I have to prefece this by saying that I loooove Andrew Lessman. I love listening to his monotone presentations on HSN with his big cue cards full of testimonials. I love his solar powered factory, and I love his vitamin and supplement products. Love! Love! Love! And I have it on pretty good authority that he is, in fact, a good guy.
So I am very biased in my assessment of all things Dr. Taub. He might sell vitamins on a home shopping channel, but I've never been a fan.
Dr. Taub--who is not Andrew Lessman--is moving on to greener pastures. But fear not! He has brought in "The Specialist."
I understand wanting to retire (although many are speculating that the Q just wants some young blood--"out with the old!" being their new mantra), and I understand wanting to handpick your replacement and introduce him to your customers. That all makes sense. However, continually referring to him as the "specialist" was just insulting to the viewers.
Good grief, this isn't the family doctor referring you to an oncologist, this is some TV doctor trying to sell you crap introducing a younger TV doctor trying to sell you crap. Whatever. Are there really people out there that enjoy that shtick?
Anyway, I thought I'd check out the new guy, Dr. James Rouse, or Dr. James as he likes to be called.
He does seem to be a specialist of sorts. He specializes in selling stuff.
He sells Optimum Wellness vitamins and supplements here. He is also the founder and does weekly news segments about health and fitness.
He sells Gaiam books and DVD's here and here.
He sells Mix1 protein drinks here. He is also a co-founder of this company too.
He is a personal coach for the Balance Company, which sells meal replacements and tries to recruit people to sell their products (like Mary Kay or Avon cosmetics) and be part of the Balance Club.
What are his credentials? He's got an undergraduate degree in transpersonal psychology, a doctorate degree in naturopathic medicine (he's an ND, not an MD), post-doctorate work in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and certification as a yoga teacher. He also used to own an organic restaurant. He is one busy guy, but he is no Andrew Lessman.
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I saw him briefly the other day & noticed he was selling Dr. Taub's stuff & my first thought was, they are using him to compete directly against Andrew! Dr. Taub is a nice man & may know his stuff, but this is purely a marketing move. Your column on this was GREAT! I love Andrew's supplements & have watched him long enough to believe in him & his products. I think he is one of HSN's top vendors as I've heard them say they have more re-orders for his supplements than anything else they carry!
ReplyDeleteMy very first thought about this guy is that he is to be QVC's version of Andrew Lessman. Definitely a marketing decision to pit him directly against AL. They even had him wearing a blue shirt and tie....very Lessman-ish. I agree that he's no Andrew Lessman.
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