Episode’s transcript

Julio Martinez: 0:00

Welcome to the Latin MedTech Leaders podcast, a conversation with MedTech leaders who have succeeded or plan to succeed in Latin America. Please subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast. Amazon Music is teacher Tune in iHeart Radio, Pandora or deezer .

Julio Martinez: 0:21

Welcome back to the Laptop MedTech Leaders podcast. Today our guest is Craig Britt. Hey, Craig, it's great to have you here today. Welcome to the show.

Craig Britt: 0:30

Thank you very much, Julio, for having me.

Julio Martinez: 0:33

Awesome, Craig. Well, listeners, with over 20 years of experience in international business, Craig has accumulated a track record for success in both the Canadian and Latin American regions. He gained extensive knowledge in sourcing and manufacturing in Asia, Mexico, and Central America. Before transferring that expertise into his role at Aspen Medical Products, Craig has built up a deep knowledge base of the industry by identifying, developing and managing sales growth in prospective territories. One of Craig's top achievements was skyrocketing the Latin American territory. He grew sales in the region with three consecutive years and achieve 120% to plan Craig's success earned him the President's Council Award. Each of those years, Craig understands the importance of international partnerships and has a true passion for helping entrepreneurs build their business in Latin America . Craig graduated from Grand Canyon University with a BS in Business Management. So Craig , uh, is truly an honor to have you here in the show, and I'm sure listeners will get a lot , uh, out of it. And you have a , a fantastic background , uh, in, in Latin America, a lot of experience. So I'm sure we're gonna have a fun and comprehensive conversation about , uh, what to do, what not to do in Latin America. So, could you please , uh, tell listeners about your journey, Craig, to Latin America? How do you get involved with the region?

Craig Britt: 2:09

Well, it started when I , I went to work for Aspen , uh, more on the sourcing side to help them find new areas to manufacture. And in that role , uh, it was limited because of the product range of how much sourcing you can actually do. So they offered me the opportunity to expand our distribution network into Canada and to the Latin American markets. You know, that offered me the , uh, opportunity to build the market from where they were currently at, which was an inconsistent sales base where people would show up and buy a product and then kind of go away. So we were looking for, you know, an opportunity to , to gain traction and build long-term partnerships throughout that region.

Julio Martinez: 2:51

Alright , Greg , thank you for that. Um, what major epidemiological political, social or economic trends do you see in Latin America that are relevant to our discussion today?

Craig Britt: 3:06

Well, I think that from the business trend standpoint, I think, you know, people and patients and healthcare specifically, I think patients are desiring quality products. I think you get limitations from the local made products or the locally available type of treatment. So I think it's important for people to realize they have access to the internet, they have access to what's going on globally. So I think it's important for companies to realize that they need to be offering these same type of options to their people in these markets as well. And these markets are advanced, they're more, much more advanced than a lot of people from the US or from Europe may even realize. But they have advanced , uh, hospitals, they have advanced, you know, I mean the first far as electronics and for infrastructure. They have a lot of advanced business in Latin America .

Julio Martinez: 3:56

Great. Craig, so what's your overall perception of Latin America as a place to conduct first human research with medical technologies or to commercialize , uh, devices?

Craig Britt: 4:10

So from like a clinical research standpoint, I, I never really got involved with doing any direct clinical research. I , I believe there's a , a lot of opportunities and I think that companies who want to go there and offer trials will have a lot more , uh, flexibility and have success. And I think it ties back into what their overall sales plan is for doing clinical research is as well. So, you know, I think when you have locally or regionally done studies or clinical trials, I think it brings a validity not just to the doctors and the hospitals, but I think if you're trying to incorporate that into the reimbursement structure or into other areas of financial responsibility for the government, things like that, I think those bring more weight because it's been done locally with local institutions and local concerns and issues and they, they weren't done in the US where there might be completely different demographic of people.

Julio Martinez: 5:07

Alright , makes sense. What about the commercialization of medical technologies? Uh , what's your overall perception of the opportunity that Latin America represents , uh, to sell medical devices?

Craig Britt: 5:18

Like from an economic trend? You mean more like,

Julio Martinez: 5:22

No , um, do you see Latin America as a lucrative place for medical device companies to sell products?

Craig Britt: 5:28

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think that the opportunities are there. I think there's a craving, you know, I think like, again, going back to where patients are really desiring to have these type of products , um, available to them as well. And I think that the opportunity for companies to go in there and provide these products is important, but I think it has to be done in a way that's honest and and forthright to the patient as well. I think patients need to know about your brand. I think that you need to establish some credibility in the marketplace with your brand, and I think that overall you need to be , uh, there for the long term . So I think that the opportunities for economic development are huge, but it's not a hit and run type of business model. You have to be there for the long term . And if you see American companies who have been successful over a long period of time, you've seen the ones that have invested there and they're still there and , and they still have a very , uh, large presence in those market segments across Latin America.

Julio Martinez: 6:31

Okay. In what specific countries have you worked? Uh , in Latin America,

Craig Britt: 6:38

I've worked , uh, across all of Latin America and all major markets , uh, you know, from Mexico, central America, all the way down through Argentina into Chile, and then also the Caribbean as well. So I've, I've handled a lot of the Spanish speaking Caribbean , uh, as long as, as well as the English speaking Caribbean. And so, you know, through all those markets you get that variety of , uh, different ways of doing business for sure.

Julio Martinez: 7:04

Alright , great. So let's dive Craig into your practical experience commercializing medical technologies in the region . I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggested best practices on several topics. So the first one is , uh, regulatory approvals. I mean, we know that obtaining market clearance , uh, is a big hurdle , uh, for many companies. So I'd love to expand upon your experience here. I assume you're being involved in this, right?

Craig Britt: 7:32

Absolutely. Although, you know, our products at Aspen were class one devices, so some markets did not require regulatory permission to sell. However, you had to be aware of what those , um, policy changes from government to government because those could change. And then you may need to register your product. But, but for instance, in Columbia , uh, our products needed to be registered in Brazil. They needed to be registered to Argentina as well. Chile, we didn't have to register. You know, certain markets were able to go to market quicker, but the regulatory process for Columbia, for instance, is pretty streamlined, you know, it , it just takes time to give 'em the documentation and to wait a couple months and , and you're up and running.

Julio Martinez: 8:18

Okay. So let's dig a little deeper , uh, country by country , uh, to discuss your experience , uh, in , in it . And I'd like to hear , uh, tips or any traps to avoid when obtaining regulatory approvals. Uh , let's start with Mexico. Uh , what's been your overall experience with , uh, Kofa priests ?

Craig Britt: 8:36

Well, I, I haven't had to deal with Kofa priests directly because our products aren't required to have , uh, regulatory permission, although our distributor keeps a close watch with Topher priests , uh, on that , uh, just to make sure that we're in compliance. Uh , so that's hasn't really been a big focus of me. But I definitely know that working with Kofa priests , you know, you have to be prepared , uh, with all your documentation and having all of your manufacturing practices in place. So I think the , it's important that you maintain , uh, an idea of who these regulatory bodies are, whether or not, like it can Mexico, for instance, where you definitely need to be , uh, have a pulse on what's going on, even if you aren't in a regulatory position.

Julio Martinez: 9:20

Is it the case that you have to notify cover Priest about your product or just like Chile, where you just go in, you get an import permit and that's it .

Craig Britt: 9:29

We actually went in with our distributor and they would present the product , uh, to Kofa priests , and then the , and COFA priests would actually determine whether it was , uh, required or not required. And so, you know, that process, we worked hand in hand with our distributor on making sure that they had the documentation needed to present the case for our products, what their classification was in the us .

Julio Martinez: 9:52

Oh , okay. And the reason I ask is because in some countries in Latin America for lower risk , uh, devices, class one , class two A , all you have to do is just notify the, the regulatory agency. It's a very thing, <laugh> Dosier or it's a short list of documents I'm gonna ask you about Brazil,

Craig Britt: 10:11

When they talk about regulatory, that's their favorite country to be discussed.

Julio Martinez: 10:16

Okay. Yeah. Uh , so what's been your experience in Brazil?

Craig Britt: 10:20

Well, Brazil, obviously, and even with Class one devices, there was a registration required and, and we had to go through that process. And it's complicated. It's a complicated environment, although things are getting better, it's one of those situations where you have to, you know, be prepared to go through a , a , a very arguous and tedious process to get your products registered. And that, you know, even for a Class one device, you could be looking at, you know, three months to six months or longer depending on what they look for. And so it , you'd need to be prepared.

Julio Martinez: 10:54

Okay. Um , what about Columbia ? Uh , in Vima?

Craig Britt: 10:58

In Vima? Yeah, in Vima, well, we own the registration with in Vima . So it's, it's a little more direct relationship. So it's, from my standpoint, it's uh, it's very cut and dry. I , I believe it's cut and dry within Vema , especially for our product , uh, for classification one. I think that within Vema you go through and you present the documentation needed, and then, you know, the process I've, I've found to be relatively easy , uh, and quick, honestly.

Julio Martinez: 11:27

Okay, very good. Um, yeah, Columbia is, in my understanding, the only country that I know of in Latin America where a foreign manufacturer can own the registration certificate in the other countries, what companies do, if they wanna own it, is that they hire the services of , uh, something called a registration holder. Right. I'm sure you're aware about this. Okay . But you guys at Aspen didn't choose that route, or am I,

Craig Britt: 12:00

Well, we did for Brazil. Yeah, Brazil, I think. And so it's important for companies to be as direct with their , uh, registration holding as they possibly can be. I think it's important because even though you go into a relationship with a distributor wanting a long-term partnership, you know, things can happen inside that partnership that may turn. And if you don't have control of that registration and your distributor does it , it complicates the transition even more . So I think you have to have the flexibility as the manufacturer to make those necessary changes as for your company's sake and for traction in the market.

Julio Martinez: 12:41

Yes, well said. Absolutely. Um , what about Peru, Craig ?

Craig Britt: 12:47

Yeah, Peru is a country where , uh, country where we do require registration. Um, we've had a distributor there for a long time and and they manage that for us. But again, it's not very , um, again, for our standpoint, for our product range, it's not as complicated because we still see a lot of we Chinese and Asian imports going into that market that compete with us. Um, so we know that that process isn't that complicated for class one devices.

Julio Martinez: 13:13

Okay. Argentina, Chile,

Craig Britt: 13:16

I think Brazil, it has a longer process, but in my opinion, I think Argentina has a more demanding process because there, I, I don't believe a foreign national company can hold the registration at all , uh, unless that's changed in the last year or two. But I think with Argentina, you literally have to have a physical presence in the country. So I think that it makes it harder for smaller medical device companies or mid-size companies to operate with that. I think you have to be in a strong partnership with your distributor to have them hold the registration for you.

Julio Martinez: 13:49

Yeah. Yeah. It's a very protective , uh, economy in Argent and Brazil. They're famous for that. Um , yeah . And what about Chile <laugh> Chile's freed up in no <laugh> ?

Craig Britt: 13:59

Yeah, Chile's a great market as far as it being a , a , a place to bring product into and to get traction right away and, and really introduce your product without a whole lot of obstacles. Uh , but again, with that said, so everybody's in Chile <laugh> , I mean, Chile's one of those markets where competitions is tougher and, you know, and so even though it's a more free market, you know, there's still other concerns that go along with that, but you have to make sure your products are meeting the demands of what the market is asking for.

Julio Martinez: 14:30

Sure. Yeah. And the , the thing that happens , uh, in Chile is that , um, I don't know if you heard stories like this, but I once had the CEO of a company that was interviewing for an article that I was writing, and he told me that they chose to enter Latin America starting with Chile because it's a pre-op market, but they didn't have , uh, reference country approval. I mean, they didn't have FDA or uh , CC mark . So , uh, they went into Chile and they quickly found out that nobody wanted to use their product , uh, because , uh, it wasn't FDA approved CCE Mark approved . So there is a kind of a , uh, market driven <laugh> approval process, which is really done by the opinion of the Filipino leaders, right? So if you approach a doctor, a famous doctor in Chile, he's not gonna use a product that is not FDA approved because , uh, he's not gonna risk his reputation. So

Craig Britt: 15:25

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that that's, you have to have a credibility somewhere to be credibility, you know, wherever you're gonna go. So I think that's an important, you know, important statement. You just can't show up with no history, no background, and, you know, try and plant as, especially as an imported product. I mean, if you wanted to do that from a grassroots situation where you were actually presenting yourself as a Chilean company, then maybe, or a Chilean product driven in that market, that might gain some traction, but trying to do it as an imported product, I don't think that's gonna be very successful.

Julio Martinez: 15:58

Yeah. Alright . So any input or tips regarding the importation process in these countries? Have you ran into issues , uh, goods are stuck at costumes , uh, corruption, things of that nature?

Craig Britt: 16:13

Well, I think the most important thing when, when I would say tips when you're dealing with regulatory, you know , bodies and, and registration permissions is, I think the most important tip is, is being prepared internally in your own organization. Because I think a lot of times you'll get pushback from some of the requirements of being asked of your company, from your own regulatory department saying, why are they asking for this? Or why are they asking for that? So I think before you enter a market, I think it's important that the lead for that program goes in and really lays out the framework of what's going to be asked of them over the next six months or what , however long the process is gonna take. I think that's important so that they get a buy-in from your team internally, and then from there you can take that information and makes the process a little bit easier , uh, instead of trying to find piecemeal and always, you know, which anytime you give them , you know, one document here, one document there that just elongates the process and it's not good for anybody.

Julio Martinez: 17:15

All right . Makes sense. And , uh, let's talk about importing products. How do we ship import products into these countries? I know that's a concern of many companies. They hear horror stories of products. I get stuck at , uh, the costumes in Brazil, in Argentina. So , uh, what do you think about all this? I mean , uh, do you have both right in importing products in all these countries or , or not?

Craig Britt: 17:40

Well, I think the biggest nightmares are when you import samples, because a lot of the times the companies that you're dealing with, they're already prepared to have a freight forwarder in Miami or a freight forwarder somewhere in the US that's going to properly prepare the documentation, and then they're gonna ship it with other, potentially other products that the distributor's importing. And , and they handle that process. And I think that's the safest way for most companies to deal with their , uh, imports going into Latin America through a freight forwarder that you or the distributor choose to use. But yeah, there's nightmare stories. Of course, there's products that set that basically become useless. You know, you just leave it there and abandon it , abandon them at some point because there's the cost to bring 'em back or to deal with them becomes, you know, it just doesn't become worth the , the price. So you just have to kind of abandon it . So I've seen people who've walked away from very expensive products because they didn't follow the, the rules and regulations of, of the importation.

Julio Martinez: 18:42

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Um, it's a , it is a good thing that you mentioned , um, what you just said about samples , uh, shipping samples. And I think it's important for listeners to understand that , uh, shipping samples is a risky proposition. And the reason I say it is, for example , uh, Columbia , Columbia is a pre-op economy. It's a pre-op country in terms of allowing goods from all over the world. It has international treaties , uh, with the major economies in the world, has a free trade agreement with the us et cetera . Colombian citizens , uh, can easily, easily buy products from Amazon, just as if you were sitting in any city in the us Well, what's happening in Columbia , and I'm sure it happens in many other countries, but , uh, in the specific case of Columbia , people started buying from Amazon, all these supplements , uh, vitamins, supplements and , uh, all these unregulated products because the f FDA is pretty lenient about supplements and some other products. So, but those products are regulated in Colombia , right? So you cannot buy some pills , uh, that claim to help your immune system or something , uh, out of Amazon and chip it to Columbia because in Vema realize that people were buying left and right, these type of products and getting them into the country as a , uh, in little packages, <laugh> 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, that that's what the law says, up to six of the same , uh, model, the same reference. So people were consuming unregulated products on their Colombian standards, on their Colombian regulations. So they now have , uh, since 2017, they have a , I mean a army of officials, government officials all over the airports and , um, ports and, and working along alongside Colombian costumes to screen all these packages and , and to make sure people are not , uh, buying , uh, uh, I mean, regulated products under Colombian law. So that's really key and that happened to me , uh, in a couple of occasions where I've had issues with that as well personally and also for business reasons. Okay. So let's move on here, Craig . Um, let's talk about distributors . What are some of the best practices to find a distributor in Latin America and how to conduct or how to do due diligence?

Craig Britt: 21:05

I think you have to be on the ground. I think you have to go to these markets and see who the players are, attend the different congresses or trade shows, and get a feel for the market overall. I think that , uh, you have to determine what the competition is before you make a final decision. And then don't feel that you have to have an exclusivity with that particular distributor, especially in the first year before you get really get a feel for how they are gonna operate. But in our case, we may have, you know, 'cause we have multiple products that , uh, crossover one, some from that go into spine surgery and others go into more rehabilitation type of products. So obviously we may have two different distributors that would be focused on two different segments of the market. And having one, having a spine hardware distributor call on rehab clinics might not be the best model. So I think you have to get a feel for how products get to the patient in each of those markets before you make a decision on who those distributors are gonna be.

Julio Martinez: 22:11

That's a great answer, Craig. Yeah. Alright , so moving along here, did you have, or do you , uh, a hands off management approach in the region where you just sell products to the distributor and let it do the rest on its own? Or , uh, do you have a more hybrid approach where you have a local sales agent or a local representative working or , uh, with the distributor on your behalf?

Craig Britt: 22:40

Yeah, I think a hands-off approach in Latin America is, is probably the worst decision a company can make, to be honest with you. I think that it goes back to a passive sales approach. I'm, I'm very , uh, against a passive sales approach in Latin America, but I think , um, you have to be involved with the distributor and whether you have a , it's more of a hybrid approach because each distributor is a little bit different. But I think, you know, we have to identify the distributor, we have to identify people inside the distributor's business model to find a kind of a champion for your product and who's going to be the one that kind of takes the lead. And ultimately you have to be willing to invest in the distributor, the market, the country to have success. So you have to be willing to take that to the clinics and the providers and the daily prescribers of your products. They need to know and feel comfortable that the product is easy to use . And if it's expensive product, then they have to know that, you know, there's a benefit to that and that the support is local and it's nearby and not halfway around the world waiting for feedback, you know, from the US or from Europe.

Julio Martinez: 23:49

Okay, makes sense. Let's talk about the go-to-market or , or market access strategy. Before you guys decided to enter the Latin American market, did you guys have a proactive and well thought out strategy and plan or market access plan for each country where you're planning to expand your marketing to ? Or do you have a more opportunistic reactive approach? We're just waiting for a distributor to contact you and then you reacted and you decided to pay attention to the region and sell to the distributor and then waited for another distributor to contact continue from another country, you know what I mean?

Craig Britt: 24:24

Yeah, no, absolutely. I think it's both. I think, you know, there's, there's certain markets that are always on us companies, you know, target list and like you said , uh, you know, Brazil and Mexico are always the targets that they want to get to because those are the most , uh, the largest , uh, healthcare markets in, in Latin America. But I think you have to take it , uh, kind of as a hybrid as well. You, you have to be proactive in certain markets and then you can be reactive in others. Uh , smaller markets you're a little more reactive. You're not gonna spend a lot of time on the ground in El Salvador, for instance, gonna be maybe more reactive in that market. But you're definitely gonna be proactive in the Columbia market, the Mexico market, the Brazil market. And then in some markets where you feel like there might be more risk or cost, you may be more reactive. Like in Argentina, I tried to be proactive in the argentian market before, but I think in some aspects we've probably seen more success reactively because people approached us with where they saw an opportunity. So you , you know, you have to be flexible and based on, you know, your success in, in each market, but you can't say there's a one cookie cutter approach , uh, across the whole region. It it , that's not true.

Julio Martinez: 25:37

Okay. Alright . Let's discuss demand generation. Have you been involved in marketing strategies and tactics to increase demand for your product from the end user perspective?

Craig Britt: 25:49

Yeah, for sure. I think that you have to have , uh, demand generation, you know, you need to, obviously they need to be introduced to the products, they need to be comfortable with the products, they need to know they have a quality outcome and that through training, seminars, workshops, presentation dinners, education programs for the clinics , uh, all those things are beneficial to the facilities and the doctors. But it's also beneficial to the patient because the patient, you know, that passes down to the patient and they're comfortable with their decision to move forward with that treatment protocol.

Julio Martinez: 26:26

Okay. But more specifically with patients, I mean, have you been involved in social media campaigns or some type of , uh, marketing effort directly to patients?

Craig Britt: 26:36

So for instance, in my markets, for our product market, we have products that get dispensed in the hospital and we get products that get dispensed at the pharmacy or at the drug store . And so, you know, the distributor has to work in both arenas and so they'll use the social media approach to work with the drug stores and the pharmacies across the region to develop a knowledge of the product. And also, you know, they'll do some sort of discount or some sort of event to bring recognition to that product, especially at that level where the patients are more , uh, on the cash pay or on the obtaining it from a pharmacy.

Julio Martinez: 27:17

Okay. Makes sense. Alright , what about pricing? Uh , Craig, do you feel that Latin America is a price sensitive market?

Craig Britt: 27:24

Of course, I think Latin America is very price sensitive and I think you have to have a keen awareness of the variance between , uh, your product and the competition's product, especially the local made product. You know, you have to be aware that your product could be five, 10 times more expensive, you know, just because of the process it has to go through to get into the market. But you definitely know that it's a pricing sensitivity is a concern. Um, you know, obviously there's a percentage of the population that pricing is not an issue and that's a case across the world, but you really kind of have to understand what your product , uh, presence is , uh, across the overall accessibility to the market. So I mean, one of the things that I always look at, or I've taken a , a look at was in Brazil, for instance, Toyota cars for the Meor , which is for the southern , uh, block of countries that interact in their free trade agreement. And I think that the highest level of Toyota that they manufacture is a Corolla. So in the US the Corolla is really, is kind of mid to lower range on the Toyota line, but in Latin America it's the premier vehicle. So if you took a look at your product portfolio that would kind of give you an idea of where you should maybe peak your product offerings to Latin America and kind of focus on those products pricing down before you go and focus on your premier, premier products.

Julio Martinez: 28:58

Alright , so Craig, let's talk about reimbursement a little bit. I mean, any experience , uh, in this set of the spectrum?

Craig Britt: 29:06

Uh , you know, my products are more of a commodity type of product, so reimbursement's never really been available on the commodity side. Hospitals do carry some of it, but a lot of times the pricing is , uh, for a trauma type of product, those pricing floors are so low, we just never played in that arena. We have approached, like in Columbia for instance, we approached Compensa at one point, which is one of the insurance companies. But I think again, in order to have traction there, I think you need to come at it as a multi-level approach with maybe clinical studies done in the region. And that may have benefit or advance the discussion for reasonable , uh, reimbursement with insurance companies and possibly with the government as well.

Julio Martinez: 29:48

Okay. All right . So what about corruption , um, robbery , uh, in Latin America? Craig, have you been exposed to any of these ? <laugh> ?

Craig Britt: 29:57

Well, I mean I , you know, thankfully I haven't, I mean, I've never really had a experience where it's been a problem with our products or where it's been, you know, something we've had to really address strongly. I , I know that it exists , um, but it exists everywhere in the world, not just Latin America. So it's a global problem. It's not just a Latin American problem . And, but you know, even if you didn't have the foreign corruptions act and having to deal with bribery and corruption, I , I believe it's in a company's best interest to avoid at all cost . I think you evaluate your long-term strategy and the amount of time and uh, investment you build to build your partnership with your distributors and in the market, I think corruption is just a lose lose proposition for the manufacturer and the distributor. And it's basically a race to the bottom. I mean, it's like selling on price. You know, at some point you're just gonna get so low that you just, there's no benefit of continuing on.

Julio Martinez: 30:53

Alright , great answer <laugh> . Alright , uh, Craig , um, some closing remarks here. Uh , should say some closing questions, <laugh> . So is Latin America a fun place to do business? I mean, what do you think about the culture, the people and everything in the region? The food and the way to do business?

Craig Britt: 31:11

I personally love Latin America. I love the people, the culture. Uh, I have a lot of dear friends that I'm blessed to have friendships that I've developed through the years and business relationships through, you know, those may have started as business relationships but ultimately have ended in with friendships, lifelong friendships. So, you know, I think the culture demands a deep level of of relationship and I think if you're not prepared and willing to take that step , uh, it will hinder your level of success. And so I personally, I said I love the culture and I love the food, I love, you know, I love being in Latin America.

Julio Martinez: 31:48

Great. I'm glad you think that way about the region. Uh, before we sign off for today, Craig, do you have any final thoughts , uh, morsels of wisdom or other musings, <laugh> for our listeners? In other words, what would you say to the CEO of a small midsize medical device company that hasn't looked at Latin America? What is just starting to explore opportunities in this region as a potential market to expand their footprint?

Craig Britt: 32:16

Yeah, I think it's important that they know it's not a passive sales process. That you have to be active and engaged in developing the distributor and the team that he's going to represent your product. And I mean investing in the management level for the training and then all the way down to acknowledging and rewarding those who have a passion for your products inside the organization. So making sure that those people are being continually , um, promoted and developing your products , uh, in the markets. And I think you also have to learn and listen from the reps who are actually walking the streets for their honest feedback and honest feedback from, you know, reps especially, you know, somebody who's lower management or not even management at all might be very challenging to get . But if you get their trust and you're able to , uh, let them know that it's beneficial for their interest as well, that they have your best interest in mind, you'll get a more honest feedback about how you're presenting your products and what the challenges that they're facing are. And then ultimately, I don't think you should put unrealistic expectations on the region. I think be prepared to know it'll be a five year process to just get really grounded in the markets and I think you have to have time to build the traction. And in my experience, Latin Americans like to know you're gonna be around for a long time. I don't think they want companies that are just gonna show up and then give it a year or two and then walk away. I think they want to know that you're going to be there for a long time and you're gonna have , um, people and a presence there to support them except the ebb and flow of the gains and losses with overall cell cycles that will take longer. You know, since some people are paying cash for surgery, those surgery cycles may take longer than they would in the US for instance. But uh, but you will see growth over years. I mean, you'll have good years and bad years, but over time you will see a growth curve, not a smooth curve like you would see in some of the companies in the US but you'll see a lot of ups and downs along the way. But when you look back over a period of five years, you'll see that you are definitely better off than where you started.

Julio Martinez: 34:27

Very well said Craig . Alright , so how can listeners contact you or connect with you?

Craig Britt: 34:33

Yeah, they can contact me on my LinkedIn. I mean LinkedIn's a great way to get ahold of me. Um, and my email is on LinkedIn as well. And I can put my email as well. Definitely reach out to me via that email and I'd be more than happy to, you know , support you in what , any way I can.

Julio Martinez: 34:50

Excellent, excellent. Alright , Craig, it was a fun discussion. I'm sure listeners , uh, got a lot out of it and , uh, thank you so much for being the show today.

Craig Britt: 35:01

Well, thank you for having me, Julio. It was a real pleasure for me as well. I enjoyed, I enjoyed our conversation.

Julio Martinez: 35:06

Very nice. Bye-Bye Craig . Take care.