Developing and Marketing Products

Why - and why not - would we develop and market products?

• Why:– It's a way to make money– It can raise the profile of your issue and your

organization– It can provide jobs for participants and community

members and/or involve them in supporting the organization

– It can improve the whole organization's understanding of business and marketing

– It could lend your organization more credibility within the business community

• Why not:– To start up a business and keep it running requires spending large

amounts of both money and time– Paying attention to the business may take the focus off the real

purpose of the organization– By the same token, focusing on making money could lead to the

organization's ignoring its guiding principles, and thereby changing its character

– Even if you do everything right, running a business of this sort takes constant attention

– As a business, you're at the mercy of the market in several ways

When would you consider developing and marketing products?

• You have, or have thought of, something you're really eager to sell

• You have the resources to try it• You have a solid business plan• You really need a steady source of income that's

not tied to a funder's priorities or restricted in any way

• Market surveys indicate that people are likely to buy what you have to sell

How do you develop products to sell?

• Your product(s) should have something to do with the organization

• If possible, it should advance the mission of the organization in some way

• It should be useful in some way• It should be of excellent quality• It should be affordable, or at least a good value for the

money• It should be something people will want to buy for itself,

not just to support the organization

How do you market your product?

1. Customer centeredness2. Pretesting3. The Four P's.– Product– Place– Price– Promotion

4. Monitor and adjust

Creating an infrastructure to run the business

• Take account of:– Taxes and other legal issues– Logistics– Day-to-day management– Fiscal management– Other possible issues