In this episode…
On this episode of There’s Always a Lyric, David Hernandez talks with Ken Laner, founder of Neuro Health and seasoned sales expert. They dive into the significance of building strong relationships in sales, marketing, and law, focusing on how exceptional customer service and gratitude can drive success—and the lyrics that inspire him.
Episode Transcript
lotus823 (0:19)
There’s Always A Lyric is sponsored by lotus823. At lotus823 your goals are our goals. We help consumer tech, home and lifestyle brands gain visibility, drive relevant traffic and increase sales through customized public relations and marketing strategies. Want to learn more? Head over to lotus823.com, or get in touch at biz@lotus823.com today.
David Hernandez (0:44)
Welcome to another episode of There’s Always A Lyric. Today my guest is Ken Laner, and Ken has a long history in the sales and marketing space. He is a sales professional with over 30 years of experience in various distribution channels, including the TV shopping channels, mail order catalogs, direct to consumer and business to business. He started his sales career selling technology products to businesses. Ken began his own business later on in 2002 as an Independent Sales Rep. He has over 20 years of expertise representing healthcare, consumer products and houseware brands, selling products on television shopping channels, both QVC and HSN, as well as in mail order catalogs. In 2021 Ken and a partner developed unique health and wellness products to help people with the pain, tingling and numbness caused by nerve pain. These products are sold online and are helping 1000s of people to minimize pain. While Ken has enjoyed a successful sales career, the thrill of helping so many people live a better quality of life by reducing their pain is the most rewarding and fulfilling part of his career. Welcome Ken Laner, it’s a pleasure to finally get to do this podcast with you. How are you, sir?
Ken Laner (2:05)
I’m doing great. Thank you, David, great to be here.
David Hernandez (2:07)
And I think maybe where we ended is where we should start. You know, about the present and what you’re doing in the health and wellness space, specifically to manage that, that nerve pain that kind of symptomizes as tingling and numbness that a lot of people suffer from. How did you get into that? What were the, you know, what was your process there to get involved in that and how’s it going?
Ken Laner (2:35)
So, when I had been doing the the manufacturer rep business, to the TV shopping channels and such. Some of my vendors had approached me and asked me if I knew anybody that could help them get their products on Amazon. And so I partnered with somebody who had experience helping people set up a listing on Amazon and product descriptions and photos and really getting their Amazon business started. And so I was referring all my customers to this gentleman, and his name is Dan. After doing that for about six months, Dan came to me and said, Hey, I’ve got this issue called neuropathy, which I had never heard of before, but apparently it’s a very painful and uncomfortable condition that affects 70% of diabetics. 40% of people that go through chemotherapy, a lot of people that have surgeries where they’re cutting through the nerves, which is, you can think about it, it’s probably any surgery, right? Like you know, knee pain, or knee surgery, back surgery, all those types of things. He had struggled with this for a number of years, and tried a bunch of different alternatives, and finally found a supplement that relieves some of his pain. His idea was to take something similar, a supplement, and manufacture it ourselves, bring it to the market and market it through Amazon. And unfortunately, I had known somebody that had been in the product formulation business before and supplements, and had sold them on QVC successfully. So I went to him and I said, this is what we’re trying to do. And we did some research on the market and the competitors, we said, we want to come up with something that is better than this one and can help people suffering from this condition. So that’s what we did. And this formulator helped us come up with a really strong formula and made it unique and made it our own. And he referred us to somebody that made private label supplements for people and allowed us to start at a very low point of entry. We didn’t have to buy 20,000 you know, bottles of supplements. We could just buy 500 and kind of get started at a reasonable cost.
David Hernandez (5:42)
And that’s how you launched, basically. Yeah, that’s quite interesting. It almost became mission driven.
Ken Laner (5:48)
Yeah and it continues to be because our demographic is an older demographic, right? And so I do get a lot of phone calls from people that aren’t on the internet or don’t want to buy on the internet. And they tell me about their pain and their suffering and their discomfort, and they can’t sleep because their foot hurts so much, and it’s in such pain that even their sheets on their bed, hurt their feet. It’s so it’s really satisfying when we help people and then hearing that we’ve allowed them to be more active, play with their grandchildren, bend over, tie their shoes, just basic things like that.
David Hernandez (6:43)
You know, this is so fascinating, because you had, obviously, what’s a very long career, over three decades in in sales and marketing and working in the consumer space, etc. And then you sort of find this completely new path that I can’t find a better word, is mission driven, to a great degree. It’s specifically, directly helping people with a problem that I didn’t realize just how much more common it is, rather than uncommon. Some of the numbers you were talking about, I think you said 60% folks with diabetes, right? Those are big numbers. No, that’s, that’s what I’m getting at. I mean, you’re talking about 1000s upon 1000s of people that can be impacted by this and in a positive way.
Ken Laner (7:47)
Yeah, I think about it, that you know, over the years, selling other consumer products, even just things like blood pressure monitors, canes and walkers and things like that, that I’ve kind of been selling over the years. I never really, I mean, I’ve thought about it that they were valuable products, but it just it wasn’t as fulfilling as this is. Obviously it helped all those people that they were able to use those devices, but now that I’m actually, like, more deeply involved with the end user, the customer, it’s just that much more fulfilling.
David Hernandez (8:35)
Amazing. And this kind of segues into your origin story of, how did you even get started? Forget about where you are today. What led you down the path of the sales and marketing career and then specifically sales representation and working with brands. How did you get started?
Ken Laner (9:00)
Well, my first job out of college was selling fax machines back when nobody knew what a fax machine was. So I would walk into an office and I would say, I’ve got this machine, and you can put a piece of paper in it, and in 30 seconds, it’ll get to your office in New York. They’d say, Come on, what are you talking about? We just used Fedex, and it gets there the next day, and that’s fine. It was pretty fun to do, because it was, you know, it was unique, and it was different.
David Hernandez (9:36)
I mean, I think when you think back about fax machines. It was, technology as magic, right? Yeah, put this thing into, into a fax machine over here, and it would pop up over there, through another fax machine, anywhere there was a phone line, basically.
Ken Laner (9:58)
And it did change the way people did business back then, because if you think about it, if you wanted to order something from a manufacturer, have a list of parts or components, and so you’d be on the phone, and you’d go, yeah, look three of these and two of these, and serial number x, 123, whatever. And they would transpose the numbers wrong. They’d send you the wrong part, and then you’d have to call them again and this was like, okay, here’s 10 pages of orders, and we put them in that machine, and it would go over, and it did at the time, it changed the way people did business.
David Hernandez (10:35)
Yeah, yeah. No question.
Ken Laner (10:38)
Until computers came along. You are making us sound old Dave.
David Hernandez (10:44)
I was gonna say for some of the younger listeners on the podcast, it’s kind of, what’s the fax machine, right,
Ken Laner (10:53)
Right. So anyway, I was very successful at the job, and I ended up selling the machines wholesale, working for a manufacturer and setting up a dealer network at a very young age, and it was exciting. And again, I kind of had a really nice career, until, kind of the computer age, when people weren’t using as many fax machines. They became more of a commodity. You could buy them anywhere, at the super stores, and buy them for $1,000 and I was selling mine for $5,000. You know, just with a different thing. Along the lines, I had met a couple of people that had been manufacturers reps, and this is typically where you are an independent business person. You develop relationships with customers and and people come to you with their products, and you sell them to that marketplace. That idea really appealed to me, because I always wanted to be in business for myself. I didn’t want to work for somebody forever. So this idea was, um.
David Hernandez (10:55)
That’s what opened up the door for you, right?
Ken Laner (12:16)
Yeah, exactly. And so I met a couple of guys that were selling products to mail order catalogs at the time, again, another kind of ancient business. So they kind of introduced me to it and And I had this product that I ended up licensing the patent for and it was a unique walking cane. So I started selling it to mail order catalogs and I picked up the phone and called QVC, and I was able to get it on TV. So essentially, I was representing this one product, and realized that I needed more in my line to start selling. So now, as I was developing these relationships at QVC and with the catalogs, they were receptive to other products that I brought them.
David Hernandez (13:24)
So this sort of all evolved organically for you. So you’ve picked up one thread in it and followed it and led you to other threads. And you pulled all of those threads together into what became a business.
Ken Laner (13:40)
Then I would go to trade shows, and I would say, hey, how would you like to get your product on QVC. I know the buyers. I know the people. And people were receptive to that because they didn’t know anything about it, and they may be selling to the other channels of distribution, retailers. So that’s how that that grew, and then people started coming to me because they knew that I knew the people, and I knew the process, and was able to help them.
David Hernandez (14:17)
It really came down to the relationships that you created. It ended up opening the doors and the avenues that turned into a full fledged business for you of sales representation and ultimately retail placement for all these different brands that you work with over the years. That’s a great lesson of how having a network and cultivating a network and nurturing that network pays dividends in a very direct way, where you literally created a new career out of it.
David Hernandez (15:02)
When you think back about your whole experience in those days, there were obviously successes. You made a living through it. It was a career for you. When you think back, were there any key people that you felt had an impact on you? That really you felt, that was really great advice I got from that person. Sometimes people come into your path and they end up having such an impact because of something they tell you, or something they show you, or just through the friendship. It impacts your life directly, whether it’s with your career or your life or whatever. Do you have any anybody that comes to mind like that, that you can share a story about or give them at least a tip of the hat for?
Ken Laner (15:50)
Yeah, for sure. When I was first starting this manufacturer rep business, there were two guys that I just had met. One of them, I think I met random at a trade show, and he said, I specialize in selling to mail order catalogs. So I started asking him questions, and I thought, hey this cane product that I have that could work in mail order catalogs. His name was Jim Tilbury, and he had been doing it for 20 years. So he was well ahead of the game. And back at the height when the Sears Roebuck catalog was the was the first mail order catalog ever. And him and another guy named Lou Robert. They both were from Chicago, which is where I was from, and so I would call them almost every day and meet with them and just say okay, who are the other catalogs? What are the names of the buyers? How do I get in touch with them? Just ask them questions upon end until I kind of learned it and became an expert myself.
David Hernandez (17:06)
That’s great. Again, the importance of nurturing friendships in the industries that you’re getting involved in, how important that is and getting some lessons from voices of experience. Right? And probably also I think you just alluded to, they connected you to folks too,
Ken Laner (17:27)
Right! And over the years we would send each other emails and say, Oh, this buyer just left this company, and now went to another company. We would keep each other informed about that. I look back at some of my other sales jobs, where I had counterparts in other parts of the country, that we would bounce ideas and success stories off each other, and I think that was so important in my sales development, was just learning what worked from other people and what didn’t work.
David Hernandez (18:02)
And what’s interesting is it almost feels that your pivot into health and wellness and being a brand, basically, and creating a brand, is not as big a pivot as it at first appears. It really is some sort of evolutionary from where you started. It’s just that you now are sitting in a different seat, but you’re still using all of the same tools and experiences that built your career.
Ken Laner (18:35)
Yeah, yeah, I think so and all that.
David Hernandez (18:39)
When you look at everything that is the sum of your experiences, in business and in your professions of being sales and marketing person,executive, is there a piece of advice that stands out that you could share with everybody that you felt you know, this is one piece of advice that I found very helpful, and I think it would be great for others to recognize or to realize.
Ken Laner (19:18)
I have the advice, and I’ll tell you that it came from my father, who was not a salesman. He was an attorney. You don’t think of attorneys as salespeople, but if they’re successful attorneys, they have to be good at what they do, but they also have to be able to sell their service too. And so his piece of advice was follow up in response to people. Nobody likes to call a salesperson and have them take two days to get back to them.
David Hernandez (20:02)
That’s great advice, actually.
Ken Laner (20:04)
So he innovated the law field by establishing a two hour response time in his law firm. Each attorney was required to respond to a client’s inquiry within two hours. Even if they just sent back an email saying, Hey, I’m tied up with another client right now, I’ll get back to you at this time. They just wanted the touch to reach back out to that, that client.. It just has always stuck with me, that whenever somebody called me, whenever somebody emailed me, it was that I just wanted to get back with them as quickly as I could, and again, even if it wasn’t the right time, I would just say, I’m tied up this afternoon but can we talk tomorrow morning at nine o’clock or whatever?
David Hernandez (21:11)
That is such good advice. And I know you said he was an attorney, and he’s in the law space and practicing law, but that’s really in any field. You always have customers, always. In some way, you have a customer. And that is basically what he is saying, is you have to deliver exceptional customer service, period. Which is you need to be responsive.
Ken Laner (21:42)
And if you think about it, just about every business, right? There’s 10,000 attorneys, there’s X number of whatever business you’re in, you’ve got competitors. You’ve got other people that can do the exact same thing that you’re doing. So what’s going to separate you from other people. And like you said, it’s customer service, and this is part of it.
David Hernandez (22:07)
The human touch is so important, and it’s sometimes something that gets overlooked. But when you look at every successful business person, they are people that figured that out a long time ago. You have to be responsive to whoever you’re serving. Whatever that community is, whatever those whoever those stakeholders are, whoever those customers are, you have to respond to them. You have to show them. Yes, I am here, and I’m I am here representing how can I help? Well, with that, I wanted to lead up to our wrap up question with you, which I think, as I explained to you earlier on, is the title of the podcast. There’s Always A Lyric, and it’s sort of a question that helps also summarize you as a person. So if there was one song title or song lyric that captures you or your life’s story, what would it be?
Ken Laner (23:13)
Well, I’ll tell you the name of the band that that wrote this song I started listening to about three or four years ago, since I moved out here to Colorado, and the band’s called the Wood Brothers. They have a popular song called The Luckiest Man and that’s what I feel like I am and I feel like that describes me both from, having a great family celebrating my 35th wedding anniversary this year.
David Hernandez (23:52)
Oh, wow, congratulations!
Ken Laner (23:54)
Thank you. You know two wonderful children and a lot of friends that I’m blessed to have, and a lot of great business associates that I’m blessed to have. They met and helped me, and I’ve helped them.
David Hernandez (24:16)
That’s so lovely. That speaks to a person who has true gratitude. If you see yourself that way. You feel truly grateful.
Ken Laner (24:30)
Every day! That’s how I feel. And I think it keeps me positive and it keeps me motivated. And I try to, you know, as I think a lot of successful people try to look at things with the glass half full mentality. And I think that’s part of it is you can complain about your ailments and your situations and your relationships, but you got to look at the positive side of things. And that’s what I try to do every day.
David Hernandez (25:09)
It’s a funny thing, when you start to do that, you find a whole lot of positive if you just pay attention. That’s a really great outlook, Ken, and that’s I think, that could be helpful to anyone, no matter where they are in life, whether they’re a student or they’re an executive or they’re retired, that’s the kind of thing that makes your life worthwhile. It makes your life worth living. The opposite of that is also true. If you don’t have that, you can make yourself unnecessarily miserable.
Ken Laner (25:52)
Think about like all the the relationships that you have and the people that you’re the closest to. Are they the people that are uplifting and encouraging and smiling, or are they the people that are the opposite? Which ones do you like hanging out with better?
David Hernandez (26:13)
Exactly, exactly! That’s great advice, and a really good closer here. So the band is called the Wood Brothers, and I guess they can be found on any streaming service, like Apple or Spotify. That’s great, and that’s a new one for me. I hadn’t heard of these guys. How did you discover the wood brothers? Just curious.
Ken Laner (26:37)
A local chiropractor turned me on to them. We both like music, and, you know, he would play music in their office. So what band is this?
David Hernandez (26:51)
That’s awesome. Also another lesson there that you can learn something great from just about anybody. You got music advice from your chiropractor. Who knew? Thank you so much for your time today. I really appreciate you making the time to be on the podcast and sharing your story with us on There’s Always A Lyric. I wish you much success, and I don’t have to, I think because you already know what’s important. You really do, and I think that’s the underlying driver that’s gotten you to where you are in your life, is having that understanding about life and about really gratitude.
Ken Laner (27:43)
Thank you, it was as enjoyable being here. And can we put a plug in on the for the website?
David Hernandez (27:50)
Yes, please share! Please share the website and the name and all of that, please.
Ken Laner (27:56)
Great. The brand is called Neurohealth. The website is neuro-health.net, and also available at Amazon, Neurohealth Neuropathy and our topical cream is called the Miracle Nerve Cream. We’re helping a lot of people and give it a try if you have any pain.
David Hernandez (28:25)
That’s wonderful and congratulations again. Thank you so much.
Keep in touch with Ken: