News Feature | December 17, 2015

Sales Advice For 3D Printer And Scanner Healthcare Solutions Providers

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

Opportunities in healthcare for 3D printing

While some solutions providers are still waiting to see how 3D printing and scanning plays out in the healthcare sector, others are ready to jump in and start selling.

Healthcare hold some very specific opportunities for VARs interested in selling in the 3D printing space — in healthcare, uses range from knee replacement, hearing aids, and dental implants to printable organs and bones. One of the most recent and fascinating examples has been the story of a little girl in China who received a printed, titanium skull that has likely saved her life.

These applications are much more than interesting for VARs. Solutions providers who are paying attention to the direction that healthcare is moving will have noticed that 3D printing technology has opened up opportunities around selling products and services including:

  • printer software
  • printers
  • recycling services
  • accessory electronics

Advice For Sellers

Solutions providers interested in breaking into 3D scanners, printers, and consumables will be interested in some recent advice from ScanSource on selling in the expanding vertical.

  • Check Out Reseller Programs. Inquire whether 3D vendors have partner approval processes. Be prepared to answer questions about your potential 3D scanning and printing healthcare customers so suppliers can best match you with the right technology.
  • Focus Your Staff. Consider having a dedicated person on your staff to sell this technology. If your sales staff can support it, consider having a team dedicated to 3D sales.
  • Invest. 3D printers and scanners require an initial investment. Vendors may offer financing terms, free training, and other support for their partners. If you’re just getting started selling in 3D, this may be a feature you’d like to look for in a vendor partner.
  • Document And Share Results. Your customers will likely want to see hard proof of the effectiveness and benefits of 3D printing. Make sure to provide them with benchmarks and demonstrations so they can see the technology for what it really can do.

All solutions providers should keep an eye on 3D printing as it’s been forecasted to continue to accelerate in healthcare by HealthData Management. The technology offers amazing opportunity to customize implants and shape offerings around patient needs.

If you want to learn more about what you might be missing out on by not selling 3D printers, scanners, and consumables, read this article.