In IP, most client-provider relationships are enduring and stable. This is not a hook-up culture: clients who are content with their professional advisors do not shop around. In addition, the few real prospects – the new clients who do not…
The idea that we should focus our marketing on real prospects is very basic, but most of us get this wrong at least some of the time. In fact, I believe that the most common mistake in IP marketing is…
To sell IP, we need to sell trust. As IP practitioners, obviously we “sell” intellectual property services. That is what clients ultimately buy from us: services related to patents, trademarks, copyrights and designs, whether it is related to acquisition of…
Indirect proof: content marketing and social proof. As much as you may want to 'sell trust', you cannot force people to trust you. You have to earn it. And, until they are a client, you can only demonstrate indirectly to…
An excellent tool for: education & outreach marketing generating referrals "Quite possibly the best marketing tool available for IP practitioners." Education and Outreach Intellectual Property Law For Dummies is a great education and outreach tool. There is a great public…
A crucial component of a functioning tax system is that it should establish a level playing field, and should not arbitrarily pick "winners and losers". I happen to believe that the tax system should rarely be used to drive policy,…
If you want to move the needle with economic development, it is services that matter the most. Manufacturing and resource extraction may be easy, but they are not the core of a first world economy. The challenge - and it…
There were no great bargains to be had in Target's unfortunate foray into Canada. What happened to Target with trademarks is particularly illustrative of how a cross-border move can go badly. Put simply, Target came to Canada with much fanfare,…
In the spirit of the season, a Rant and best wishes. Happy Festivus, and All the Best for 2015. Neil
Zero to One by Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel was one of the co-founders of PayPal (along with a ridiculous number of other very successful folks including Elon Musk of Telsa and SpaceX fame, and Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn). Much of…