Hey! Look What I Made.

What Do I Do Now?

U N LO C K I N G T H E M YS T E R I E S O F
CO M M E RC I A L I S I N G I N V E N T I O N S ,
IDEAS AND DESIGNS

George Mavros
Copyright © George Mavros 11/08/2007
First Published in 2007 by Leap of Faith Training Pty Ltd
This edition published in 2018
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced,
transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system,
without the prior consent of the publisher is an infringement of the
copyright law.
All moral rights of the author are also asserted.
All enquiries should be directed to the Author.
ETSI CONSULTING PTY LTD
PO Box 2770
North Parramatta NSW, 1750
Published by
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this publication is provided on
the basis of general comment and not specific personalised legal, financial
or investment advice. The author and publisher disclaim all responsibility
or liability to any party that incurs loss or suffering as a consequence, be
it directly or indirectly, from taking or not taking action based on the
information provided in this publication.
The Author and publisher specifically recommend that the reader seek
independent professional advice where applicable.
 In memory of my mate

Douglas William House

(Housie or Doug to his friends)

A truly inspiring salesman and person that

brought a whole new meaning to walk tall.

Always took it on the chin and got on with life.

Stolen from the Stationery Industry, the sales
fraternity and many loving friends and family.
Contents

Foreword ..............................................................................5
Introduction .........................................................................7
1. What is intellectual property? ....................................... 11
2. Do I need an IP strategy? ............................................. 16
3. Where do I get IP advice? .............................................20
4. Where do I get IP protection?....................................... 25
5. What is a patent? .......................................................... 28
6. Does having a patent mean I’ll succeed? ...................... 34
7. What covers what in IP? ...............................................37
8. To search or not to search ............................................ 46
9. Prototypes and proof of concept models ....................... 49
10.To market, to market ................................................... . 54
11. “Latin Speak” — ‘dealing with professionals’ ............... 59
12.Where to from here? ...................................................... 63
Special Exclusive Lifetime Offer .........................................67
Some funny sayings... ........................................................ 69
Acknowledgements.............................................................77
Foreword
What is a good idea? What is a flash of inspiration? W hat is
worth preserving for others to use? All of these questions and
more are answered in this slim booklet which is compelling
reading for anyone who is a thinker or a creator.

It can be a gadget, a massive project, a book, a work of art,

music or perhaps a new way of doing things that can be bene-
ficially registered to benefit the creator and the community. All
his life George Mavros has been compelled to solve difficult
problems. In the third edition of his book he has brought the
benefit of his wide knowledge and experience together in a sim-
ply expressed but comprehensive approach to the protection of
intellectual property.

The registration of a creation is dealt with in detail but then

comes the difficult part of how to further develop the idea from
a concept into a reality and then perhaps into a product avail-
able to all mankind. Many years of experience has provided the
author with some wise counsel on what to do next. It is all here
ready for the inventor or creator to use.

5
As one who has spent hours struggling through the interrela-
tionships between designs, trademarks, copyrights and patents
to assist inventors, I know this booklet will prove to be won-
derfully helpful. Anyone who is an inventor or creator must
have this booklet on their bookshelf for ready reference. At the
end of the day George will talk to anyone about any of their
problems – he is that sort of person.

Alan Cadman OAM, former Member for Mitchell in the

Australian House of Representatives; former Parliamentary
Secretary for Workplace Relations and Small Business; Board
Member, Parramatta Chamber of Commerce; Patron, Western
Sydney Awards for Business Excellence

6
Introduction

Why I wrote this book

To give you a quick overview of intellectual property

Most people who invent things throughout the world are just
like you and me — everyday people who suddenly get this idea
and say, “Hey, that’s pretty neat”.

Most of them do not know about legal or corporate matters.

During my past 30 years as a consultant in sales, marketing
and distribution, I have met many inventors. And time and
time again in their own funny way they have asked me, “Look
what I have made. Can you tell me what to do about it?”

Numbers of these inventors have been given advice from the

next-door neighbour or the guys down the pub or any number
of people who really don’t know a whole lot more than them.
These “experts” certainly don’t know the commercial reality of
getting an invention to market.

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 George Mavros

Many of these inventors had spoken with their solicitor or ac-

countant or manufacturers. Even those who spoke to patent
attorneys were often left confused or bewildered as to what
they needed to do — and in what order — to succeed with the
commercialisation of their idea.

This book is designed to give you a quick overview of the world

of intellectual property. It is written in plain English from a
commercial perspective, by a guy who promotes himself as a
“professional salesman”, a “footpath lawyer”, a “footpath patent
attorney” and a “footpath accountant”.

What do I mean by “footpath”? I mean the knowledge I have

gained about the last three professions is from the school of the
street. And as such, I can pass on to you in simplified language
what the professionals (who we need and I support) often put
in jargon “in the aforementioned, herein after referred to as
‘Latin Speak’”.

To inspire you

I was at a seminar in Melbourne run by Gerry Robert. I at-

tended the seminar because I had been trying to write a book
for some 15 years, but for whatever reason could not seem to
get going on it.

In the first session of the seminar, I was the person in the room
who had been trying for the longest to write a book and every-
one knew I had been trying for 15 years or so.

There were a few people at the seminar who were truly amazing

8
 Introduction

people. But I could sense, by the second day, they were strug-
gling to let go of their baggage and to accept what Gerry was
saying. And just go for it.

I wanted to inspire those people and prove a point to myself, by

being able to show them in 24 hours that I could say:

I am not only an author, but I am the first new author

from the Publish Your Way to Profits Melbourne Seminar
August 2007, to have a book writing contract with a pub-
lisher, and a book written and sold. And all within 2 days
of starting the course.

I achieved that! Not bad for a guy who had been trying to write
his first book for 15 years.

You know I am just like you, an ordinary Aussie. So, think

about it. If I did it, why can’t you do it? Whatever “it” is for
you, all you have to do is…make the decision.

So, hopefully, I will help others take a chance — a leap of

faith — and just go for it! If you’re not sure how to get started
on your “it”, contact me and I promise I will try and help you
realise your true potential.

How to use this book

At the end of each chapter I have left a page with two headings,
“Questions” and “Ideas”.

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 George Mavros

When I read articles or documents, I note on the questions

side what I want to ask the author or someone else about the
specific information I am reading.

By following up on the questions, I have gained a lot of knowl-

edge about a lot of topics that otherwise I would not have.

On the ideas side, I write down anything that comes to mind

as a consequence of having read the material.

Many times in my life, I have read an article or story that I

might not even agree with. But it sparks an idea in my head
and I then start to work on that idea. And some of those ideas
have been very valuable to me.

If, at the end of reading my book, you feel like discussing your
ideas or questions with me, I would welcome the opportunity
to try and be of further service to you.

10
Chapter 1
What is intellectual property?

In plain English, “intellectual property”, often referred to as

IP, is the product or outcome of your ideas, your thoughts
and your mind or intellect. Your IP is created or demonstrat-
ed whenever you use your intellect to create anything from a
thought to an actual “thing”. It can even be a book!

Many things can be IP: a thing, a design or logo, even a way of

doing things or a process.

Have you created something new or unique?

The fi rst pa rt about the IP journey is establishing if, in fact,

you have created something that is new or unique in some way.
And if that, in turn, can be legally protected by a form of IP
protection.

In most cases when it comes to IP that is protected by pat-

ent, design or copyright law, the fact you were not aware that

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 George Mavros

someone else had created this before you, does not allow you
to also claim rights to it.

In patent law, even though no one else has patented your cre-
ation, if there has been a “novelty destroying publication” of it
before your attempt to seek patent rights, then you may not be
able to gain patent rights.

In the case of trademarks, logos, company and business names

and to a degree, websites, the answers become a lot more “sub-
ject to this or that condition”. And a lot more exploration needs
to go on to get a definitive answer of yes or no.

Trademarks are a whole can of worms when trying to deter-

mine if you can gain legal protection and under what basis.
You can have a legal right to use a trademark but not a legal
right to stop someone else from having it.

You can register a trademark and prevent anyone else from us-
ing it after you gain your registration. However, you may not
be able to stop someone else from using what would normally
be an infringing trademark if they can mount an acceptable
“first commercial or prior commercial use” case.

Who owns IP?

In some cases, ownership is automatic. For example, “the writ-

ten word” (like this book) or a paper you have written is auto-
matically covered by copyright once you have written it.

12
 What is intellectual property?

This is not categorical as some written words cannot be copy-

righted or cannot be part of a registered trademark. However,
as a broad statement, if it is a written work, an artwork or piece
of music, there is probably a good chance you have automatic
copyrights to it. Even without having to register that right.

Circuit layouts are also in most cases deemed to have copyright

as soon as they are created by the originator.

Most other things that we will loosely term “a physical item”

— anything like a drug, product or plant — are likely to have
to go through the IP registration process, if you wish to claim
intellectual property rights to them.

There is a distinct differentiation, legally, between the owner of

the IP rights and the inventor. In other words, you may have
been the creator or the inventor of “the widget” but someone
else could have the ownership of the intellectual property.

Equally, you may have the rights to the IP, but you may not be
the owner of them. More on that later.

Ownership of IP by employees of a company is an area that

has many twists and turns. Even with an employment contract
in place that says, “All you invent as part of your job with the
company is owned by the company”, you may be able to chal-
lenge this depending on:

x What your job description was.

x What your invention was.
x When you worked on the invention.

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 George Mavros

x Whether the invention related in any way to your per-

formance requirements of the position you held with
the company when you invented it.

If you find this part interesting, you can look up “case law or
interesting IP law cases” on Google. For example, you will find
articles about the LED light industry which show some of the
ins and outs of IP law.

There are also lots of interesting stories on copyright law and

other forms of IP law. For example, did you know there was a
battle about Mike Tyson’s tattoo?

Commercialising your IP

When it comes to commercialising your IP, you can:

x Retain ownership but bestow usage rights.

x Retain some usage rights but bestow ownership rights.
x Get paid royalties, or licensing fees (different to royal-
ties) or one-off payments.

Whatever you do, it is about the commercialisation or owner-

ship of the usage rights of the IP. None of this changes the fact
of who created it.

14
Questions

Ideas

15
Chapter 2
Do I need an IP strategy?

No IP strategy

In many companies, when it comes to business matters, trade

secrets and the “way we do it processes”, there is no knowledge
of IP and therefore there is no IP strategy.

There is also an assumption by many companies that all IP pro-

tection is expensive and of no real value. So, they don’t bother
to learn about it or explore the opportunities. In short, they
don’t even know what they don’t know!

Like most things in life, if you don’t have a strategy it doesn’t

guarantee failure — but it sure makes success more about luck,
than good management.

Have a team of professionals as part of your strategy

In a later chapter, we will talk about how Australia IP, the na-
tional government body manages and regulates the IP process.
16
 George Mavros

But this is not the same as having your own legal, commercial
or strategic team in place.

So, if you intend to commercialise on a true business scale, I

would recommend that you have a reputable patent attorney
and commercialisation professional as part of your IP strategy.

You should include a sales, marketing and distribution person,

an accountant, and a non-IP legal adviser.

If done correctly, this team of professionals can deal with all

the areas that you will need assistance on. They can provide
you with strategic, logical and unemotional advice.

So, you are then able to make well-informed decisions about

your needs.

Different IP strategies

x With patentable items, different people have different

strategies:
x Some people have a strategy of “invent, seek a provi-
sional patent, then do nothing more”. For them, it is
purely to establish that they came up with an idea at a
point in time.
x Some people have a strategy of “invent, patent in my
own country and don’t worry about anywhere else”.
x Whilst for others, their strategy is “invent, patent and
sell to the world!”

17
 Do I need an IP strategy?

People in this last category, “sell to the world”, then fall into
three main groups:
x The first group just wants to sell off their patentable
item and have nothing more to do with it.
x The second group wants to have some ongoing involve-
ment as an ongoing advisor. Or they want to be hands-
on in their home country, but license for all others.
x The third group wants to take the product to market
everywhere themselves.

An example

Let’s take for example the copyright material in a movie script

or a song. Some people write a movie script and then see if
someone else will produce it and pay them a form of royalty.

Other people want to create the original idea and then take it
all the way through to the end product. Sylvester Stallone did
that with the Rocky movies, including insisting that he was to
play the part of Rocky.

There are songwriters who have written songs but possibly never
sung for a living. On the other hand, there is many a famous
singer has also written songs for other singers to perform. Then
there are singer-songwriters who do both.

18
Questions

Ideas

19
Chapter 3
Where do I get IP advice?

Where not to get IP advice

There is one category of “advisors” that I have found over the

years to be the most dangerous and they need to be avoided at
all costs. They are what I call the “arm bending experts”. These
“experts” are found at the pub, around the fire on camping trips
or at the local picnic or barbecue.

This is a rare breed that has expertise in bending their arm to

drink and at the same time they are self-appointed experts in
not only IP matters, but quite often many other matters of the
business and legal world.

They often have some great law precedent/knowledge stories

about “a friend of a friend whose cousin’s uncle told the next-
door neighbour.”

One of the most common bits of “expert” advice I have heard

from this group is, “You only need to change a product by 10%
and then you can get around the patent.”
20
 George Mavros

Wrong! More about that later.

Where to get advice

1. Patent attorneys

The role of most patent attorneys is centred on the legal protec-

tion and filing of your IP rights.

For the most part they are not involved or responsible for the
actual commercialisation of your idea. They usually are not the
people to be doing the accounting, corporate structure or tax
strategy for you. However, they may have some valuable input
in those areas.

That’s why you also need a sales, marketing and distribution

person, an accountant, and a non-IP legal adviser.

Make sure you understand the patent system. Over the

years, I have met several inventors who have asked patent at-
torneys the wrong question. And they have taken out a patent
far earlier than they needed to. This happened because t hey
did not understand — and the patent attorney did not explain
clearly enough — the interactions and purpose of each phase
of the patent system.

The patent system does cost significant money if you wish to

pursue your rights in more than one country. If you are an or-
ganisation or individual that does not have significant financial
resources, then you need a strategy that provides:

21
 Where do I get IP advice?

x Required risk management.

x Required protection.

But more importantly, you need a strategy that fits your budget.

Even an organisation that that has large financial r esources

should not expedite IP expenditure any sooner than is needed.
To do so is a less than optimal use of available funds.

2. Commercialisation organisations

There are several organisations that can assist in the commer-

cialisation of your invention. Just like every other profession or
trade, there is a range of quality, service and costs.

I believe that “one size does not fit a ll”. In other words, just
because an organisation works well with one inventor, does not
mean that they will work well with you.

I suggest that you consider the organisation you are going to

work with and be as open and forthright at the beginning with
them. Before you make the decision to go ahead.

In my businesses, the first interview is no charge and no obli-

gation. The reason for this is I see it as us both taking a risk in
that first meeting to see if we will work well together.

I have a policy that I will not work for anyone or on any project
that I feel is not in tune with my values. On that basis, I will
not work with any inventor or invention if the product relates
to smoking. And I am more inclined to work with
children’s

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 George Mavros

games that promote good wholesome values, rather than dig-

ital games that keep kids indoors in front of a screen and give
bonus points to kids for shooting cops or stealing cars.

It is your invention. Some commercialisation organisations

charge a flat fee and then a percentage as a success bonus. Other
organisations charge no up-front fee but a larger success fee.

Whatever the offer an organisation makes to you, it must be

justifiable to you. After all, it is your invention.

Value for money. I have long ago stopped worrying about if

I am valuable or not in what I do. I have enough runs on the
board to prove I can succeed. So, the question really is, “Am I
valuable to you?”

The answer to that will really depend on the individual. For

example, based on my business background you would need to
have some pretty good experience and credentials in sales and
marketing, to be of sufficient value to me and to cause me to
want to pay for your services.

However, I find advertising and graphic arts people very valu-

able and I have no qualms in paying for the right person for
me. So, value for money is a bit like beauty: it is in the eye of
the beholder.

23
Questions

Ideas

24
Chapter 4
Where do I get IP protection?

Most countries throughout the world have an IP protection

system in place and a substantial number of them are part of
the same system.

All countries that support or recognise the patent treaties have

some form of national IP agency.

Your national agency can also be your vehicle for international

patents.

IP Australia

In Australia, we have IP Australia that deals with all patents,

trade marks and design registrations.

IP Australia has two main functions: it is the filing point for IP

matters and it is also an examinations process.

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 George Mavros

In Australia, you file design registrations, trade marks, provi-

sional and patent applications at IP Australia.

For patents and provisional patent applications, you can start

with a provisional application in Australia — even if you wish
to patent around the world.

Equally, you can lodge the equivalent of a provisional applica-

tion in other countries and still have rights within Australia.

If you lodged a provisional application in Australia you claim

that priority date globally. For example, if you lodged a provi-
sional patent in Australia in January, you can claim that date
as your priority date for a patent that you may want to apply
for in another country.

On the other hand, things like a design registration or trade-

mark involve a country by country process. So, with design
registrations and trademarks, the protection for a particular
country only starts in that country from the day you apply in
that country.

For example, if you took out a trade mark in Australia in

January and then lodged it in the USA in March, you could
only claim the priority date for the USA from that date in
March. Even more importantly, if someone had already lodged
for that trademark in the USA, they would have the rights —
not you.

26
Questions

Ideas

27
Chapter 5
What is a patent?

This is how I like to describe a patent

Imagine the full potential of the patent you are applying for
is a 40mm diameter hollow tube. To be on the safe side, your
patent attorney writes you an application with claims that is
the equivalent of a 60mm x 60mm flat solid bar.

Then t he p atent o ffice rej ects all cla ims tha t do not fit the
40mm tube and you have a patent that no one can get around
for that area. If the patent is written correctly, there are no gaps
that others can fill.

On the other hand, let’s imagine the patent is that 40mm di-
ameter hollow tube but you either only create or you poorly
write a patent that is equal to a 10mm solid rod. That allows
others to fill i n t he g aps a nd n ot b e i n b reach o f y our p at-
ent. That’s why people say you only need to change 10% to get
around a patent.

The following diagram shows the difference between writing

28
 George Mavros

an application that has the broadest of claims versus those that

have narrow claims:

29
 What is a patent?

If other inventors need your IP for their invention to work, they

must be able to prove they are not infringing your rights.

Therefore, in some cases, there can be many patents for a par-

ticular area. In other cases, there is only one patent. And in
others, there can be overlapping patentable material through
collaboration agreements.

What is a provisional patent?

Countries that are part of the Patent Cooperation Treaty

(PCT) recognise provisional patents.

Once you have filed a provisional patent application in one

country that is part of the PCT, you have recognition by all
countries that are signatories to the treaty (approximately 140
countries).

This is what happens when you file a provisional patent appli-

cation:

x They merely register that at a specific date and time,

you lodged the claim to the inventive idea.
x They do not review your provisional patent application.
x They do not determine that it is valid (likely to get a
patent eventually or not).
The same applies for provisional applications in all PCT mem-
ber countries throughout the world.

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 George Mavros

Be clear about what provisional patents do for you

Many inventors I have spoken with over the years think that
once you get the provisional patent then you must have a pat-
entable idea. Not so! The issuing of a “provisional patent num-
ber” does not mean that you have a patentable idea. It only
means you are claiming the right to that idea from a specific
date.

While a provisional patent number does not provide you with

“enforceable rights”, it does provide you with an internationally
accepted proof of time and date of when you claim you were
the first person to come up with this idea.

So, it does not provide you with an enforceable right there and
then, but it does provide you with the mechanism to have a form
of protection against others infringing on your rights, world
wide.

Once you have your provisional patent application lodged, then

you have the right to use “Patent Pending” on your product,
packaging and all marketing material.

In simple terms: once you take out your provisional patent

application — and on the assumption it is an invention that
would gain a patent once examined — then anyone who copies
that invention from the filing date onwards could be at risk of
action taken against them for breach of your rights.

The provisional patent lasts for 12 months.

31
 What is a patent?

If you feel your rights have been infringed within that period,
you can still advise the suspected infringer that they may be
infringing.

If you want to have enforceable rights, you can then lodge your
patent application and seek a priority examination. On the ba-
sis that a patent is granted, you would have opportunity for
claiming compensation from the first infringement.

A patent in each country

Eventually, you will be required to apply for a patent in each

country in which you are seeking to gain enforceable rights.

Some people think they can apply for one international patent
that will apply to all countries. That is not correct.

There is no international patent.

Trademarks and registered designs

Trademarks and registered designs also need to be registered

and filed on a national basis. You file and apply for examina-
tion in each country that you wish to gain protection or enforce-
able rights in.

Once the examinations process is complete, if there is no issue

with your application you are then granted the right for that
region/jurisdiction. And you are granted an “IP number”.

32
Questions

Ideas

33
Chapter 6
Does having a patent mean I’ll succeed?

Having a patent does not mean you’ll succeed

(And not having a patent does not mean you’ll fail)

Having a patent does not promise glory. And not having a pat-
ent does not mean failure! A patent, or any sort of IP protection,
is just one part of your marketing sales and business plan. It is
not a magic wand.

More than 10 years ago, the Managing Director of Artline

Marking Pens in Australia told me there were over 72 brands of
marking pens in Australia. Artline and about five other brands
held about 90% of the market at that time. And many of the
brands had patent protection, but many didn’t.

The point I’m making is even in t hat congested market t hat

was dominated by a few, there were still say 60 plus others
getting some piece of the pie!

In some cases, however, they could not go head to head because

34
 George Mavros

we had a patent. They could only offer say second or third best
quality/performance.

What we were able to do was ensure through our trademark

rights that they could not pass off their products to the point
that people thought they were Artline.

So, if you can get a patent and the cost to your overall revenue
projections represents value for money, it can be a very handy
tool.

Because I’m a soccer player, I think that not having a patent is

like having only seven players in your team; this is the mini-
mum number of players you can have, but still be in the game.
However, having a patent is like playing a game with all 11
players on the field, which is the most players you are allowed.

And I often say to people that having a patent can be the differ-
ence between going to battle with a platoon versus an army. It
can be the difference between a one-hit wonder strategy (with-
out protection) versus a multi-year, brand building, marketing
strategy (with protection).

Gerry Robert, the Founder/President of Publish a Book and

Grow Rich, says book writing success is “10% content and
90% marketing.”

I think when it comes to IP protection in many product cate-

gories, it is 10 to 20 % IP protection and patents — and 80 to
90% marketing.

35
Questions

Ideas

36
Chapter 7
What covers what in IP?

IP can take many forms

Things and objects are often covered by patents, be they me-

chanical, electrical or an object. Some familiar examples are:
the ball point pen, self-inking rubber stamps, motors, TV re-
mote controls and a million and one other things.

Broadly speaking things/objects that actually perform a func-

tion that come from a new or inventive step, or significantly
improved technology, are covered by patents.

In Australia, there are a number of different types or named IP

rights in the actual patent category:

1. Provisional patents are the first step of many patents.

2. Innovation patents, a form of patent recognised in the main

by Australia only and in some cases can assist you in get-
ting protection in the US and New Zealand. An innova-
tion patent only offers eight years protection and does not
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 George Mavros

have anywhere near the rigor applied to the examination

process as standard patents do. Note: in 2015 there was a
concerted effort to either abolish or reduce their availability
— at the time of this edition going to press, that debate was
still going on.

3. Standard Australian Patents are much harder to get than

an innovation patent but offer 20 years protection.

4. PCT applications (a quasi-provisional international) are a

very good value for money strategy for anyone that wishes
to patent in more than three countries.

There is no actual International patent: you have to go country

by country eventually.

Industrial designs, which are also referred to as “design regis-

trations”, are used for the shape, style or appearance of objects.

You can even get IP for plants: “Them greenies, they get into
everything, don’t they?”

A company sometimes registers a trademark for their business

name, logo, website and product name(s). For example, the
names “Coca-Cola” and “Coke” and the red circle logo with
its fancy writing are all covered by trademarks.

Things that are not patentable or covered by automatic copy-

right — for example, trade secrets, production processes,
pricing structures and business formulas (as used in spread-
sheets or computer programs etc) — can be covered through

38
 What covers what in IP?

confidentiality agreements (CA) or non-disclosure agreements

(NDA).

Patenting of the “business process or plan” appears to be a de-

veloping area for IP service providers.

The opportunity to patent is more likely to be for the part of

the plan /process that states, “We have this product and we get
this information to this product in this manner”. You may have
a patent on the item, the sender, the receiver and the way you
bring that all together.

From the advice I have been given, this is still a relatively new
area and you really do need to make sure your patent attorney
is “up with it” before you delve into it.

What matters and what doesn’t?

So, does your business need to register its IP and which form
should that take? Well, that is always an interesting question.

The answer really lies in what your IP strategy and sales and
marketing strategy is for your product or idea. Be aware that
whatever you choose can easily have you spending thousands
of dollars in a relatively short period of time. So, again get the
strategy right and then decide what’s best for you.

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 George Mavros

Product and company names

Many people I have met over the years stress over getting the
right name for their business or product. They say, “If I get the
name wrong, people won’t buy it.”

But, in many cases the name you start with is not as important
as what you make the name stand for.

When I do seminars, I ask the audience, “What does “Avon”

sell?”

The majority, especially women, respond with “cosmetics”.

However, if there are people in the audience like me that have
raced bikes or cars, they will often reply “tyres”. And some guys
don’t even know about Avon cosmetics.

How does the name “Tupperware” say “resealable, reusable

food storage containers?” And how does the company name,
“IKEA”, describe their furniture and homewares business or
“Bunnings” their hardware and gardening business?

Those names only gained those meanings after they got sales,
promotion and momentum.

So, you see the name is not as important as the thought and
strategy you put into making it truly stand for and mean some-
thing.

For over 20 years, I sold “Artline” marking pens. Even now

some 20 years later, I still hear some people refer to them as

40
 What covers what in IP?

“Textas”. Our response to that (and even my kids were taught

this), “Texta is a brand of marking pens and Artline is the best
brand.” I now hear people refer to marking pens as Artlines as
well as Textas.

And how many times have you wanted a ball point pen but
then asked for a “Bic”, even though you did not want that
brand in particular?

That’s because strategy was put into making us associate those

names with the products they stand for.

So, having the name is one thing. Maximising its benefit to you
is another.

Trademarks and logos

Over the years I represented Artline, there were several at-

tempts by other companies to copy our product style and even
our name. The reason t hey d id t hat was because t hey felt if
people saw the copied design and thought it was an Artline,
they would have a better chance of selling more.

So, trademarking your name or logo can help you fend off the
unscrupulous copiers.

Do you need to have a trademark and/or logo registered to

gain protection? The short answer is no. But the long answer
is this: If you have a trademark or logo registered, it makes it a
lot easier and less costly to stop people copying you.

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 George Mavros

What if you can’t afford the registration cost of your brand

or logo under the trademark system? If you can’t afford the
cost of registering your brand and/or logo, here is a simple
thing you can do:

x You can place a “™” next to your logo or brand name.

x When you use “™”, it tells the market place that you
consider this your trademark.
x (Of course, you first make sure you are not infringing
someone else’s rights.)

If, however, you go ahead and register your brand and/or

logo, then you use the “®” symbol. This tells the market you
have a registered trademark.

It does not cost a lot of money to register a trademark in

Australia. In most cases, you should be able to register a trade-
mark in one category, using respected and reliable professionals,
for around $1,000. Additional categories can likely be done for
around $250.

If you do not register your trademark, you may find your-

self in this situation: someone either copies or registers your
trademark and then threatens you. Then you will need to seek
advice as to what to do about it. And that will probably cost
you more than the $1000 registration cost.

If you believe this is going to be your “golden nest egg” —or

even just a “silver nest egg” — is a $1,000 investment too
much to help protect it?

42
 What covers what in IP?

What happens if you don’t register and then someone else

does? If you don’t register your brand and/or logo, and some-
one else registers it, you may not be able to stop them.

But depending on how long you have been using yours, they
may not be able to stop you from continuing to use yours. You
would rely on something called “first commercial use.”

Business and company and website names…what gives?

Business names used to be state-wide in Australia and could

not prevent another party, in many cases from registering that
name as a company. They could certainly register the same
business name in another state.

There have been and still are a number of changes to be made

to the whole business name, company name and asset registra-
tion processes in Australia. I would strongly recommend any-
one to get advice from a professional that is “up to the second
– not just up to the minute” on this topic before making any
major decisions.

Even if you have a business or company name, this does not

stop another organisation from registering a website for that
same name.

Many people believe that if you own the business or company

name, no one can register the.com.au web name. Wrong!

One of the validation methods of getting a particular

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 George Mavros

Australian web name is the name of the business or company.

So, the website is the same as the business or company name.

The other validation method is for the name of the site to have
relevance to the products or services that you offer. So, in the-
ory, I could have a marketing company called Fireworks Pty
LTD and register a site called www.fireworks.com.au. Or I
could be a fireworks manufacturer and still be able to register
that same site name. It could get down to who registered first
because both have legitimate right to claim it.

Please note: Again, this is an area that seems to constantly

change, so seek professional well-informed advice.

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Questions

Ideas

45
Chapter 8
To search or not to search

Patent searching is one of the great debate starters. It’s a bit like
“front wheel drive” versus “rear wheel drive”. Or “turn the other
cheek” versus “pre-emptive strike”.

I believe for many inventors, paying more than $1,000 for pat-
ent searching at the very beginning of the journey is not value
for money. This is because patent searches will only tell you
about published patents. They will not tell you about provisional
patents. Therefore, anyone that lodged a patent for the same
idea as you up to 12 to 18 months before your lodgement date
will not show up on a patent search.

My strategy

My strategy is this: we do some searching ourselves, establish

the sales potential of the item and establish the strength of the
item from a patent attorney. If it looks like it’s a winner, then
we think about some searching by professionals.

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 George Mavros

I can think of many other things you can do with the money
you’ll pay for a search (starting at about $1000). Things that
offer far better value for money for you in t he e arly d ays of
patenting.

The other thing to consider with patent searching is that —as

well as the search costs of between $1000 and $2000 —you
will also need to spend between another $1000 to $3000 to
get the patent attorney’s opinion or advice on the results of the
patents that turned up, if any. So, it’s not just the initial search
cost that you need to consider, but also the cost of investigating
the results of your search.

I don’t start a 100-lap race with only 50 laps of petrol in the

tank. Therefore, if I don’t have the funds to carry out the fol-
low-up work and have no intention of spending additional
money examining the results, what is the point of paying for
the first search?

In our patent marketing company, we have a strategy that 90%

of our clients believe is far better in the initial stages than pat-
ent searching. Our strategy is “market based” rather than “da-
tabank based”, which is more limited.

Down the track, when you are ready to spend significant mon-
ey on international patenting and other activities, it may be
worth getting a more thorough search and opinion.

47
Questions

Ideas

48
Chapter 9
Prototypes and Proof
of Concept Models

When do you not need a prototype?

Quite often people refer to proof of concept models or proto-

types interchangeably. Technically, they are different. However,
for ease of reading, I will refer to them as “prototypes” because
my opinion on both is the same.

In my opinion, often the money spent on prototypes is at best

an extravagant indulgence and at worst a complete waste of
funds.

I am amazed at the number of inventors I meet that won’t in-

vest a few thousand dollars in having a patent attorney pre-
pare their provisional patent, but they have no issue at all in
spending a heap of money (sometimes as much as $20,000 or
$30,000) on prototypes.

If you intend to try and commercialise your invention by

49
 George Mavros

having another company pay you outright (through licensing

or royalties), then initially you do not need a prototype.

When you are trying to get another party to pay you for your
invention, you are really looking to find someone that sees
“the blue sky” that you do. What I mean by this is that you
are trying to get the target company involved with your idea.
You want the company to have the same belief and excitement
about the potential of your idea as you do.

If the target company accept your idea, they will do the re-
search and development, they will do the design work, they will
sort out the colours, shape or whatever it is that they feel is
required to make the invention commercially successful.

So, what they are looking for is a sound, feasible theory.

They want to know that if they choose to go ahead with this

invention, there is a realistic market potential that will make
their investment in its research and development worth their
while. They want to be comfortable that there is a very real
chance the invention will be patentable.

Let me ask you some questions:

x Did President Kennedy build a rocket before he sold

the nation on going to the moon?
x What do movie studios sign million-dollar contracts
on? The final cut of the movie? Or the script that gives
them the concept and inspires their belief in what
could be?

50
 Prototypes and Proof of Concept Models

So, for the inventor that is not looking to take the product to
market themselves, there is little need to spend large sums of
money on prototypes at the beginning of the commercialisa-
tion attempt.

I have yet to need a prototype for any of my clients to get a

company to enter into a “Heads of Agreement” on moving for-
ward.

When might you need a prototype?

If you get a company interested in the concept, if your idea has

been viewed by a credible professional and deemed, “subject to
being novel” patentable, then you may need to make a proto-
type. As part of the negotiation.

If on the other hand, you are aiming to take the invention to the
marketplace yourself, in most cases, you will need a prototype
before the major groups are likely to order.

However, there is plenty of work that needs to be done before

you even approach the thought of prototype production and
exposing the invention to buyers.

2QHÀQDOZRUGRQSURWRW\SHV

Please make sure you get a few quotes before you go ahead with
a prototype. You will be astounded at the variations in charges
and quality of service in this area of product development.

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 George Mavros

My strategy — CAD drawings

What I use is realistic CAD drawings. The difference in cost

you ask?

One client spent over $20,000 on a hand-made prototype that

we were not able to use, as apart from other things, we thought
it denigrated the invention. We commissioned some realistic
CAD drawings at a cost of $1,000.

Apart from demonstrating the concept far better than the pro-
totype, we could send it all around the round the world, to any
number of prospective investors or target companies, at the
same time. Something you cannot do with a prototype.

52
Questions

Ideas

53
Chapter 10
To market, to market

There are very few if any inventors, who have created, patented
and made a million there and then. The usual course is they
create and spend and spend and spend and spend on the devel-
opment and patenting needs. And if they are lucky, they then
get some return.

So, many inventors just run out of money before they can re-
alise the dream. Malcolm Briggs of MC Business, who intro-
duced First Alert Smoke detectors to Australia, calls it “not
enough petrol in the tank at the start of the trip because they
didn’t know where they were going”.

Briggs’ theory is if you don’t have the resources — including

financial backing — to complete the journey in your strategy,
you shouldn’t start it. Whilst that is not a statement that should
be taken as absolute gospel, I think it has a good message to it!

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 George Mavros

“What about me, it isn’t fair!”

Often, I meet inventors that claim, “The m anufacturers g et

all the money and we get a pittance”. In some ways, that’s
true. Inventors typically get royalties of between 2% and 10%,
which is usually based on the manufactured cost price.

In a traditional wholesale/retail distribution strategy, for every

$1 at cost, a product will be $3 to $4 at retail level.

For example, if a product costs you $3 to make, plus $2 to get

to your factory ready to be distributed through a wholesaler
and then through to retailers, I would assume the product is
going to sell to the consumer for between $15 and $20. Along
the way there are the manufacturer, distribution and marketing
costs, wholesaler costs and profit margin, t hen t he retailer”s
cost and profit margins. And of course, there is also tax.

So as an inventor of a product that is made for $1, you get at

best say 10c. Then you see it retail for $4 and say, “What about
me, it isn’t fair!”.

Direct manufacture and distribution — is it for you?

I have spoken with inventors that can manufacture and distrib-

ute their product on a direct basis and make over $3 nett profit
on an item that cost under 30c to manufacture.

Yet if they wanted to sell it through traditional wholesale/retail,

they would be lucky to get better than $1 profit.

55
 To market, to market

So why would you ever do it through traditional wholesale/

retail?

I’d say do it through traditional wholesale/retail if wholesale/

retail will deliver better than four or five times the volume.

But if wholesale/retail will not deliver that volume — and if

you are happy with the total dollars from doing it direct —
then go for it. You will sell less but make more per sale.

Just remember this: it is very rare that you gain the bigger mar-
gin without taking the bigger risk. So, sometimes it is better
to take a small percentage and virtually no risk than a large
percentage and all the risk.

It again comes back to your marketing and business strategy

and your personal risk profile.

Know your risk profile. I think of people as being somewhere

along a scale that has “cavalier” at one end and “super conserva-
tive” at the other. My ex-wife was more conservative and I am
more towards cavalier (but not crazy gung-ho).

Without me, she may not have half of what she has these days.
And without her, I may have lost all of what we had and several
times over!

So, our individual risk profiles were quite separate to our joint
risk profile. Together we decided what we were prepared to risk
and then we went for it!

56
 George Mavros

I won’t play the stock market with $10,000 but I have invested
many hundreds of thousands of dollars in business ventures. So,
my risk profile is also different in different areas of the market.

You need to know what your risk profile is, so you can then
determine how much or how little of the pie you will be happy
with.

57
Questions

Ideas

58
Chapter 11
“Latin Speak” — dealing
with professionals

Over the years I have found that many average people off the
street have difficulty with their accountant or solicitor or pat-
ent attorney. I have a few clients that use me as a go-between,
because I not only understand a good deal of

“Latin Speak”, but I can translate it into plain old English.

One of the reasons for this is I have been very fortunate to find
professionals that would explain the Latin Speak terms to me
when I looked like a “deer in the headlights”.

And on the occasions when I found a professional that wouldn’t

explain things, I had the courage to either make them do it or
change to another professional that would.

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 George Mavros

'RQ·WEHHPEDUUDVVHGLI\RXQHHGLWH[SODLQHGÀYHWLPHV

Don’t be embarrassed because you don’t understand or you

don’t know, or you need it explained five times. If we all knew
what they know, we wouldn’t need them and they’d be out of
a job.

The other thing to remember is that all professionals who offer

a service are selling you something. That makes them “sales-
people” and the salesperson’s creed is to “serve the client”. It is
their responsibility to lead you to the right decision.

So, you are the client. A professional is the servant. You should
not look down on them as a servant. And they should not look
down on you as an amateur.

Make sure you know the right questions to ask

Funny enough, sometimes the professionals have trouble deal-

ing with you because you don’t know the right questions to ask.
You ask a question and they give an answer, but because you
don’t know which follow-up questions to ask, the professionals
don’t give you all the information you need.

What I do with my clients is either do the asking for them or

set the questions — and the follow-up questions — for them
to ask.

Remember the most important thing when seeking advice is to

60
 “Latin Speak” — dealing with professionals

get the questions right. If not, you run the risk of getting “the
right answer to the wrong question”!

Also look at it from a sales and marketing perspective

The other thing with professionals is that they will look at your
request from a legal, or accounting or IP perspective, because
that’s what they do. And that’s what we need them for.

However, unless you also look at it from a sales and marketing

perspective, you are bound to get it wrong. No matter what it
is.

61
Questions

Ideas

62
Chapter 12
Where to from here?

A simple strategy

I recommend this simple strategy to any new inventor:

x Take out a provisional patent which lasts 12 months.

x Go to the market and see what the market says about
sales and volume potential, both in quantity and total
income possible.
x After 12 months, if it looks bad, let it wither on the
vine.
x If it looks good, get the patent for Australia at the end
of the 12 months provisional.
x If it looks good for international sales, at the end of the
provisional, get a PCT (which gives you an 18-month
quasi-provisional international patent).
x Establish your prospects both locally and overseas.
x Then at the end of the PCT 18-month period, make
your decision on full patents per country that you want
to sell in.

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 George Mavros

I go to the international market from the very beginning, so

hopefully we know where we are headed within the first 12
months.

If the product is high initial cost and/or high risk, then look to
bring in investors or negotiate a manufacture under license or
a royalties package.

If it is relatively low cost and risk, then consider retaining full

ownership and seek financial backers by way of short to medi-
um term loans or redeemable share issues.

Find the people you are most comfortable with

There are many companies that offer services to inventors and

companies that help commercialise their invention or idea.

But, just like clothes and shoes, one size or style does not suit
all. So, you need to set a strategy of what you want, and then
seek out those people that you feel most comfortable with.

As with any company you are considering working with and

don’t know a lot about, do your research.

If you are contacted by a company in this area, a quick search

of Google can be well worth your while and could save a lot of
your hard-earned money.

Combine information from IP with patent and commerciali-

sation advice

64
 Where to from here?

You can find a lot more information at the IP Australia website:

http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/. It will give you a very broad
knowledge of the various IP processes. It will also give you all
the information a new inventor would want, from a process
perspective, of the paperwork.

Just remember the information on that website is from the

regulator’s perspective. It will not give you the meaning and
understanding and analysis of your situation and how you fit
into the world of IP. To achieve that, you need to combine
that information with advice from a patent attorney and with
advice about commercialisation. Then, and only then, can you
make an informed decision.

There are many patent attorneys around and there those that
are considered better value for money than others. And not be-
cause they are cheaper. In fact, the ones that offer better value
for money are usually the ones that charge more.

What I have found over the years is that it’s not the company
that I choose, but the individual patent attorney. So, I have a
selection of consulting professionals from a variety of companies
that I use for my client’s needs.

As part of our business coaching and advisory services, we work

with clients from the commercialisation aspect. We help you
work out the business development strategy that is best for you.

We do not compete with patent or trade mark attorneys, solic-

itors, accountants or marketing professionals.

65
 George Mavros

Instead, we help you meld these individual professionals into a

team to deliver your strategy.

Send me an email to: george@etsi.com.au or call me on +61

408 621 736 and I’ll be glad to be of further service to you or
a friend.

66
Special Exclusive Lifetime Offer

Present this page or a copy of it to George Mavros and you

will receive a one-hour free consultation or 10% discount off a
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Redeemable and transferable for the lifetime of George Mavros.

(Please note that the one free hour may be exchanged for part
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One on one consultations are set at a mutually agreeable loca-

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67
Questions

Ideas

68
Some funny sayings...
worth thinking about

Anyone who has known me for even a short period of time

knows I have a swag of what I call “funny sayings”. Over the
years I have come up with a number myself. On other occa-
sions, I hear something and listen to where it came from and
then adopt it.

I use my funny sayings as part of my life management system

to help me stay true to me. They help me keep myself in the
company of the sorts of people and firms that I feel will im-
prove and grow my standing — not undermine it and fight
against what I am trying to achieve.

Over the years, my funny sayings have helped me pick some

great partners and make some great decisions. On other occa-
sions, they have helped me steer clear of people and deals that
would not have been right for me.

Maybe as well as their experience and qualifications you may

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 George Mavros

care to ask those you work with and choose as your business
associates and life partners, “What sayings do you live by?”

If you want to use any of mine, I ask that you acknowledge that
you heard it from me.

On persistence and strategy and having a go

“There is no point praying for the rain if you don’t even have the
dams designed…let alone built.”

Not sure where I got that from. I’m pretty sure it’s not original,
but I use it a lot. I find it hard to understand why people spend
the time, effort and trying to get the invention patented or
the new customers to visit the business, when they have no
plan in place as to how they are going to service that. Equally,
why spend a fortune on advertising a new product or getting
publicity for it if you don’t have in place the manufacturing or
distribution network to accommodate the increased sales?

***

“If you reach for the stars you may not make it, but at least you may
get off the plains, into the hills or even to the mountains.”

One of mine that I live by. Too often people are not prepared
to accept failing, so they never enjoy success. They would rather
live comfortably in the land of mediocrity than risk suffering
the embarrassment of failing. Using that logic, a child would
never learn to walk, eat or talk. I have had some huge dreams

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 Some funny sayings... worth thinking about

in my life and missed the stars. But along the way, I promise
you, I have reached the top of the hills and on a few occasions,
I have topped the Mountain. Be prepared to fail. It is the first
step towards success.

***

“Man’s got to know his limitations.”

— Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry

I see this as meaning that we all must know what we are good
at and what we are not so good at. If you know your lim-
itations, then you won’t spend energy or resources trying to
achieve what you just can’t on your own. You will not overstep
or overstretch yourself.

To be served well by this saying, you must be honest with your-

self, so you don’t waste time chasing the wrong rainbow. But
also, don’t hide behind being too critical of your own abilities.

***

“Once you know your limitations, the exciting thing is you also
know just how far you really can go.”

Another one of mine that follows on from Dirty Harry’s. By

default, once you truly know your limit, you must also know
just how far you can go. This helps me to t ry a nd reach for
those stars.

But along the way, I will also enlist the help of those people

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 George Mavros

that I need to cover my shortcomings. That way I am heading

as far as I can go. At all times.

***

“If you are not prepared to deal with the chaff, what gives you the
right to expect to benefit from the wheat?”

Another of mine. This comes from the saying that you need to
sort the chaff from the wheat. Why do people expect to have
the benefits of success, without the responsibility of the work
that is required to get that success?

In most things we do, it is rare that the first attempt will be the
right one — or even if it is considered right — it may not be
the best one.

A sales person will never be able to make a sale without at least

some preparation and some failed attempts. Yet often they bleat
to me that you need to do so many calls before you make the
sale. Imagine what crops we would have if the farmer was not
prepared to work the field.

Imagine how many “overnight success stories” there would not

be, if all those “overnight successors” hadn’t put in the work at
the beginning. Do you really think Tiger Woods just walked
up one day and became the great golfer he is? WD40 stands
for Water Displacement Formula 40, because the first 39
failed!

72
 Some funny sayings... worth thinking about

On integrity and honesty

“Honesty and integrity ahead of commercial expediency.”

This has been my business mission and one of my personal life

guidance strategies since about 25. It has cost me a lot of mon-
ey and business over the years. However it has never cost me a
moment”s sleep.

Sadly, I think too many public companies — and I am sure

many private ones also — choose the reverse of this philosophy.
I often wonder if the politicians could ever grasp this one.

Those that don’t grasp it, don’t make decisions that are right
for the majority, based on integrity and honesty. They make
them on commercial or a self-centred expediency basis. What
will deliver the best profit? What will secure the best deal for
me or the board or the shareholders? What will get me or us
re-elected?

On Life

“You’re the voice, try and understand it — how long can we look at
each other down the barrel of a gun?”
John Farnham

If more of us understood that we are the voice and we are the

ones that can make the difference, a whole lot more could be
achieved by just us little guys.

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 George Mavros

If the best we can do to resolve a conflict is use violence and

aggression, are we really that more advanced than Neanderthal
man or the dinosaurs? Listen, really listen to that song and, boy,
there are a heap of good ideas that you can get from it.

***

“Hey true blue, is it me and you? Is it standing by your mate when

he’s in a fight?”
John Williamson

This coupled with being “the voice” means so much to the

Australian culture. If only we can get more and more Aussies
— both original and new — to really understand it.

It intrigues me the number of people that are prepared to talk

to you and tell you they agree with you or support you, howev-
er they don’t get involved because it may cause them to suffer.

I have been blessed throughout my life to have had an extraor-

dinary number of “true blue mates”. Both male and female.

***

“Keep doing people favours. Even if they don’t pay you back, the
universe will.”

Another one of mine. It is amazing how many times I have

helped someone and they have not, or have not been able to,
pay me back. It is equally amazing how many times people have
helped me without me being able to pay them back personally.

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 Some funny sayings... worth thinking about

***

“Everyone can see the grey clouds what we need is for more people
to find the silver lining of every grey cloud.”

Another of mine. It is so easy for people to point out the bad

things and the rough times and the failings of a situation. That
to me is not clever or insightful. In most cases, it is blooming
obvious.

The real value is to be able to find the good out of every situa-
tion. Sometimes that demands a lot of work, but I promise you
there will always be a positive there. And you benefit when you
go looking for it.

***

“What is a man, and what has he got? If not himself, then he has
not. To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who
kneels.”
Frank Sinatra in “My Way”

This is one of my cornerstone sayings. I first heard it as a young

salesman and have lived both my business and personal life by
it ever since. Often offending people by being too honest.

It tells me to never be threatened by bullies. Never say “yes”

when I actually mean “no”. Don’t give up standing for my val-
ues and integrity so I can kneel down and pick up the money
that I have been bought with.

75
 George Mavros

I may offend you. I may lose your business and in some cases
your support or friendship, but you always know where you
stand with me. You know I always say it as I see it.

***

“Everything I have or own in this life can be taken from me. Except
for one thing: my name. Only I can give that away, but there isn’t
a price high enough for me to do it.”

Another cornerstone saying that I live by. It is also my promise

of service to my clients and my friends.

It means that you and you alone can truly ruin your name.
Others can slander you and others can take all other things of
value from you. But you and you alone control what your name
truly stands for.

***

So, those are some of my “funny sayings” that I take very seriously.

What about you? Are there any sayings here that you want to
adopt? Or do you have some of your own sayings that you want
to give far greater importance to now?

Do you feel that by understanding what “funny sayings” the

people you associate with live by, you may be in a better place
to choose the ones to spend more time with?

Or no time at all…

76
Acknowledgements

I have enjoyed an absolutely blessed career and life so far and

that is mainly because I have met some extraordinary people
along the way. They have taken the time to teach me things
that have served me well. And I have passed what I have learnt
from them on to others.

Gina Mavros

My mum, who took the time and effort for so many years, to
teach me the little things and tricks in life that she had learnt.

Who no matter how badly I treated her as a son always forgave

and loved me as only a mum can. (RIP Mum)

John Carter

My adopted dad in life who I was fortunate enough to meet

when I was eleven and who instilled in me many wonderful
thoughts on treating people and life.

77
 George Mavros

Who was a constant source of insights in the time of my life

when I needed a dad to do that and he has never stopped doing
it!

Geoff Penney

My adopted dad in business who was my mentor for 20 years

of my life and still today helps me be the business person I am.
From the thoughts, ideas and techniques he showed and gave
me, he has not only helped me, but I have been able to share
Geoff’s teachings with others.

Possibly the only person I have met that I would say was a
“natural born salesman”.

Tom Hopkins

I have used and taught Tom Hopkins’ material since I first

learnt it over 30 years ago.

What Tom teaches as sales training material is really life train-

ing material. With the help of his material, I was able to put
all my raw talent into a structured, cohesive strategic context.
I have sent many people to his seminar and to date not one of
them has said that it was a waste of time.

Part of what Tom teaches is for you to take his material, inter-
nalise it and then make it your own. It was once I achieved this
that it truly started to make me fire.

I have trained sales people now for some 30 years and today

78
 Acknowledgements

a lot of my course material and theories are based on Tom’s

material. If you are in sales and you have not read or listened to
his material, you are denying yourself the teachings of a time
tested and proven “grand master” of The Art of Selling Anything.

Bob Proctor

Bob Proctor, through Born Rich, changed my life and taught

me, “It’s not about the money, it’s about you”. He also taught
me, “You may not be able to control the environment you are
in, but you can control your reaction and outcomes from it”.

Who has helped me and will continue to help me help others.

Bob is even more genuine in real life than he appears in the
tapes videos and seminars. Wow!

George Griziotis

George is my go-to man for all things IP. He has practiced and
lectured in patent law for many years now and is a blessing to
have in your team. He not only gives you the IP perspective,
but also brings sane and sensible, pragmatic business thoughts
to the table.

Special thanks to Gerry Robert

As I’ve already said, I would never have got to this stage with-
out having learnt so much from a few incredible people in my
life.

But with all they taught and showed me, it took Gerry Robert

79
 George Mavros

to give me the thoughts, courage and inspiration to even be

game to write, publish and sell my first book in less than 24
hours. Awesome!

Endorsement from Gerry Robert (for the first version of this

book)

As the author of The Millionaire Mindset: How Ordinary People

Can Create Extraordinary Income and the creator and facilitator
of “Publish your way to Success”, I am delighted to endorse
George’s first book and excited at the potential it has to change
your life.
Gerry Robert
Author and President of
Life Success Publishing
2007

80
SO, YOU HAVE A GREAT INVENTION, IDEA OR DESIGN
BUT YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT TO DO NEXT?
Learn how to take your invention to market by reading this simple, easy to
read guide.George Mavros has learned many secrets from the best people
in sales,marketingand patenting. Now he shares some of those secrets:

O Where to get IP advice and protection.

0 How to deal with professionals when they talk a language you don't understand.
O A simple strategy for taking your invention to market.

"Using just one of my strategies saved a client over $15,000 and

delivered a 10 to 1 benefit to cost return."
-George Mavros

"George, you don't just give us an answer; you a/so give us the
strategy that goes with it."
- Billy Massih, Owner, Urban Protection Group

George Mavros created his first product and started his first business
venture at 11 years of age. He has been in sales, marketing and
distribution for over 30 years, and has represented over 400
companies like WD40, Armor All, Alcon Aluminium, Barillo Pasta and
Artline marking pens. He has sold to major companies in most areas of
the market-place: hardware, grocery, confectionery, pharmaceutical
and government.

Price: $25
www.etsi.com.au
george@etsi.com.au
Pocket Rocket Books