After years working with medical equipment distributors, I see the same mistakes on repeat. Here's what separates the distributors who build profitable portfolios from those who end up sitting on dead inventory:

1. Chasing the brand name, not the margin structure. Beckman Coulter, Siemens, Abbott — great names. But the distributor margin on a flagship analyzer is often razor-thin. The real money is in reagents, consumables, and service contracts. Evaluate the full lifecycle revenue, not the sticker price.

2. Ignoring install base in your territory. If every hospital in your region already runs Roche chemistry, you're not flipping them to a competitor overnight. Map the existing install base first, then find the gaps.

3. Skipping the clinical validation question. Your customers (lab directors, procurement) will ask: "What clinical studies support this?" If you can't answer that in 30 seconds, you'll lose the deal to someone who can.

4. Underestimating service and parts logistics. You can sell the box, but if you can't service it within 24 hours, you'll lose the account on the first breakdown. Always negotiate service training and parts access before signing a distribution agreement.

5. Not building relationships with the right hospital stakeholders. Procurement makes the final call, but lab managers and department heads drive the spec. If you're only talking to purchasing, you're already behind.

These are the kinds of decisions I help distributors navigate every day inside MedEquip Advisory. If you're evaluating new lines or rethinking your portfolio strategy, come talk to us.