Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Start by thinking small, not big. Can you get ONE doctor or clinic to sign on and give it a try? Maybe even give it to them free in return for an honest evaluation and any suggestions/comments.

You can invite as many doctors as you want to a mass presentation, but I would be shocked if any of them showed up. They are notoriously averse to vendor presentations.

I am a little concerned that you've solved a problem that isn't seen as being very important to your target audience, and if that's true it's going to be a very difficult sale. You may have to pay for a few interviews with your target audience to figure out whether they have value for what you are offering, and if so what would get them to try it.

This is the problem with inventing the solution before you have a full understanding of the perceived needs of the primary target audience.

I understand, but 2016 sounds like an eternity away, and most physicians, I suspect, will put this on a back burner until the last minute ... or even longer if the drop-dead date is somehow delayed. Plus, they probably figure the ease of implementation will be improved and the costs will come down (because of competition) between now and then, more than offsetting the government subsidy.

Net: This is going to be a hard sell for quite a while, and your best bet will be to get some beta testers on board now. This will help not only with debugging and enhancements, but also with more input for your marketing planning.

If you can't get one or two takers, then getting a dozen will be impossible.


Note: I speak from some experience, having been responsible for marketing planning for a large diagnostic imaging supplier when electronic technology entered the medical field and displaced most traditional silver-film imaging (at least for archiving and sharing) -- another major process change for physicians, hospitals and clinics.