FINDING DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
A MedTech Trade Show. Lots of people
A group walks past a booth. The CEO eagerly approaches:
“Hello, would you like to know more about our device?”
They happen to be from a distributor company. They stop, listen, and eventually ask, “How much does it cost?”
The CEO shares the MOQ pricing.
“OK, can you give us your brochure? We’ll discuss internally.”
Brochure. Business card. Goodbye.
Then it happens again. And again. Pretty much the entire day.
Lots of conversations, lots of contacts — yet somehow, there is a sense of emptiness.
There is nothing wrong with “we’ll discuss internally”. A distributor should evaluate whether a device fits its portfolio. But did they ask how the device fits into the country’s healthcare system? Which channels or business models might work? Who would use it? What about maintenance or disposal?
Price tells you they are listening.
Market questions tell you they are thinking.
A distributor willing to discuss the device’s integration, use case, business model and market conditions is showing a different level of interest. Better still if they are willing to share what they know about their market.
That is a conversation worth pursuing.
And if, after an entire trade show, all you have is a stack of business cards and a bunch of “we’ll discuss internally” conversations, perhaps there is another question to ask:
Was this the right event to be at in the first place?
For us, we are always interested. When you speak to us, you should always walk away having learned something.
