Away Game
To promote his board game, this entrepreneur had to hit the road.
What's the best way to sell your product to retailers? For
Eric Poses, inventor of Loaded Questions, a board game that tests
players on how well they know each other, it took a cross-country,
in-your-face approach.
When Poses, 27, launched Loaded Questions in the summer of 1997,
he initially tried using traditional marketing methods-with zero
response. Frustrated, he packed up his car and hit the road. Over
the next four months, he visited scores of mom-and-pop toy stores
around the country and sold 1,000 games. The effort built a good
distribution base-and much to his surprise, it also garnered plenty
of media attention. Within months, Toys "R" Us had
ordered 6,500 games.
Poses headed out from his Santa Monica, California, business,
All Things Equal Inc., for a second grassroots campaign in March.
He returned home in May, after meeting with such major merchants as
Barnes and Noble, FAO Schwarz and Target as part of a "Meet
the Inventor" program he's participating in.
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"Instead of just trying to work with a buyer to get the
game on the shelves, I'm supporting sales by meeting with
customers who are looking for a good board game," says Poses.
"Now, from the thousands of products on the shelves, mine
stands out."
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