Archive for 2008

I was waiting at a traffic signal today when an Army Recruiter vehicle made a left turn in front of me. It got me thinking about all the different types of organizations and businesses that recruit people. Colleges, sports teams, and even retail stores and restaurants are constantly looking for new people to join their ranks. The military is also great example – with a volunteer army, it’s constantly necessary to educate people about the opportunities the military offers and encourage interested individuals to sign on. Some will say yes, but most will say no. For some who say yes, it’s an opportunity to build self confidence. For others, it’s a way to earn money for college, or it may just sound like an exciting adventure. Once recruited, some will drop out after the first day of boot camp. Others will make a career out of it. Some will be criticized by their families for signing up. Others will become the heroes of their hometowns. The motivations are many, as are the ways to define success.

I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this – try inserting “direct seller” into any of the scenarios above. There are a lot of similarities. Unfortunately, the recruiting techniques of some more passionate direct sellers have become the stuff of legends, sometimes becoming fodder for late-night variety shows, but in the end resulting in a public that has a lot of preconceived notions about direct selling and recruiting.

But the truth of the matter is that recruiting is important to almost every type of business. Turnover requires bringing on new people on a regular basis, and there is a natural hierarchy in any business where a few people at the top manage progressively larger numbers of people below them (and are rewarded accordingly). But, in the end, no business can be successful, regardless of the number of “recruits,” without the sale of products and services. As a result, the emphasis on selling versus recruiting must be balanced.

It’s likely that at some point everyone will be approached with a direct selling opportunity. The opportunity may sound intriguing, or you may not be interested right now (never say never). Either way, just be straight with the person who’s trying to recruit you – don’t be afraid to say no, but also keep in mind that they are approaching you because they like what they do and as a friend, neighbor, colleague, etc. want you to be involved too. If you say no, don’t be surprised if they continue to try to convince you, and know that they’ll probably try again later. Can you imagine if consumer products companies ran one ad for a product and then never tried again? Or if colleges sent only one marketing brochure to their top prospects?

And sellers, if someone says no, accept it and consider trying again later if it’s appropriate. It’s not worth your time or effort to recruit people who aren’t really interested because they’re not likely to be successful. Let the person know that you respect their decision, but if they change their mind, you would love to have them on your team. The next person you meet might say yes and become the next star seller – imagine if you had wasted your time on someone who would only resent you and the opportunity later. Plus, remember that your friends and neighbors are that, first and foremost. Don’t risk your relationships when you have a whole world of potential customers out there – it’s just a matter of meeting them.

So, the Army recruiter I saw this morning was probably on his way to a high school or community event. He probably talked with dozens of people about signing up. Maybe one or two will ultimately do so. It’s possible, but not likely, that one of those people will one day be a five-star general. But either way, the recruiter will probably be out again tomorrow, doing the same thing again. Along the way, it’s likely that he’ll run into a direct seller. They’ll certainly have lots of stories to share with each other. Who knows, maybe that army recruiter will decide to earn a little extra money by selling financial services, pet products, personal care products or any of a multitude of products and services sold through direct selling.
 

I was suprised today when I came across a January post on bloggingstocks.com characterizing Avon’s corporate restructuring plan, which began back in 2005, as necessary because of a flawed business model – reliance on recruiting, and not enough recruits to be had. It’s an interesting, if somewhat naïve, assertion about a company and business model that are more than 100 years old – having survived decades of economic ups and downs and societal shifts.

It’s particularly interesting given Avon’s positive early 2008 forecast – predicting mid-single digit growth in 2008 despite a questionable U.S. economy, according to this Reuters story. It hardly seems like a company in trouble.

Even more interesting are the post’s assertions about the direct selling model in general.

Point #1: Companies “live and die by how many new representatives they can recruit.”

Nope, that statement misses the point entirely. Of course recruiting is a critical part of the direct selling model, but companies rely on those recruits to sell products, not just to sign up. Recruiting alone doesn’t result in income for sales reps or the company. With low start up costs (usually less than $100, and in some cases, far less than that) money is made in direct selling when products move. Products move when sellers sell product.

Point #2: “While MLM companies like to focus the public’s attention on the selling of products, the reality is that it is through the recruitment of new representatives that these companies grow.” No, the reality is it’s still product sales that matter. If a company has 10 reps that each sell $5000 in products, that’s always going to be better than having 100 reps that sell $100 each. Just adding more representatives doesn’t increase profits – which is why many direct selling companies are focusing on making the “career opportunity” more attractive. By nurturing promising recruits to sell more and, yes, recruit more motivated sellers, sales and profits rise. Any business, direct selling or otherwise, has an interest in cultivating leaders who can be top performers and inspire others to do the same, thereby building the business. Not everyone will rise to the top, but those who do will be the next leaders.

Point #3: “Representative turnover is high, however, in large part due to the fact that the representatives don’t make much money from selling products.” Turnover in direct selling averages about 56%, comparable to turnover in retail, which is about 53%, not really that notable. Yes, there are plenty of people who try direct selling and decide it’s not for them. There are also lots of people who might try a new brand of cereal and decide it’s not for them either. That doesn’t make the cereal bad, and quite frankly the financial risk for either scenario is about the same. But beyond those who just decide not to continue, you have the equivalent of seasonal workers in direct selling (who may sign up and drop out every year like clockwork) and you have people who achieve their modest goals and then see no need to continue, each of whom contribute to the turnover rate, but none of whom is unhappy with their experience.

Point #4: “My hope is that this outdated method of doing business is something that more and more women are avoiding.” Sorry to disappoint, but more and more women are choosing direct selling because it offers a flexible alternative to a 9-to-5 job. There’s minimal upfront cost, low risk (especially given the generous buyback DSA members are required to offer) and ultimate flexibility. When fears of recession are rising, people are looking for additional income sources – and direct selling provides a perfect fit. Combine that with relatively low-cost, consumable products that the average consumer doesn’t abandon in slow economic times, and both recruiting and sales are in a position to increase.

Point #5: “With over 99% of distributors losing money in the MLM schemes, it’s no wonder that recruiting representatives may be harder and harder.” It’s absurd to believe that 15.2 million American direct sellers (and 60 million sellers worldwide) are the mindless followers suggested by this assertion. With $32 billion in sales in 2006, direct selling provides opportunity and success for millions every year. As in any type of business there are people who are not successful. However, there are many more who achieve their goals – both financial and non-financial – and consider their direct selling experience to be a fulfilling one.

Considering all these points reminds me what a solid business model direct selling really is. Companies like Berkshire Hathaway, Hallmark, Reader’s Digest, Jockey, The Body Shop and myriad others operate, or have invested in, direct selling companies – something they wouldn’t be doing if the model were questionable. So, don’t count the Avon lady out quite yet – she’s alive and well.

Starting a conversation can be a very difficult task. Perhaps you’ve encountered a situation where you really want to have a serious discussion with someone, but you just can’t figure out where to begin the dialogue. It often seems there’s so much to say, there doesn’t seem to be a logical beginning.

In thinking about my inaugural post to the DirectSelling411.com blog, I felt that way. Direct selling has an incredibly rich history that can’t begin to be encapsulated in this post or even in an entire Web site. There are millions of stories to be told, about the stay-at-home mom who earns extra income by working a few hours a week as a direct seller, to the former corporate executive who left his 9-?? job and now works his own hours, selling products and services he actually enjoys talking about.

But the whole “conversation” about direct selling is about much more than just the success stories – it’s about understanding what direct selling is, what it isn’t, and how that relates to one’s own situation. Five-hundred success stories might be meaningless to a direct seller who is considering abandoning her efforts, if she cannot draw a parallel to her own experience. Similarly, one failure might inspire someone to try a new approach and find success that had otherwise been elusive.

On this blog, I’ll talk about the good, the bad and the, well, misunderstood parts of direct selling – and there are plenty of topics in each of those areas. Direct selling has the luxury of a long, honorable history, but it also wears the scarlet letter of stereotypes (some deserved, some not), misinformation (some rooted in truth then distorted, some not) and the occasional bad actor (whose missteps reinforce the stereotypes and misinformation). All of these topics are worth talking about because direct selling has a lot to offer – and we also have some work to do.

My singular interest is providing a forum where we can have a frank, honest and open discussion about the issues. Whether you love or hate direct selling isn’t the point – it’s about having accurate information on which to base that opinion.

Consider this inaugural post my invitation to anyone out there with an interest in direct selling to help me begin, and continue, the conversation about direct selling. I look forward to your frank and thoughtful questions and ideas, and in return I will do my best to provide a balanced perspective that perhaps to date has not had a loud enough voice.

Let the conversation begin!