Michael O’Malley (left) has grown Asian Medical, Inc., in international markets which include 26 countries in Asia and 22 countries in the Middle East.

A number of independent rep agency owners can point to having started their careers on the manufacturing side of the desk. At the same time, however, over the years Agency Sales magazine has profiled reps who can point to a variety of other career beginnings. Included in those are law enforcement, teaching, and even former professional athletes (golf, baseball, basketball).

Add to that list the career path — commercial banking — traveled by Mike O’Malley.

According to O’Malley, president of Asian Medical, Inc., “I was a commercial banker for more than 10 years lending money to small- to medium-sized enterprises in Chicago. Over time I decided I wanted to be on the other side of the table and start my own company. I had some Vietnamese-American friends in Chicago and the country of Vietnam was opening up for business.

“In 1995, after a 20-year embargo, I made a trip there to measure the demands for anything from America and found there was a demand in Vietnam for durable medical equipment made in the United States. As it turns out they needed everything. When the bank I was working for went through a series of layoffs, I took a six-month severance and moved to Vietnam to distribute medical and laboratory equipment.

“I was one of the first Americans to sell medical equipment in Vietnam after the war ended. My first sale was a $5,000 three-channel EKG machine made by Burdick Medical in Wisconsin. The cost to me was $2,500, so I understood immediately that I could make money doing this. To operate in Vietnam I had an office and a small staff there. I really enjoyed my six years from 1996 to 2002 as a medical equipment distributor in Vietnam.”

Learning About Reps

He recalls that “After six years of doing this, one of my principals, Burton Medical, called me and asked me if I could help them find a manufacturers’ representative to replace the rep they had for Asia. I had to Google the term because I didn’t fully understand what a manufacturers’ rep was. When I completed my research, I determined that I could do that job. I’d wanted to do the job for all of Asia, and I told them I could manage their distributor network perfectly because I was already a distributor in Vietnam. I understood how dealers thought and what was and was not important to them.”

With that as his starting point for a career as a rep, today O’Malley heads Asian Medical, Inc., (www.asianmedical.net). Headquartered in the United States in Sarasota, Florida, the agency also has offices in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. According to the agency’s website, “We find, manage and motivate medical equipment dealers in these regions, to maximize their selling efforts.”

A Changing Business

O’Malley explains that “In the more than 25 years I’ve been working as a rep, I have seen some major changes in business in that more and more American companies are more interested in doing business overseas. My specialty is representing American medical, laboratory, dental and veterinary equipment manufacturers who want to export more of their products to Asia and the Middle East. So, it’s really a double niche. I tell people that I would not be able to sell a medical light to a hospital in Florida if my life depended on it. But at the same time, I know how to get a $250,000 purchase order for U.S.-manufactured medical products from a dealer in Saudi Arabia. This specialization and niche are unique, and I often do not have any competitors when I make a proposal to a manufacturer in the United States. My staff and offices in Asia and the Middle East are significant selling points and differentiations from my competitors.”

Looking to the early days of his agency, O’Malley recalls, “I began with just one line — Burton Medical lights — and expanded to Bovie Electro Surgery Units. I was the Bovie rep for all of Asia, and I recently completed a 22-year relationship as their manufacturers’ rep for all of Asia. They were acquired by Aspen Surgical, so they didn’t require my services anymore. However, I calculated how much money Bovie had paid me in commission over 23 years and it did not bother me at all to lose the line.”

Today Asian Medical comprises “…me in the United States; a virtual assistant, also in the United States; an American (a 1099) who lives in Thailand; and, two foreign nationals who work for me in Dubai and the Philippines.” He adds that he may have to hire additional staff, “but they would be based in Asia. I don’t have sub-reps.”

Having defined that the role of his agency is to cover all of Asia, O’Malley explains, “All of my principals, except for one, are based in the United States. I have one principal based in Canada that would be considered an international principal. I’d like to find more international principals, especially manufacturers in Europe, but it is difficult to explain my commission manufacturer-rep model to them. It’s a concept that’s not as well known in Europe as it is here in the United States.”

O’Malley says, “I’ve found that the best way for me to find new principals has been my attendance at medical/lab/vet trade shows.”

Finding New Principals

When it comes to the never-ending search for new principals, O’Malley says, “I’ve found that the best way for me to find new principals has been my attendance at medical/lab/vet trade shows. Annually I attend MEDICA in Germany and Arab Health in Dubai. I like speaking to key staff at booths, giving them my business card and sharing my elevator speech. I have found word-of-mouth and trade shows are the best ways to initiate contact with prospective principals.”

Looking back over the years he’s spent as a rep, O’Malley says, “I don’t know if I would do anything differently over the past few years. I’m very glad that I have staff and offices based in Asia and the Middle East. I have people who work for me while I’m sleeping in the United States. My value is that I can find new principals in this country and my staff’s value is they can follow up to secure new business.”

And conversely, as he looks forward, he says, “I really don’t have a succession plan for my agency. I love what I do. I don’t dread Mondays and don’t look forward to 5 p.m. on Fridays. I anticipate that I’ll be going to trade shows for the next 10 or 15 years trying to find new lines. I enjoy traveling to Asia and the Middle East and meeting customers and my staff. If I do sell my company eventually, I would consider an ESOP.”

In conclusion, O’Malley notes that he’s a big believer in the value of belonging to a rep association. “I’m extremely happy to be a member of MANA. I’m also a member of HIRA (Health Industry Representatives Association, www.hira.org), the association for manufacturers’ reps who focus on the medical equipment and supply industry. It is a great resource for trade shows and leads.”

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].