Interview with Brandon Sawalich, VP Sales and Marketing, Starkey Laboratories
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Topic: Helping Patients Acquire the Best Value for Their Specific Hearing Needs
Dybala: Good afternoon, Brandon. Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today and congratulations on your recent promotion to vice president of sales and marketing.
Sawalich: Nice to talk to you again Paul, and congratulations on your promotion to president and editor-in-chief of AO.
Dybala: Recognizing that even the best-built hearing aids are not going to last forever, what should professionals consider as they help patients replace older hearing aids and upgrade to newer technology?
Sawalich: Hearing professionals have a variety of choices, but most want to offer patients a solution that doesn't compromise technology for price.
Dybala: So how do they cut through the clutter and manage choosing the right instrument.
Sawalich: If they select a product that has above-average flexibility, it will allow them to apply it to a wider range of needs. This means they can spend less time learning about several new products and more time taking care of their patients. If the product they choose also happens to be an exceptional value, so much better for the patient.
Dybala: It sounds as if you might have a product like that, right?
Sawalich: Yes, we do.
Dybala: Tell me about it.
Sawalich: Our Mesa digital custom and BTE models offer advanced digital technology at exceptional value. Mesa's Precision Frequency Resolution features 8 independent band frequency shaping with 2 dB of resolution. This allows hearing professionals to very precisely set the appropriate gain at each frequency to match even the most unique audiometric configurations. Mesa's flexibility combined with the most powerful custom product matrices available, make it appropriate for mild to severe hearing losses. In addition, the Adaptive Feedback Canceller helps manage feedback issues without sacrificing any high frequency gain.
Dybala: So with that kind of frequency-shaping capability, is Mesa primarily intended for more challenging audiological targets?
Sawalich: The beauty of Mesa is that it can match difficult targets, but its fitting tools, like Dynamic Precision Directional Imaging, also make it a great instrument for a multitude of listening situations. This technology is designed to improve the patient's understanding in background noise by providing the highest available directivity for custom instruments. The dynamic component means it switches automatically so the patient doesn't have to.
As a result of all of the available features, professionals can use Mesa as a solution to resolve many of today's fitting challenges for both first-time and experienced patients. So it not only supplies solutions for difficult fittings, but also helps professionals move their existing patients up to digital instruments. Mesa is just an incredible value.
Dybala: If patients are happy with their current non-digital aids, why should they upgrade?
Sawalich: Good question, Paul. If it's been awhile since they had their hearing tested, they might discover that newer digital technology is designed to tackle more environmental situations than analog. As patients age, they may also have issues with comfort and ease of use that can be addressed with newer technology, even if their hearing has not deteriorated. For example, our Multichannel Expansion and Adaptive Noise Management technologies automatically engage when necessary. We even offer an automatic telecoil.
Dybala: So how can professionals learn more about Mesa and Precision Frequency Resolution?
Sawalich: They can visit www.starkey.com or
https://www.starkey.com/pages/professional/profHearingDigital.html
for all of Mesa's technical specifications, or they can simply call Starkey at 800.328.8602.
Dybala: Thanks, Brandon, for taking time this afternoon to chat.
Sawalich: It's been my pleasure, Paul.
Sawalich: Nice to talk to you again Paul, and congratulations on your promotion to president and editor-in-chief of AO.
Dybala: Recognizing that even the best-built hearing aids are not going to last forever, what should professionals consider as they help patients replace older hearing aids and upgrade to newer technology?
Sawalich: Hearing professionals have a variety of choices, but most want to offer patients a solution that doesn't compromise technology for price.
Dybala: So how do they cut through the clutter and manage choosing the right instrument.
Sawalich: If they select a product that has above-average flexibility, it will allow them to apply it to a wider range of needs. This means they can spend less time learning about several new products and more time taking care of their patients. If the product they choose also happens to be an exceptional value, so much better for the patient.
Dybala: It sounds as if you might have a product like that, right?
Sawalich: Yes, we do.
Dybala: Tell me about it.
Sawalich: Our Mesa digital custom and BTE models offer advanced digital technology at exceptional value. Mesa's Precision Frequency Resolution features 8 independent band frequency shaping with 2 dB of resolution. This allows hearing professionals to very precisely set the appropriate gain at each frequency to match even the most unique audiometric configurations. Mesa's flexibility combined with the most powerful custom product matrices available, make it appropriate for mild to severe hearing losses. In addition, the Adaptive Feedback Canceller helps manage feedback issues without sacrificing any high frequency gain.
Dybala: So with that kind of frequency-shaping capability, is Mesa primarily intended for more challenging audiological targets?
Sawalich: The beauty of Mesa is that it can match difficult targets, but its fitting tools, like Dynamic Precision Directional Imaging, also make it a great instrument for a multitude of listening situations. This technology is designed to improve the patient's understanding in background noise by providing the highest available directivity for custom instruments. The dynamic component means it switches automatically so the patient doesn't have to.
As a result of all of the available features, professionals can use Mesa as a solution to resolve many of today's fitting challenges for both first-time and experienced patients. So it not only supplies solutions for difficult fittings, but also helps professionals move their existing patients up to digital instruments. Mesa is just an incredible value.
Dybala: If patients are happy with their current non-digital aids, why should they upgrade?
Sawalich: Good question, Paul. If it's been awhile since they had their hearing tested, they might discover that newer digital technology is designed to tackle more environmental situations than analog. As patients age, they may also have issues with comfort and ease of use that can be addressed with newer technology, even if their hearing has not deteriorated. For example, our Multichannel Expansion and Adaptive Noise Management technologies automatically engage when necessary. We even offer an automatic telecoil.
Dybala: So how can professionals learn more about Mesa and Precision Frequency Resolution?
Sawalich: They can visit www.starkey.com or
https://www.starkey.com/pages/professional/profHearingDigital.html
for all of Mesa's technical specifications, or they can simply call Starkey at 800.328.8602.
Dybala: Thanks, Brandon, for taking time this afternoon to chat.
Sawalich: It's been my pleasure, Paul.
Brandon Sawalich
VP Sales and Marketing, Starkey Laboratories