MedTech’s Toughest Competitor Doesn’t Have a Product | Ep. 115

Ask most MedTech teams who their competition is, and you’ll hear the same names: Medtronic, GE, Philips, Stryker, BD. But in 2026, the biggest obstacle to adoption may not be another company or another product. It’s human behavior.

In this episode of the MedTech Business Academy, Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti discuss why indifference, apathy, and the status quo have become MedTech’s toughest competitors. Health systems are stretched thin and asked to do more with less, so a promise of 10–20% better outcomes or cost savings often isn’t enough to justify the time and effort it takes to change.

The conversation covers why switching technologies is really a behavioral change, and why manufacturers need to understand a customer’s problem better than the customer does. It also covers how value analysis teams weigh new products against what’s already working, and why “one size fits all” messaging turns buyers away. The hosts also challenge top-down growth targets. When only 15% of a market is even willing to look at a category, and far fewer can actually convert this year, sales leaders need bottom-up, data-backed plans built from real customer conversations.

As teams finalize their 2027 plans, the message is clear: focus on the customers who truly need you, know your market, and build every plan from the customer up.