Education Program Q&A with Autumn and Trinity

What was the inspiration behind the new program?
We believe that the ability to self care with herbal medicine is our birth right as human beings. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 80% of the developing world relies upon Traditional Herbal Medicine as their primary modality of health care. Here in the United Sates, millions of individuals are seeking the use of herbal medicine to feel good and also to address occasional imbalances.  It is our intention to provide consistent and broad spectrum education for how herbs work and how to best incorporate the use of herbal medicine into a healthy lifestyle.  We believe that use of herbs can support the body’s innate wisdom to create balance for common issues such as Menopause, PMS, acne, Joint health, Headaches, or how our body responds to stressors of our physical, environmental and emotional states.   What if everyone knew how to feel well...?  That would really be health care!

We have also found that helping to provide an educated retail staff is the single best way we can support our customers.  Sales drastically increase after trainings, and tend to remain that way for quite some time. When the staff realize they can use us as a reliable resource for sound, accurate and DSHEA compliant information, it builds faith, trust and goodwill

What was missing from the industry?
It is rare today to find an integrative education system in the natural products industry that offers awareness of DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994) complaint language while simultaneously teaching how to use herbs effectively.  While many companies offer sales trainings, few have an on-staff chemist, Ayurvedic practitioners and a director of education who is a practicing herbalist and teacher at many herbal schools in the USA. Our entire staff is trained about how to use herbs and DSHEA complaint language. We are truly committed to legally compliant and complete educational support, and this is very different today. Our trainings speak to how to use our organic herbal dietary supplements (TheraVeda) and body care products (TheraNeem), but it is also our intention that our retail partners are supported to better understand and support the entire herbal category. We speak to the use of the herbs in our formulas from a perspective that each individual should be able to understand how herbs work; not just to sell a product, but also for their personal awareness and knowledge.  We offer in depth awareness about DSEHA compliance and how to speak to customers within our regulatory framework.  Like the strong roots of the Neem tree whose herbal benefits are found in our TheraNeem products, we are powerfully connected to offering education.

How do you counter retailers' excuse of 'I'm too busy?'
We certainly understand that they are too busy, but we also know they are busy trying to build their business and reputation. We firmly believe that taking time for our concise educational program will positively impact their bottom line. We try to be as accommodating as possible by offering over 10 live conference call webcast trainings per month, and we will offer 24/7 access to our herbal pod cast beginning in 2008.  The “too busy reality” is common in many people’s lives today.  We offer creative options and authentic herbal education which is drawing many retailers and their staff to call in on “their off-store hours” because they are excited to learn.  This type of “busy enthusiasm” is exciting and is effecting positive change, not only in dollars in the natural products isle, but in people’s lives. Knowledgeable staff who can speak with DSHEA compliant language and offer solid herbal awareness has a profound effect.