In the competitive world of medical sales, few partnerships have had the staying power – or the impact – of ZOLL and MTMC. Their 25-year collaboration began with a bold idea: bringing defibrillators into non-acute care settings like physician offices. At the time, AEDs were rarely used outside hospitals, making education and market adoption a major hurdle. But that shared challenge became the foundation for a lasting, results-driven alliance.
On a recent Repertoire podcast, Scott Adams spoke with Jonathan Bowman of ZOLL and Jack Moran of MTMC about the origins of their partnership and what’s fueled its longevity. It all started when James Saltzman approached MTMC to represent ZOLL AEDs in the primary care market. As care delivery shifted to urgent care centers, freestanding ERs, and outpatient surgery centers, ZOLL and MTMC evolved their strategy, launching a successful cold-calling campaign to target these new sites.
Regulatory changes, like the FDA’s move to pre-market approval (PMA) for defibrillators, added new challenges – and opportunities. Through it all, ZOLL remained committed to its distribution model. “This is a very competitive space, but ZOLL has never wavered in their commitment to us or to distribution,” said Moran. “That consistency has been key.”
Equally important has been stable leadership. In 25 years, MTMC has worked with just two leaders at ZOLL: Saltzman and Bowman. “We’ve never had to reeducate a new team,” said Moran. “That continuity helps us move faster and stay aligned.”
Bowman credited ZOLL’s adoption of the 95% Share Marketing training introduced in the early 2000s as another driver of success. ZOLL embedded the training into its culture and extended it to MTMC reps, reinforcing shared values and sales discipline.
Two pivotal moments shaped their recent growth: First, after COVID, the FDA’s AED policy shift prompted ZOLL and MTMC to launch the “Check Your AED” campaign. Reps visited facilities to inspect aging AEDs, creating new business while offering value to customers. Second, after NFL player Damar Hamlin’s life was saved by a ZOLL device, national awareness of AEDs surged, boosting demand and visibility.
Leveraging a Powerful Partnership
Bowman and Moran also shared insights for today’s reps. Moran urged reps to open conversations with questions like, “How old is your AED?” He stressed confidence in representing ZOLL, especially as corporate buyers dominate purchasing.
Bowman advised reps to treat MTMC as allies, not competitors, and warned against “quote and hope” selling. Face-to-face demos build trust and often lead to larger deals – like one that started with a distributor call and ended with a 50-location group order. “When we demo, we win,” he said.
Listen to the podcast at https://repertoiremag.com/the-power-of-partnerships.html