John Mazur, President, Strategic Medical Sales, Bedford Heights, OH believes in the basics of experience and reputation to build his customer base.

Strategic primarily sells biomedical testing equipment (instruments that test other medical equipment) and preowned patient monitors (and sometimes parts), particularly the Spacelabs brand. Strategic obtains its parts and equipment from other dealers and makes good use of available auctions to stock the warehouse in order to keep a steady "nuts and bolts" inventory.
Patient monitors, including bedside models and portables, have been the basically the same for a long time, a steady and reliable product. Strategic has been in business five years, selling to medical centers around the world. With the drop in the dollar, Strategic has developed more international sales. Strategic has sales in Thailand, Australia, India, Brazil, Chile, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Europe, and Africa. Medical professionals in these areas are shopping for a bargain. Mazur finds that with every piece of equipment, there is a market for it somewhere in the world. This includes older models, popular in Mexico and South America, and newer, high-end models, in demand in the Middle East.

Strategic has been doing well, even in the slow economy. Why? With money being tight, buyers want to deal with companies that have a good reputation. For Mazur, reputation is built on experience. The reason customers return to strategic is that Mazur has been in the business since, he was 22, a solid 26 years in the industry now. If you know your product and your word is reliable, the customers will come. Mazur has worked for medical equipment manufacturers in production and field service, and for hospitals in biomed management. He knows the equipment inside and out from buying, selling and servicing perspectives. Mazur says, "What I deliver is a clean tested, refurbished piece of equipment that looks as new as it possibly can." Mazur knows how the products should be packaged, shipped, taken care of, and the proper accessories, vital information that can set a good dealer miles apart from a fly-by-night operation.

Mazur, in becoming DOTmed Certified, appreciates it from a customer's perspective. He has been burned in business himself, and understands the frustration, time and expense of having no recourse. In being Certified, that says a dealer has a code of ethics to adhere to, an established business practice for addressing problems, and a way to encourage new customers to check out the company.

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