When this topic matters
You sell to healthcare or medtech vertical. It is one of the most regulated and conservative sectors.
Sales cycles are extremely long (12-24 months), procurement is complex, and regulation (HIPAA, MDR...) is critical.
What happens in practice
Specifics: 1) Heavy regulation — HIPAA, GDPR healthcare, MDR/IVDR for medtech. 2) Long procurement — vendor vetting, compliance review, pilot programs. 3) Multiple stakeholders — clinical, IT, procurement, legal. 4) Evidence-based — clinical proof, peer-reviewed studies.
What works: compliance certifications, clinical evidence, references from similar institutions, patience.
Why it fails
Missing compliance: without HIPAA, ISO 13485, or relevant certifications you will not even start conversation.
Missing evidence: healthcare needs proof, not promises. Clinical validation, peer-reviewed studies.
Impatience: 12-24 month cycle is not unusual. Expecting fast close is unrealistic.
How to think about it
Prerequisites: compliance certifications, clinical evidence, references from similar institutions.
Stakeholders: map decision process — clinical champion, IT approval, procurement, legal.
Pilot programs: often path to full deployment. Plan pilots as part of sales cycle.
- Compliance: certifications as necessity
- Evidence: clinical proof, peer-reviewed
- Stakeholders: clinical + IT + procurement + legal
- Pilots: path to full deployment
What you gain and what you lose
Compliance-first: credibility, ability to even start conversation. But high upfront investment.
Evidence-based approach: higher win rate. But requires investment in clinical studies or validation.
Long cycles: large, stable contracts. But high CAC and long payback.
When to apply
For all healthcare and medtech sales. Especially important for: hospitals, clinics, health insurers.
Adapt by product: SaMD (software as medical device) has more specific regulations than general healthcare IT.
Healthcare outbound = compliance certifications, clinical evidence, multi-stakeholder mapping, patience. Plan for 12-24 month cycle and pilots as part of process.