Interview with Brian Hill Audiologist and Principal Marketing Strategist, SeboTek
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Topic: Innovation and Excellence.
Beck: Good Morning Brian. As always, it's a pleasure to meet with you again.
Hill: Hey Doug! Good to meet with you too.
Beck: I know that you've been globe hopping and opening up new distribution channels for SeboTek around the world, and that you were recently given new responsibilities. Can you tell me about the new position please?
Hill: Sure Doug. I am now the Principal Marketing Strategist. My new job is the companion position to David Hotvet's. David is the Principal Engineer at SeboTek and the two of us collaborate to explore and devise the roadmap for SeboTek. In other words, we work together to develop and execute our marketing efforts on a global basis, with particular emphasis on development of new products using SeboTek's Product Development Process (PDP).
Beck: So the two of you analyze SeboTek's place within the industry and decide how to get where you want to go?
Hill: Yes, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.
Beck: Of course, the development and introduction of new products is a critically important part of that formula. I believe I recently read that something like two-thirds of all product sales in the hearing aid industry were based on products introduced in the last 18 months or so?
Hill: That sounds correct, Doug. In light of that, we want to position SeboTek as a brand name that represents innovation within our industry, we don't just make things a little better, we make things better "by design", and the term I use to describe how we do this is "curve hopping."
Beck: OK, I have to admit it, that's a new one for me. Please explain "curve hopping?"
Hill: Well, in essence, "curve hopping" is a very fast-paced strategic planning and development process...I know one of the major US electronics retailers uses the terms "jump, hop, kick" to describe the same idea. They tend to jump and hop over obstacles and hurdles, while kicking new thoughts and ideas into action resulting in market driving innovations. As we all realize products have "life cycles." They come to the market; they start with low or no awareness by the consumer and zero sales. They rise on a steep incline (hopefully), they might plateau in a "mature" phase for a while, and then sales may decrease as new competitive products are introduced to that same market. Well, the idea is that in our industry, we want to be so innovative that we move the entire distribution curve one standard deviation to the right! We will define the new technology which drives marketplace place growth, and we want to supply innovative and excellent solutions to the challenges of the hearing impaired, and again, we want to deliver the products and marketing messages quickly and efficiently.
Beck: What is the normal turn around time between the idea for a new hearing aid, and the commercial availability of that same product?
Hill: Historically, a typical development project runs between 18 and 24 months for BTEs -- but obviously the complexity of the idea, chip development, pilot testing, bench testing and alpha/beta testing and many factors can alter and delay that significantly. New research and development (R&D) represents a huge amount of time, talent and resources from multiple constituents: end users, engineers, audiologists, marketing folks, sales people and many others, and often the product "launch" date cannot really predicted until the product is done right and ready to go.
Beck: And this is somewhat impacted by Moore's Law, too?
Hill: Yes, absolutely.
Beck: Brian, would you please explain "Moore's Law" for the folks not familiar with the concept?
Hill: Sure....Gordon Moore was the co-founder of Intel. Some 40 years ago he noticed the quantity of transistors in a circuit doubled in a very short period of time, like a year, or perhaps 18 months. So electronic items, such as operating systems for computers, cell phones and hearing aids have tremendous high-growth, but potentially they have high-risk too...as the future unfolds very quickly. I think Moore changed it about 30 years ago to say that the electronic capabilities would double every 24 months...but you get the idea.
Beck: Reminds me of the old Firesign Theater album titled "Everything You Know is Wrong!" But in the final analysis, the technology is much more sophisticated than the algorithms we use, and it seems the disparity between what we're capable of doing electronically, versus what we actually do, will continue to increase.
Hill: Yes, I think Moore's Law predicts that! And we're likely already in that situation. So our challenge is to use the tools available in R&D maximally, and I believe SeboTek is doing that. We're applying new technology to eliminate problems by design - just look at the way we deliver sound through our speaker link and tip design for example.
Beck: The SeboTek growth pattern has been staggering. Can you tell me your perspective on that?
Hill: Well, at the 2002 San Antonio AAA, I think we were a curiosity. Then last year in Salt Lake City, we drew quite a crowd, and I think many people were talking about the PAC style innovation and developments we've introduced. In Washington, at AAA 2005, I think people were saying we were a "must see." Change happens quickly. I think people are intrigued by the whole idea of the PAC (post auricular canal) instruments and are beginning to understand how SeboTek has studied and applied the laws of physics to create a better hearing enhancement system. I'll describe how the pieces fit: by deeply inserting the speaker assembly into the bony portion of the ear canal using an active, comfortable acoustic seal it allows us to create high acoustic gain without feedback. Proper acoustic coupling to the ear provides a wide bandwidth high fidelity sound. The deep canal placement allows the amplifier and speaker to operate efficiently with low distortion, high headroom and long battery life. Further, this eliminates the occlusion effect and the lack of venting eliminates digital time delay issues that plague other products, particularly open fit types. Some people still confuse us with "open canal" instruments...and as you know, Doug we're not, we're PAC.
Beck: Brian, before I let you go, I wonder if you can address the issue of movement of the ear canal and the PAC system?
Hill: Sure. We know the ear canal moves 8 to 10 thousand times every day, and it moves in three dimensions almost every time. As the ear canal moves, the hearing instrument should move with it to maintain a consistent high quality sound without feedback. Traditional style instruments, with a rigid, hard shell design, will change relative position with respect to the ear canal as it moves throughout the day. The result can be feedback and discomfort. Our approach has been to use the PAC speaker link with a very soft-tipped insert and a tiny flexible high strength, electrical connection to move with the ear canal, and that's proven to be a very effective protocol. Traditional products, on the other hand, require an ear impression, which is essentially a physical representation of the canal taken of a fixed point in time and then cast into a hard acrylic shell, knowing that the physical changes of the ear canal will not be accommodated. So Doug, the PAC is dynamic and provides a secure and comfortable fit regardless of canal shape, size or movements.
Beck: Very interesting points Brian. Thanks so much for your time this morning.
Hill: My pleasure Doug. Always nice to work with you, too.
----------------------------
View the previous BRIAN HILL Interview on Audiology Online.
For More information on SeboTek, view the SeboTek website.
To learn more about Energizer's AudioPro recommended battery, visit the Energizer website.
Hill: Hey Doug! Good to meet with you too.
Beck: I know that you've been globe hopping and opening up new distribution channels for SeboTek around the world, and that you were recently given new responsibilities. Can you tell me about the new position please?
Hill: Sure Doug. I am now the Principal Marketing Strategist. My new job is the companion position to David Hotvet's. David is the Principal Engineer at SeboTek and the two of us collaborate to explore and devise the roadmap for SeboTek. In other words, we work together to develop and execute our marketing efforts on a global basis, with particular emphasis on development of new products using SeboTek's Product Development Process (PDP).
Beck: So the two of you analyze SeboTek's place within the industry and decide how to get where you want to go?
Hill: Yes, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.
Beck: Of course, the development and introduction of new products is a critically important part of that formula. I believe I recently read that something like two-thirds of all product sales in the hearing aid industry were based on products introduced in the last 18 months or so?
Hill: That sounds correct, Doug. In light of that, we want to position SeboTek as a brand name that represents innovation within our industry, we don't just make things a little better, we make things better "by design", and the term I use to describe how we do this is "curve hopping."
Beck: OK, I have to admit it, that's a new one for me. Please explain "curve hopping?"
Hill: Well, in essence, "curve hopping" is a very fast-paced strategic planning and development process...I know one of the major US electronics retailers uses the terms "jump, hop, kick" to describe the same idea. They tend to jump and hop over obstacles and hurdles, while kicking new thoughts and ideas into action resulting in market driving innovations. As we all realize products have "life cycles." They come to the market; they start with low or no awareness by the consumer and zero sales. They rise on a steep incline (hopefully), they might plateau in a "mature" phase for a while, and then sales may decrease as new competitive products are introduced to that same market. Well, the idea is that in our industry, we want to be so innovative that we move the entire distribution curve one standard deviation to the right! We will define the new technology which drives marketplace place growth, and we want to supply innovative and excellent solutions to the challenges of the hearing impaired, and again, we want to deliver the products and marketing messages quickly and efficiently.
Beck: What is the normal turn around time between the idea for a new hearing aid, and the commercial availability of that same product?
Hill: Historically, a typical development project runs between 18 and 24 months for BTEs -- but obviously the complexity of the idea, chip development, pilot testing, bench testing and alpha/beta testing and many factors can alter and delay that significantly. New research and development (R&D) represents a huge amount of time, talent and resources from multiple constituents: end users, engineers, audiologists, marketing folks, sales people and many others, and often the product "launch" date cannot really predicted until the product is done right and ready to go.
Beck: And this is somewhat impacted by Moore's Law, too?
Hill: Yes, absolutely.
Beck: Brian, would you please explain "Moore's Law" for the folks not familiar with the concept?
Hill: Sure....Gordon Moore was the co-founder of Intel. Some 40 years ago he noticed the quantity of transistors in a circuit doubled in a very short period of time, like a year, or perhaps 18 months. So electronic items, such as operating systems for computers, cell phones and hearing aids have tremendous high-growth, but potentially they have high-risk too...as the future unfolds very quickly. I think Moore changed it about 30 years ago to say that the electronic capabilities would double every 24 months...but you get the idea.
Beck: Reminds me of the old Firesign Theater album titled "Everything You Know is Wrong!" But in the final analysis, the technology is much more sophisticated than the algorithms we use, and it seems the disparity between what we're capable of doing electronically, versus what we actually do, will continue to increase.
Hill: Yes, I think Moore's Law predicts that! And we're likely already in that situation. So our challenge is to use the tools available in R&D maximally, and I believe SeboTek is doing that. We're applying new technology to eliminate problems by design - just look at the way we deliver sound through our speaker link and tip design for example.
Beck: The SeboTek growth pattern has been staggering. Can you tell me your perspective on that?
Hill: Well, at the 2002 San Antonio AAA, I think we were a curiosity. Then last year in Salt Lake City, we drew quite a crowd, and I think many people were talking about the PAC style innovation and developments we've introduced. In Washington, at AAA 2005, I think people were saying we were a "must see." Change happens quickly. I think people are intrigued by the whole idea of the PAC (post auricular canal) instruments and are beginning to understand how SeboTek has studied and applied the laws of physics to create a better hearing enhancement system. I'll describe how the pieces fit: by deeply inserting the speaker assembly into the bony portion of the ear canal using an active, comfortable acoustic seal it allows us to create high acoustic gain without feedback. Proper acoustic coupling to the ear provides a wide bandwidth high fidelity sound. The deep canal placement allows the amplifier and speaker to operate efficiently with low distortion, high headroom and long battery life. Further, this eliminates the occlusion effect and the lack of venting eliminates digital time delay issues that plague other products, particularly open fit types. Some people still confuse us with "open canal" instruments...and as you know, Doug we're not, we're PAC.
Beck: Brian, before I let you go, I wonder if you can address the issue of movement of the ear canal and the PAC system?
Hill: Sure. We know the ear canal moves 8 to 10 thousand times every day, and it moves in three dimensions almost every time. As the ear canal moves, the hearing instrument should move with it to maintain a consistent high quality sound without feedback. Traditional style instruments, with a rigid, hard shell design, will change relative position with respect to the ear canal as it moves throughout the day. The result can be feedback and discomfort. Our approach has been to use the PAC speaker link with a very soft-tipped insert and a tiny flexible high strength, electrical connection to move with the ear canal, and that's proven to be a very effective protocol. Traditional products, on the other hand, require an ear impression, which is essentially a physical representation of the canal taken of a fixed point in time and then cast into a hard acrylic shell, knowing that the physical changes of the ear canal will not be accommodated. So Doug, the PAC is dynamic and provides a secure and comfortable fit regardless of canal shape, size or movements.
Beck: Very interesting points Brian. Thanks so much for your time this morning.
Hill: My pleasure Doug. Always nice to work with you, too.
----------------------------
View the previous BRIAN HILL Interview on Audiology Online.
For More information on SeboTek, view the SeboTek website.
To learn more about Energizer's AudioPro recommended battery, visit the Energizer website.
