BriffaWay – Lord Scrumptious

Although I was not aware at the time my first exposure to the business pitch was probably that in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). There is a part when Caractacus Potts visits Lord Scrumptious in his factory to pitch his toote sweets (sweets that whistle) and after an unfortunate meeting Potts begs Lord Scrumptious for another chance. Lord Scrumptious is merciless and famously reports: ‘Too late. Had your chance. Muffed It’. The pain those words inflict on Potts is palpable and I still shudder when I bring it to mind even now. At Briffa we see hundreds of inventors every year. Each has invested heavily in both time and money to get ready for market and each one brims with enthusiasm for their product and utter unshakeable belief that they have ‘the best thing since sliced bread. Some do. Some don’t. We give practical commercial advice. We have been known to tell inventors to ‘stop right there’ and ‘not give up the day job’. Most importantly if an inventor is going forward we make sure that the inventor is protected before they make their invention known to the outside world be it by way of a patent, registered design or trade mark. That however is only part of the advice we will be offering. We are conscious that with the best invention and IP protection in the world all will fall down if the pitch is not perfect. So we ask: Have you researched your market and do you know why people would buy your product as opposed to other products on the market? What will it cost to make? What is the price to the consumer? Preparation is key to success and must be done. A pitch lasts a few minutes and can determine your future. We never want to let you hear those words of Lord Scrumptious ‘Too Late. Had your Chance. Muffed It’.