of inventions come from individual inventors; this has led some companies to look outside the box to find new products. However, inventors still have the challenge of trying to get their innovations in front of companies. Here to discuss their role in submitting ideas to industry is Robert Susa, Director of Sales & Marketing for Inventhelp.

What challenges does an inventor face when he's trying to get his product noticed?

Robert Susa:
Well General, many companies adhere to the "not invented here" mindset which means if they didn't invent it, it's not worth producing. It's really hard to get a company just to look at an invention much less review it in confidence. At InventHelp, we have a databank of companies that agree to review our clients' inventions in confidence.

General Schwarzkopf:
Why do inventors choose to use Inventhelp?

Robert Susa:
Same reason you would choose to use any service – convenience and not having to do it yourself. We offer a variety of services under one roof.  We can provide basic research, graphic illustration, written text for our submission materials, a databank of companies that review ideas in confidence, public efforts, tradeshow exposure, and we can also refer you to a patent attorney.

General Schwarzkopf:
Why would my company want to become involved with Inventhelp?

Robert Susa:
We can be a low-cost source of innovation for your company. We can match your areas of interest with inventions that fit those areas of interest and this way we can compliment your R&D, and hopefully, give you something that can add to your product line.

General Schwarzkopf:
Is it difficult to get companies to accept new ideas from you?

Robert Susa:
Yes it is, General. You have to imagine what a company has to go through to take an invention and put it on the market. They have to develop the invention, they have to mass produce it, they have to take the invention to the store shelves and advertise the invention. They need to do all these things, these costly things, before they have a chance to recoup any of their investment. That's why I think the success rate with inventions is so low.

General Schwarzkopf:
Well, it seems like anyone would try to get a company to look at their new idea – specifically what gives you the edge?

Robert Susa:
I wouldn't say we have an edge, I'd just say that we can submit ideas to companies in a consistent, precise format which makes it easier for companies to review ideas. Also, companies don't want to be in the business of rejecting inventors, we take away that human element; we can be the middleman between the company and the inventor.

General Schwarzkopf:
Here's a tough question. There seems to be a great deal of controversy surrounding the invention industry. What makes InventHelp different?

Robert Susa:
I would have to say it's our people. We have a staff of committed, dedicated people with a lot of experience in the business. We provide quality inventor services – we've been doing that since 1984. We have INPEX, which includes Inventors University, which helps educate inventors to the reality of the invention business. We let inventors know up front that the invention business is high risk and our policy is to tell the truth. We teach our sales people that policy and if they don't do that, they can't work for us. I don't think the other companies share that same commitment.

General Schwarzkopf:
So how does the INPEX Tradeshow fit into your services?

Robert Susa:
First and foremost, it's a showplace where companies can come to look for inventions and inventors can show their new inventions. Companies like Bosch and Everlast come to our tradeshow to look for inventions, our clients can be in our Inventors Galleria or if they have a prototype, they can display in a booth on our show floor.

General Schwarzkopf:
Can you explain what low-cost patent referrals are all about for us novices?

Robert Susa:
Sure – we refer our clients to licensed patent attorneys. They offer low-cost, flat fees for their patents. In this way, our clients can get affordable legal services. We're proud of the fact that over 10,000 of our clients have received patents from this program.

General Schwarzkopf:
You know we all think that at one time or another we can come up with some products that we ought to patent. What type of inventors seek out your services?

Robert Susa:
Really just the average, everyday American. People seem to invent to solve a problem or to make their lives easier. Our clients run from housewives to doctors, laborers to engineers. It really runs the gamut. Sometimes it seems like everybody I know has an invention.

General Schwarzkopf:
What types of companies do you submit your clients' ideas to?

Robert Susa:
Mostly small to medium companies because those companies seem to be more open to our services. Maybe it's because they have less resources to put into research and development. But there are companies across the board in many industries.

General Schwarzkopf:
What additional services do you offer your clients?

Robert Susa:
We can offer our clients a 3-D virtual invention prototype and we can offer them a booth at our INPEX Tradeshow. If a client has inventory of product, we can offer services like sales of product, trade show representation, as well as our licensing efforts.

General Schwarzkopf:
Now is the time when we look to the future. What do you see coming down the road in the invention industry?

Robert Susa:
Well General, with TV shows like American Inventor and Everyday Edisons, I think the invention business will continue to grow. It seems like the American public is fascinated with inventions. I believe that this may persuade companies to see the American inventor, the garage tinkerer, as a great source of innovation in the future.

The World Business Review segment featuring InventHelp aired on Sunday, December 10th on CNBC.

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