Page 58 - AVN April 2017

FEATURE
GETTING SCHOOLED
At Elevate U, the goal is sexual literacy
Brick-and-mortar adult boutiques
have one arena where they offer a
clear advantage over online sites:
a real-live person who can help
shoppers make decisions about their
most intimate purchases.
To fully exploit that advantage,
though, retailers need sales reps
who can frankly and authoritatively
provide customers with information
about human anatomy, sexual
health, and the technical basics of
sex toys and lubricants.
But how can store owners ensure
their staff has the necessary facts at
their disposal? Among the sources
of information are nonprofit
sex-positive organizations such as
the Center for Sex and Culture and
the Institute for Advanced Study of
Human Sexuality.
But not every community has
such a resource. To help fill that gap,
leading adult distributor Eldorado
Trading Company has stepped up
with an e-learning curriculum called
Elevate U.
Working with the Center for
Sexual Pleasure and Health (CSPH),
a Rhode Island-based sexuality
training and education nonprofit,
Eldorado offers a 16-course
online series that familiarizes
its customers with sexual health
information. The material covered
in Elevate U extends far beyond
facts about pleasure products, and
the program’s end goal is to give
enrollees the tools they need to
answer any question a customer
might throw at them.
“Elevate U is intended to
empower Eldorado’s retailers with
accurate sexual health information
so they can confidently and correctly
answer sexual health related
questions,” said Allison Travers,
Eldorado director of marketing.
“With this knowledge, retailers can
offer customers an excellent in-
store experience in order to create
repeat business, become a trusted
community resource and have a
competitive advantage.
“We are dedicating Elevate U in
memory of our founder and CEO
Larry Garland, to commemorate his
longtime passion and commitment
to sexual health and wellness
education that was always at the
forefront of his mission,” Travers
added.
Each video-based lesson is 20 to
30 minutes long and is followed
by a quiz. Once all 16 lessons and evaluations are passed, the CSPH will certify participants as a Community Sexual Health
Resource.
Given the paucity of sexual health resources in many parts of the country, the need for a Community Sexual Health Resource
is real. After hearing the types of questions retailers were asking of sexual health educators at Eldorado’s in-house events, the
distributor found a common thread: a lack of sexual health resources in many communities, and therefore an increasing number
of customers turning to their local adult store to answer their questions. The company looked to fill that need with Elevate U.
Available to active Eldorado customers, Elevate U launched with its first four lessons at the beginning of 2017, and continues
to grow.
Feedback from Eldorado clients was immediately positive. Commented Brittany Moss of Openminds Entertainment, “I just
wanted to say that I absolutely loved the first four lessons that I have done in the Elevate U series through Eldorado! I have
learned so much information that I didn’t know and can’t wait for the next lessons to come out.”
Eldorado provided AVN with the opportunity to sample the curriculum, which is ably presented by Kira Manser, clinical
director of CSPH, and Erin Basler-Francis, the center’s digital media proctor. In bite-sized video presentations, they reveal
everything shoppers always wanted to know about sex (but were too embarrassed to ask).
In the introduction to the Elevate U course, Manser and Basler-Francis explain what CSHP is all about: “Our niche is ensuring
that sexual pleasure is included in sexual education conversations,” Manser explained, adding that the center seeks to ensure
“that everyone has access to medically accurate, pleasure inclusive and culturally relevant information about sexuality.”
The 6-year-old center is nothing if not culturally relevant. Its two presenters are careful to make the material as inclusive as
possible, referring to individuals as “penis owners” or “vulva owners” in their discussion of human sexual anatomy, which kicks
off the 16-course series.
The anatomy lesson ends with a segment about a part of the body both vulva owners and penis owners share in common.
As Manser explains, “Next we’re going to talk about what we at the Center affectionately call the great equalizer.”
“The butt!” Basler-Francis exclaims.
Like each course in Elevate U, the anatomy lesson concludes with a quiz that is detailed enough to demand that students pay
close attention.
After focusing on the parts of the body that make it possible to feel pleasure, Manser and Basler-Francis move on to the second
course, which covers the basics of sex toys. This section in particular offers knowledge that will immediately benefit anyone in
the pleasure product business. Manser and Basler-Francis cover what types of toys stimulate which anatomical pleasure zones,
what materials they are made of, and how those materials impact the body.
Kim Patterson, owner of Enchantasys Intimate Boutiques in North Dakota and Minnesota, was among the many industry
professionals who shared positive comments on Elevate U. “I just finished the beginner section of the Elevate U online learning
program,” Patterson said. “This is so much better than other online educational programs! Eldorado did an amazing job getting
the right people with the right information to do your training. This will change the way retailers interact with customers!”
And changing that interaction can directly lead to increasing sales for your store. For more information about Elevate U and to
get started, visit Eldorado.net/ElevateU or email elevateu@eldorado.net. To learn more about the CSPH, visit TheCSPH.org.
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