I want to tell you about my sales pitch when my company, Asian Medical, is recruiting dealers to sell medical equipment in Asia and the Middle East.
“The good news is that the product is made in California,” I say. “And the bad news is that it’s made in California.”
American-made medical products aren’t as cheap as some foreign competitors. But worldwide they are considered to be the gold standard. The quality is outstanding, and the products are stamped with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval.
They’re in demand.
FDA approval is enormously important to people in Asia. Thailand, for instance, has its own FDA. So does Korea. Those organizations are responsible for making sure that medical equipment imported into their country is not going to hurt their citizens.
But they don’t have time to test all the medical equipment to make sure it’s safe, so they require that all medical equipment imported from the United States is FDA approved. In other words, these products are good enough for them became they are good enough for Americans.
I founded Asian Medical in 1996, right after President Clinton lifted a 20-year embargo that had prohibited sending American products to Vietnam. When I toured Vietnamese hospitals, I was shocked at what I saw.
The Vietnamese were still using American-made medical equipment with military markings left over from the Vietnam War–still in use in Vietnamese hospitals 20 years after the war ended!
I came to 2 conclusions:
- American-made medical equipment lasts a long time and
- The Vietnamese really like American-made medical equipment
The Vietnamese wanted all kinds of medical and laboratory durable equipment, electronic surgical equipment, medical light, surgery tools, sophisticated testing equipment used in laboratories. They were very receptive to me selling them our American made products.
Those first deals formed the backbone of my business, which has prospered and expanded as globalization developed. Even though there’s a worldwide economy slow down, medical equipment products are still in demand.
At Asian Medical, it’s my mission to connect the makers of high-quality American medical equipment to buyers in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.