Pick what’s right for you

The flexibility of direct selling offers many types of individuals an opportunity to achieve their goals. Whether that is in the form of extra spending money every month, a full-time income or merely the chance to meet new people, the motivations for becoming a direct seller are as varied as the types of people who decide to give it a try.

While the motivation is slightly different for each person, most sellers fall into at least one of seven different categories. It’s important to remember, though, that many sellers fit in multiple categories and sellers can move from one category to another.

1. Discount buyers – These direct sellers are mainly interested in buying products they use and love at a discount. In most cases, these sellers place regular orders for their own use and do not actively sell to or recruit others. Some companies have a special category of representatives for these consumers – often called preferred customers or discount buyers.
2. Goal seekers – These sellers have a specific, short-term goal to reach. Goal seekers may wish to earn extra money for a family vacation or to replace a broken appliance. Often, after they have achieved their initial goal, sellers in this category will decide to continue their direct selling business because they enjoy the supplemental income. However, in many cases, goal seekers will drop out after having achieved their goal, and then rejoin when they have another short-term goal in mind.
3. Part-time – These individuals are looking for supplemental income and are more likely to continue with the business for an extended period than the “goal seekers.” They are looking for a steady flow of extra income, often a modest amount such as $200 per month, and will likely spend less than 10 hours per week on their business.
4. Social contact – The primary motivation for sellers in this group is to meet new people and expand their social circle. They may or may not be interested in earning supplemental income, but are very interested in the opportunity to meet a wide range of individuals through their selling efforts.
5. Recognition – Sellers in this group love to receive recognition for their achievements and find that element of direct selling to be extremely appealing. It would be difficult to find a traditional workplace that rewards achievements as regularly or as publicly as direct selling. For individuals who enjoy being recognized for their accomplishments, this is an important motivator.
6. Product advocates – Like discount buyers, this group of sellers uses and loves the products and services they sell. However, they also want to share that passion with others. Promoting and selling the product or service is very fulfilling to them because they believe in the benefits of that which they are selling so strongly that they want to share that with others who might find similar benefit.
7. Entrepreneurs – This group is looking for a full-time business. These sellers will dedicate 30+ hours per week to building their business and will often be active recruiters. They generally enjoy the opportunity to train and motivate others and consider their direct selling activities to be a career.