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Usually you aren’t the first one to see a problem and try to fix it.  Sometimes you will find patents for products that try to solve the same problem your product solves or people within your industry may have seen five to ten products similar to yours try to make it to market and fail.  When industry people have seen a certain type of product fail a number of times, they will be highly skeptical that another similar product can be successful.  What do you do when you have a great new product that really works for a great price, but other inventors have failed, leaving potential buyers or partners reluctant to accept your innovation?

To overcome skepticism you need to do at least three things: show how your product overcomes past problems, show your product is easier to use and that it works better than past failed products and show that customers will understand your product better than past failed products.

Take this example, air ducts, even after cleaning, frequently put out dust when the heater or air conditioner comers on. I did a quick check on Google patents and I quickly found over 10 patents and patent applications. I did a search for commercial air duct cleaning equipment and found numerous other patents.

Many inventors don’t think failed products are a factor because there aren’t any products like theirs on the market. But that is not the criteria you should be worried about. The question is how many products have tried to solve the same problem as yours. They don’t have to be just like yours. Be sure to check product directories available from trade magazines or trade associations. In this case searched for Air duct cleaning equipment trade magazine and found the NADCA, National Air Duct Cleaning Association and found they had a product directory.

When you start to sell his a new product in this category, you will face a lot of skepticism. To overcome this before you talk to your buyers, so the following.

1. Why did other products fail? You don’t need to go on to buyers too long about this, just one or two recurring problems is enough.
2. Why or how does your product avoid those problems, again not be too complicated a description, just one or two reasons.
3. Show that your product is easy to use. You need to offer potential buyers major encouragement to try your product after all they may have wasted a lot time evaluating other products. This is probably the most important point when there have many failed products. 
4. Show your product works better. A demonstration is the best way to do this. Having a clear collection box can show just how much dirt a new invention can get of a duct would be a good selling point.
5. Be sure the final customer can easily understand that your product will work. Most times, inventors only get a two to three second look from potential customers. When your customers have seen failed products, you have much less time. This means your sell sheet, sales video, or packaging needs to have something special to grab people’s attention. Often you get a better visual if you use Upwork  www.upwork.com or Freelancer www.freelancer.com  to find a graphic designer you can hire.

Relevant points to consider for all products.

1. There are many non-performance issues that cause products to fail. A main cause is that they are not easy to use.  They might also require too much investment, either to manufacture or investment in equipment to operate the product. Another reason is that they might require too much training for personnel to use.   All of these things increase the cost and difficulty for customers to add or buy a new product.  If it is too expensive, or too much of a hassle, most people will pass on your product, no matter how big of benefit it can provide. 
2. Performance is also an issue that causes many products to fail.  Products that underperform, especially high priced products, may sell initially but as people start to realize that they don’t work as well as they should, they start telling their friends and family not to buy the product.
3. Finally, even if your product performs much better than all other previous products, if your customers don’t quickly grasp how much better your product is, you will never overcome their skepticism.  A visible and clear way of demonstrating your product’s benefits often makes the difference between success and failure. .