Take the guesswork out of product development and sales with these tips from folks who are doing it.

By Susie Boghosian and Jinny Fleischman

* How will the products be distributed? The greater the channels of distribution, the greater the potential source of income. Of course, the greater the channels, the higher the risk and the greater the potential for failure.

In general, your organization’s existing communication channels will be used to offer products to members and prospects. Going beyond existing channels into retail, a catalog or a sales Web site can be quite expensive — and it really means starting a whole new business.