Greg, this question is so important, salient, and often asked, I'm immediately putting it on our homepage and drawing attention to it. I suggest you post a link to this conversation on LinkedIn as well.

I may even make it the point of a future announcement. Thank you!

cc: Dave Sheppard, Elizabeth Hilla, Ian Fardy, Brian Sullivan, Gunter Wessels, Mark Kesti, Mike Sperduti

I have been using the services offered through the U.S. Commercial Service; and just attended a meeting they had in Washington DC that allowed me to interact, get information and connect with Embassy Officers and Chamber of Commerce members for several countries in LATAM and the Caribbean. I have found them to be a good resource in helping me research markets and for a small fee they will help you find and vet distributors in your selected countries with the help of the local Embassy & Chambers of Commerce. I hope this helps as a viable option as I was in the same position before looking for opinions and options.

It really depends upon the market strategy. If it is US only, then a US distributor is in order. For the other 'developed' markets, there are specific distributor qualifications and they can vary quite a bit. Brasil is a bit upside down at the moment and the EU has outlined very specific rules around Economic Operators under its EUMDR and those are quite different than what has been required under the MDD.

Dave Sheppard, CMAA
Global M&A, OutSourced B,D&L Leader for SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) & Emerging Technology Healthcare Companies wrote:

Hi Greg Accetturo - great question with no easy answer. While there are some service groups that have a fee-based system to allow distributors and manufacturers to connect, I have yet to receive much positive feedback on actual results. Depending upon market segment, I often find that utilizing our connections to segment experts, it’s possible to gain direction on possible distribution sources (often 1099 reps, salesforce for hire entities, or strategics). One excellent event for evaluating potential global distributors is Medica - which (as you may know) is held in Duesseldorf, Germany each November. Hope that helps! Cheers

Gunter Wessels,Ph.D.,M.B.A.
Practice General Manager at LiquidSMARTS wrote: A good resource is the Health Industry Distributors Association, HIDA. HIDA.org has been a good affiliation for us.

Elizabeth Hilla
Senior Vice President, Health Industry Distributors Association wrote: Hi Greg, I'd love to talk with you (and anyone else looking for distributors). Our annual conference coming up in Sept is one good venue for meeting distributors, but let's talk live so I understand what kind of distributors you're looking for and can advise on whether our event would be a good fit. You can email me at [email protected] and we'll set up a time to talk.

Ian Fardy
Vice President, Marketing NDC, Inc wrote:
NDC has over 1400 medical product distributor customers across all markets and categories accessing our warehouses. While medical devices is a broad term to some as well as can be very category or specialty driven, the single best place to start is HIDA.org.

Medical Device Distribution has another outlet not mentioned in any of the comments: 1099's. With over 30 years of med device sales experience I am one now running my own medical device distribution business as a 1099 representing 5 med device company product lines in 5 Midwest states. One of these companies is a Fortune 100 major cardiovascular device organization that selectively employs 1099's(vs. FTE's)to grow their business. Another is a new proprietary med device start-up. The key component to these partnerships(100% commission based agreement): Surgeon and Hospital relationships. Ones developed over many years that have built great trust and service to quickly generate and sustain sales and profits.

Caitlin Morse, PMP
Medical Device Commercialization Consultant wrote:
I would also say the more novel your idea, the less likely distribution is going to contribute to sales, although it can sometimes still help with logistics.

Ingmar R. Kupferer, MBA (Open), Betriebswirt VWA
Sales Director GUIDOR BDU wrote:
Dear Caitlin Morse, PMP- interesting point of view, whereas I have a completely different opinion. A great idea/ product does not sell ‚itself‘ - these times are long gone. A dedicated sales and marketing strategy is essential and - in the MedTech world - sales teams have a significant influence on the decision making process by Users (in contrast to FMCG where product presentation is essential). What do you think?

Caitlin Morse, PMP
Medical Device Commercialization Consultant wrote:
Ingmar R. Kupferer, MBA (Open), Betriebswirt VWA - Sounds like we are saying the same thing. We have met inventors, start-ups, etc who are not planning on building their own sales team because they are "going through distribution" and then they are frustrated when they find that being listed in a distributor's catalogue/website is not enough to sell their product. While I would agree that sales and marketing is required for every medical device these days, it is especially true if you are bringing a novel solution. In this case, not only does your customer not know to look for your product, they may not even know of your product category/type.

Ingmar R. Kupferer, MBA (Open), Betriebswirt VWA
Sales Director GUIDOR BDU wrote:
Caitlin Morse, PMP Indeed you are correct, we say the same thing! Great summary by yourself and also an experience I made numerous times. Great products, no strategy.

Jean Frédéric SERRA
Co-Gérant majoritaire de la société Azur Valatex wrote:
Good day to you all. I think there are no rules. the difficulty is to establish real links between supply and demand. indeed the offers must correspond to the needs of each country in terms of regulations and prices. As a result, it is difficult to see the frustration of doing business when they do not know the practices, culture and regulations of the target countries. it would be necessary to have real exchanges between the needs and expectations of each of the parties and this is the real difficulty. I think that we are numerous in front of this problem to want to export our productions without finding correspondents to the different countries. perhaps there should be some sort of international platform that would offer producers and producers who would be able to adapt to the real needs of the country by offering quality and service that respects people. Best regards

Jitendra Suthar
post graduation in marketing at Sardar Patel University wrote:
For good distribution, we must observe the current scenario. First think for how to reach at consumption area and second thought to make products easily available for use.

Shane Hage
Regional Director Asia Pacific at Icare Finland Oy wrote:
t is very country dependant and product dependant. If you are a "Me to" and late to market you may need to find a smaller distributor that you can work closely with to build your brand and technology awareness. Once you are proven in a market you can use this to enter other markets etc etc but it all take time and wiliness to build long term relationships.

Zia Mohi U Din
Research Assistant at University of Gujrat, Pakistan wrote:
huge competition is every where, for such markets a huge investment is required to be known to people

Zia Mohi U Din
Research Assistant at University of Gujrat, Pakistan wrote:
Similar to us,.We make medical instruments,.. but are not able to find customers to give offers

Michial Mularoni
Full Line Orthpaedics Representative at Stryker wrote:
Have a competitive product. Make contracts that won’t restrict your distributors from carrying multiple other lines except for something that’s a direct competitor. Offer strong commissions up front and easy to access supplies and services. If you have something that starts to sell well and you’re treating your distributors well, they will start coming to you.

Tiger Buford
Retained Recruiter for emerging Orthopedics companies at Tiger Recruiting wrote:
2 simple ways to get a distributor to carry your product: either offer a one-of-a-kind product OR pay them higher commissions for a "me-too" product.

Kishor Wadekar
Business Development Consultant, Medical Devices & Health Care wrote:
Joe in the today's era of global recession, all boils down to margins. Govts exercising price control, corruption and thus arises the need for availability of affordable trained/skilled staff. Customers are demanding too. Striking a balance in price points in a competitive market if the key. Information is the key.

Janae Kegeris
Clinical Resource Consultant at IU Health South Central Region wrote:
Have your product endorsed by AORN! Nurses are the most trusted profession!

Janae Kegeris
Clinical Resource Consultant at IU Health South Central Region wrote:
Is it FDA approved and whats the ROI? How does it impact quality and cost savings? Thats what buyers want so appeal to the buyer and you will have it sold!

Cindy Santa Cruz
Founder & CEO at Lady Patch wrote:
Doesn’t each country have their own FDA? Shouldn’t a medical device get clearance first?