Not only does that show a naivete of the real business world, it casts suspicion on the validity of the technology itself, even though the idea may be competitively manufacturable and technically superior to anything on the market. Think of the impact the Internet has had on the TV viewing audience. Even if the inventor plans to simply license the product or technology to a manufacturer, it is imperative that the money incentives throughout the distribution channel are accounted for. All of these questions, and more, will help shape the product features, manufacturing methods, and production or retail pricing, and will begin to help the inventor understand the sales channels for the intended product. There is a never-ending stream of data that can be wildly useful in idea validation.
Marketing is part art, part science.
The qualified market data , of course. And this data is collected through researching the appropriate data archives. It is a paradox that inventors should seek project funding when they do not require any. Nobody wants to get involved with a project that has lost money, even though most inventors know that project development cost money, and appreciable returns on the investment are typically not seen for a year or two. In some cases, the lack of a business plan can cause the inventor's idea to never be considered for licensing, especially when approaching a new market with a new product.