The Product Value Benefits of the BioPhotonic Scanner
Interview with Joe Chang - by Nancy Tobler, www.mlm.com

Sales of dietary supplements increased 80% from $8.8 billion in 1994 to approximately 15.7 billion in 2000 (Archives of Internal Medicine). Over 158 million consumers take dietary supplements. In our fast paced-- stress filled world, many try to hang onto their health by taking nutritional supplements. Nutritional supplements are a large percentage of the direct selling market. In an interview with Joe Chang, Ph.D. (President of Pharmanex, a subsidiary of Nu Skin Enterprises), he discussed a new tool for demonstrating the impact of eating right and taking your supplements.

American Nutrition
According to Dr. Chang, two issues arise in selling nutritional supplements: the first is consumer education and the second is product differentiation. Many consumers don't recognize the value of supplementation. Even those who are aware of the benefits don't always know how to choose safe and efficacious products.

Many people believe they eat sufficient amounts of foods, high in nutrients, to maintain optimal health. The truth is, the average American consumes 2.3 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, far below the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). One problem, according to Shawn Talbott, Ph.D. nutritionist and Senior Scientist for Pharmanex, is that actually consuming enough fruits and vegetables to achieve the RDA amounts to an overwhelming number of foods. That factor, coupled with our hectic lifestyles, helps explain why many Americans simply aren't getting sufficient nutrition. Medical practitioners at Harvard University have become so concerned by this trend of nutritional deficiency, they've actually issued a recommendation that a multivitamin supplement be added to the diet on a daily basis.

Direct Selling and Nutritional Supplements
Standardization, safety, and potency, however, are just a few of the manufacturing considerations undertaken by reputable supplement companies that aren't necessarily addressed by the discount labels. Direct selling, then, becomes the premier channel for marketing the high-end supplements based on sound science and safety guidelines, allowing representatives to provide an extensive explanation of the products and even make comparisons. It's a hands-on approach that helps the consumer on two levels. First the representative is able to customize a health regimen specifically for an individual. Second, a personal approach takes the guess work out of shopping for supplements that occurs when a consumer is faced with a myriad of options on retail shelves.

A New Tool—The BioPhotonic Scanner
With nutritionals much of the persuasion has come previously in the form of product testimonials and testimonials will always play a major role in product adoption. Education about product quality and efficacy is also important. However, getting people to ‘see’ the results with nutritionals is powerful. Weight loss products have been strong sellers in direct selling because the consumer can ‘see’ results. Traditional medicine has used diagnostic testing (blood or urine) to motivate patients to eat right and exercise but invasive testing is simply not an option for most distributors. Nonetheless, “seeing” value is important.

Pharmanex has now added another tool to the persuasion process—The BioPhotonic Scanner. The Biophotonic Scanners are leased to Pharmanex distributors in order to help potential product or business opportunity customers to “see” impact. On Feb 21st, the scanners were launched by Pharmanex and currently 40 of the BioPhotonic Scanners are in use throughout the country. There is a waiting list to get a scanner as demand for the scanners outstrips supply. Distributors who have been using the scanner, report that the scanner creates excitement in meetings where people listen more and are more motivated to use supplements.

The scanner technology was developed at the University of Utah by Professor Werner Gellermann. The scanner shines a blue laser onto your hand where the amount of carotenoid antioxidants present changes the light to green which is then analyzed by the scanner. Carotenoids are a family of antioxidants found in vegetables. As you consume a good diet of fruits and vegetables, your level of skin carotenoid increases. When this number is compared to those who do eat the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, one can tell the effectiveness of their present program.

When asked about how the scanner was being received, Joe stated that “People get emotional about their number. We are a competitive society. When we see our number, we want to beat it.”

----Well, I take my supplements every day. I wondered what my number was. I went for my first carotenoid scan. The scan took less than a minute. “14800”. That sounded good to me. I asked the scientist who did the test, “How did I do?” (Here is where the motivation of a number comes in.) He said that I was a bit low, compared to those who report eating the recommended daily requirement of fruits and vegetables. ----I was disappointed and motivated. I decided to renew my efforts at eating better (except for chocolate Easter bunnies) and increasing my nutritional supplement regime. I really can’t wait to go back in a month and have them rescan my hand. I guarantee I will get a better number.

Every tool in the direct selling industry that shows the importance of nutritional supplements helps us all. The addition of more science-based information to go along with the testimonials will help to continue the upward trend of the sale of quality nutritional supplements.