What you need to know about hitting

[anonlooker]

A few thoughts:

Anytime you bring a new product to market, you need to identify that market.
As has already been pointed out, elite travel ball is not your market.
TB coaches, players, and parents are inundated with widgets that claim to improve anything and everything.
It's all been tried and tested, and with respect to hitting, we always come back to two methods:
Tee work and live pitching.

Your ball on a... err, "1/4' diamond braided nylon rope, 2 feet of personalized heavy duty shock cord, Diamond fastpitch softballs, custom ordered comfortable foam grip with a safe wrist strap that is fused into the handle and rope itself , and all conections double crimped with heavy duty rings as well as covered with two layers of adhesive filled heat shrink tubing", isn't going to revolutionize training at the elite level.

Your market, again already pointed out, is the Big 5 type chains that sell beginner-type training equipment.

Yes, you should try to get some endorsements. Start with your local LL, HS coaches, etc. Build from there. Once you have a slew of ringing endorsements, then try to sell it through a sporting good store / chain. That is where your volume sales will come from (if anywhere). And volume is the name of the game with type widget.

The name "Bumblebee" has "beginner" connotations. Little kids will relate to "Bumblebee". TB players relate to "Rockettech" and "Techzilla". Which makes "Bumblebee" perfect for your ideal market.

Is the nylon rope really 1/4 foot? Simple errors cheapen your "pitch", and your product.

Getting this product to market ( a real market) is going to take time. And money. But if you do it right, you will make your money back, and probably return a nice profit for years to come. If you have a patent. If you don't have a patent, a larger company will "adopt" your product, patent it, and shut you out.

I could go on, but then I'd have to charge you hefty consultation fees.

Oh, one last freebie. On your website, you prominently feature 3 photos of "instructors" with "little kids". Your product is nowhere to be seen in any of the 3 photos. Which in my book makes the count 3-0. Capice?

[GSB]

Getting this product to market ( a real market) is going to take time. And money. But if you do it right, you will make your money back, and probably return a nice profit for years to come. If you have a patent. If you don't have a patent, a larger company will "adopt" your product, patent it, and shut you out.

I think it will be hard to get a patent. I believe Abner Doubleday already holds it.

[artomatic]

You could use Billy Mays to pitch your product as well. That guy sells everything!

[Skarp]

You got it skarp...Thanks for your input. *Yawwwn!* Not quite ready to give up just yet. In my dreams I have an entire intelligent message board's members at attention.

Well we're all stupid and have no attention span, so on this board your dreams will have to remain just that.

Now, there is a short pier I'd like to direct you to...

[artomatic]

Now, there is a short pier I'd like to direct you to...

*sigh...should I get the shim ready?

S-12...remember being at grade school when the new kid showed up?
after a brief "welcoming" period, the new kid wasn't new anymore, and blended in...give it time. Don't expect everyone to just whip out their credit cards and start buying your contraption.

Buried underneath the snappy answers are some good suggestions.

Most of us have been down a very long road, beginning in t-ball with our 5 yr olds. Through more tournaments and tournament booths than we can remember. Alot of these folks have daughters that have signed with major colleges. Alot have daughters that play on the top teams (almost said "elite")...

Instead of allowing your defensive mechanisms to take over and reject what these people are telling you, maybe think about starting at the Big 5's and all star tournaments.
What is so bad about starting there?

Honestly, it takes alot of guts to make an idea a reality. But if it was easy, all us slackers would be doing it too...

[GIMNEPIWO]

S-12 ... Your effort an entrepreneurship are commendable ... but you just got a swirley ...

[anonlooker]

Put this ball on your 1/4 foot rope - folks will line up to bash the crap out of it!

[txfpcoach]

Let me quess line up your door knocking knuckles and finish by squashing the bug.

Ok due to office IT security i have not been able to watch the video until now It's everything I expected and more.

1:20 seconds to explain it's use

1:04 seconds to explain how to roll up a ball on a rope

Now if you include one of these with each purchase I'm in

[3'sDad]

I did just watch the video...the guys who have been thru this with their older daughters seem to have given you the target market - 8-10 y/o beginning players....there are many Da's that will purchase this to teach DD the basics of hitting.

I bought a bucket of whiffle balls and learned how to do soft toss properly...whiffe balls don't fly as far as any other practice balls....patent this idea, get a booth at 8-10U events and you'll do just fine....nice steady repaeating income stream from newer players.....Good Luck !!

[NavinR]

I had to leave for the east coast early Thursday morning, and I'm just catching up on my HB posts. Thanks to all for an enjoyable evening of reading. Much better than the hotel TV or Florida bars. HB post hall of fame. Almost makes up for missing the TC tournament.