Choosing a medical distributor to partner up within the MENA region is no simple task. The coronavirus pandemic that started in 2019 has strained healthcare facilities, especially in MENA, of their medical equipment and supplies. Including the mental health of all medical personnel and other workers in the facility. This pandemic surged the demand for specific medical equipment and medical supplies such as ventilators, flexible micro-endoscopes, oxygen concentrators, laryngoscopes, medical distributors, face masks & shields, medical gowns and gloves, and syringe pumps.
This increasing demand for medical supplies shot up the competition in the medical distribution market. Suddenly, everyone wants to distribute medical equipment and gain high profits. This doesn’t mean that all medical distributors are reliable. With the number of unreliable distributors increasing in the MENA region, many medical suppliers and manufacturers waver on which distributing companies can want to partner up with. The following article will help you, the medical supplier/manufacturer, differentiate between reliable and unreliable medical distributors in MENA.
Firstly, if you think that Googling “best medical distributor in MENA region” is enough to help you decide what distributor is best for you, think again. Looking on the web gives you the ideal image of each distributor. Infographics, great content, great photos, and a perfectly organized website… These features are there to draw you in. This is where much foreign personnel in power fail and burn. Moreover, wrong data is very common in MENA. Businesses tend to exaggerate their services and products for a single sale. Yes, for a single sale. (Not all business owners know the pros of earning client and customer loyalty.) Hence, don’t set your heart on any distributor solely based on their website.
For instance, another reason to not rely so much on websites is that a majority of medical distributing companies rely on conducting sales calls through face to face meetings. Many medical distributing companies in the MENA region have little to no online presence. What little online presence they have, is old. Due to COVID 19, have these companies recently moved their focus to create an online presence to reach prospects.
As mentioned earlier, wrong information is never rare in the MENA region. So, how can the internet benefit you? A well designed and organized website:
Before meeting with prospect distributors, have a clear action plan on the goals you would like to accomplish in the region and how are you going to accomplish them. Remember, this is somewhat of a partnership. Not only should the prospective distributors impress you; you also have to impress them. A reliable, reputable medical distributor won’t accept any medical supplier/manufacturer that comes their way in MENA. They have their own standards and their business to look out for. Your action plan gives them an insight into what business is; business standards.
Additionally, reputable distributors don’t go for businesses with feeble goals like, “We want to be the number one supplier of face masks in all of North Africa.” They partner up with companies that have realistic missions, “We want to increase our market share in MENA by first creating an online presence to create brand awareness and then move on to increasing sales.”
The screening process begins here. It is time to contact your prospect distributors and interrogate them. Yes, interrogate. When meeting face to face, or video meeting, look out for two distinctive characteristics: how transparent the is prospect being and what is their level of responsiveness? These two factors are your first, genuine impressions of the company. How? Their willingness to share information and thoroughness of their answers will indicate how communication between your two companies will be in the future. If they are being transparent enough, then that is an incredible indicator that the distributor is reliable. You should be raising questions on the legitimacy of their services if they twist and turn to answer questions which is a regrettable tactic used in the MENA region. Questions to ask your prospect medical device distributor:
Note: Before “business talk”, small talk is appreciated. However, it is highly advised that you refrain from asking about females in the family. MENA women are usually sheltered from the public eye, so an innocent question like, “How’s your wife,” can actually offend the prospect you are meeting with.
The demand for medical equipment, nowadays, is not restricted to medical facilities. Unlike before, when it was only used for diagnosis and therapies. Many businesses and homes require sanitizers, face masks & shields, and sanitizing devices. In harsher cases, oxygen concentrators
As a foreign medical manufacturer looking to expand in the MENA region, look out for added value. Which company is willing to offer up more services? Which distributor in the MENA region will be different and help you sell your products in markets other than medical businesses? Hotels, offices, and even taxis – these are all new markets that need certain medical supplies. Which distributor is going to know how to market your company and increase profits? Will said prospects know how to target efficiently?
Keep in mind, how well did the distributors know the culture and society in MENA? Is the prospect’s familiarity with the illnesses and diseases in the region well known? This information is vital. Without this, they cannot properly advise you on what medical supplies and equipment your company should push into the market. Specifically, breast cancer rates are increasing in several countries in the MENA region. So, AI-based software like MammoRisk®️ – creates personalized screening plans for women to know how frequently they need to be diagnosed after the age of 40 – are to be pushed in the market.
Therefore, should a prospect distributor share such information, then be at ease. They know the market and they can help add value to your company.
After all, is said and done, it is time to make a decision. But don’t be hasty. Check out the pros and cons of each medical distributing company you spoke with. Which gave you straight-to-the-point answers? Who wasn’t hesitant to share information? Furthermore, to also help you decide, check your gut feeling. What do your instincts tell you? What company were you most comfortable with?
The important thing is to not be hasty. Even if you need a distributor as soon as possible, it is less costly and more efficient to take your time and make the right decision. If you rush your decision, then it will cost you terribly.
Feel free to contact us for more information on medical equipment and supplies available in the MENA Region.
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