5 Questions with Dr. Scott Echols: Insight from Larsen Global Leaders

Dr. Scott Echols is a practicing veterinarian working mostly in North America and is board certified in bird medicine and surgery.  Scott is an adjunct Professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, visiting professor at multiple universities in the US and abroad, internationally recognized author and lecturer, has created numerous educational DVDs sold in multiple continents and is a USANA distributor. You can visit Dr. Echols' USANA website. To see what products Dr. Echols recommends for pets, read his article at WhatsUpUSANA.com.

[caption id="attachment_958" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dr. Scott Echols with USANA's Dave Philips[/caption]

1. How and why did you get started in USANA?

Initially, I was searching for omega-3 fatty acids to use in a research project. The problem was that every company selling omega-3 fatty acids I evaluated could not even guarantee the ingredients. One cannot effectively study the effects of a product if you do not even know what is in the studied material! So I began to research the dietary supplement industry and the products currently available. Four years later, an associate from USANA contacted me. By this time, I had a lot of questions for the associate and USANA corporate. Needless to say, I simply could not shoot USANA down. I knew this company was unique and I signed up as a distributor.

2. During your time in USANA, what have you learned about business (in general) and yourself?

A tremendous amount...I think that I learned about business for the first time. Going through veterinary school provided me a great education in medicine and surgery but little about business. The personal growth (interacting with people, self-confidence, business skills, etc.) and my health are the two greatest gifts USANA has given me. We could probably spend days on the specifics but in general I could say that I have learned to be successful.

3. Give me five traits that describe a successful USANA associate?

1. Persistence
2. Persistence
3. Persistence
4. Persistence
5. Teamwork, personal development, listening, and a keen interest in the needs of customers and fellow distributors

4. What is your greatest strength and weakness as an associate?

My greatest strength also serves as my weakness. I love the details of nutrition- sometimes too much for some people. I have had to learn to keep things simple!

5. What direction do you give new USANA associates?

The most important aspects of this business are to be persistent and work at it every day (whether through personal development, prospecting, etc) and to associate with leaders. My first goal is to get new associates through the BDS training system and start doing 3-way presentations with team leaders.