Ambassador Medical, Carmel, Ind., has provided sales and service of ultrasound systems, parts and transducers for over 25 years. With over 50 employees and annual sales projected at $40 million this year, DOTmed was eager to hear from Business Development Associate Charles Jahnke about how the company handles growing product demand and what customer solutions they offer.

Although Ambassador Medical has shown sustained sales growth year after year, annual sales have spiked in the last three from $24 million to a currently projected $40 million. Jahnke asserts that rising demands are partly responsible for these gains, but his analysis of the situation speaks to the company's pulse-of-the-market approach. "With reimbursements on the decline, doctors are always looking for new solutions to increase practice revenue and get a high return on an investment. Ultrasound is probably the easiest and least expensive modality to do this with."

Internet marketing has become Ambassador Medical's number one point of contact with customers, tapping into healthcare trends to maximize their competitive advantage. Jahnke says, "Consumers today are much more savvy when making large ticket purchases and utilize the Internet to give them a quick look at competitive information in any market, and that includes healthcare. Doctors are realizing that there are other alternatives to purchasing new equipment, and with savings ranging from 30 to 80 percent for a slightly used system, this comes with real savings for the practice."

Joining DOTmed in 2004 has helped Ambassador Medical expand from its North American customer base, according to Jahnke. "DOTmed has really given us the opportunity to tap into a more global market....Today we have great relationships with dealers and distributors, as well as retail customers, all over the world."

When it comes to handling the inevitable hurdles of rapid company growth, Jahnke is quick to point out the importance of employee relations. "Fortunately, we've had great success with attracting very talented people to help us grow as well as retaining key talent in the company. This has been critical to our success and has been proven by our year-to-year growth."

Jahnke is not short on advice for other businesses meeting similar demands. "The best advice I could give is to do your homework. Make sure that you deal with a company that...is concerned about your needs. Make sure that they have a support structure if problems should arise," he said. "Customers want to know that if they have a problem, that you are there to support them."

Back to HCB News

More Voices