Medical Connectivity » Business Planning http://medicalconnectivity.com Thu, 15 May 2008 21:33:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en Selling Connectivity - New Knowledge http://medicalconnectivity.com/2008/04/30/selling-connectivity-new-knowledge/ http://medicalconnectivity.com/2008/04/30/selling-connectivity-new-knowledge/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:57:20 +0000 Tim Gee http://medicalconnectivity.com/2008/04/30/selling-connectivity-new-knowledge/ The most striking lesson that I’ve experienced, and witnessed repeatedly, is that when it comes to connectivity, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” This applies to providers (buyers) as much as it does vendors (sellers). When presented with a new problem, it’s human nature to apply current knowledge and mental models in search of a solution - thus the perennial appeal of the “intuitively obvious.” Intellectually we know that problems don’t all fall into the same logical framework. But, for various reasons we tend to apply known solutions to new problems, and only when the outcome is unacceptable do we contemplate the unknown. Decision making insanity aside, this typical approach is inefficient - or worse.

The barrier to effectively applying the intuitively obvious to connectivity results from fundamental differences between embedded system devices (i.e., conventional stand alone medical instruments) and the methods and technologies used for connectivity (i.e., general purpose computing technologies). This dichotomy in the application of the different technologies used in both embedded systems and connectivity, extends from product design to regulatory, manufacturing, marketing, sales, installation, service and support. For the vendor, the entire business delivery system is affected. Provider processes - needs assessment, vendor selection, implementation and ongoing internal support - are impacted as well by these differences.

So how are embedded systems different from connectivity? Embedded systems embody the following concepts: (more…)

]]> http://medicalconnectivity.com/2008/04/30/selling-connectivity-new-knowledge/feed/ Selling Connectivity - A Series http://medicalconnectivity.com/2008/04/16/selling-connectivity-a-series/ http://medicalconnectivity.com/2008/04/16/selling-connectivity-a-series/#comments Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:40:57 +0000 Tim Gee http://medicalconnectivity.com/2008/04/16/selling-connectivity-a-series/ I’ve written much in the past about the technical and product development issues of connectivity. Just as important are the issues that revolve around successfully selling your connectivity solution. (If you’re a provider reading this, this should provide a bit of insight into how to buy connectivity, and why sometimes vendors to the crazy things they do.)

You can place two seemingly identical medical devices side by side, with the only visible difference being that one has an Ethernet connector and the other does not. That “small” change makes a world of difference when it comes to selling these two devices. Here’s my list of the areas where adding connectivity to a medical device changes almost everything:

  • Required new knowledge
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Dealing with new decision makers (typically with veto power)
  • Selling a solution, rather than selling the box
  • Selling one-off systems, rather than cookie cutter widgets
  • Aligning incentives
  • Making it work, getting paid
  • Keeping the customer happy, keeping the system working
  • Customers want a whole product solution

(more…)

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