2009 Direct Selling 101 Seminar



Back to the Basics Boot Camp
  
September 23-24 • Long Beach, CA
Renaissance Long Beach


DSA's 2009 Direct Selling 101 Boot Camp has concluded.
Should you wish to purchase the CD
of this seminar, please click here.

We look forward to providing this seminar again in 2010; look to our calendar for more information shortly.


No matter how many times you think you’ve learned all you can about what makes direct selling companies tick, there’s always more to discover. Head to your own personal boot camp this September, where we’ll provide you with the strategies you need to whip your company and staff into shape and prepare you for everything this marketing channel can throw at you! Industry experts will provide you with the critical business-boosting information your company needs to get stronger and build itself to be the dominating force you were inspired to create. Cadets will learn the following critical skills:

  • What a direct selling marketing plan is and how to choose the appropriate one for your company
  • Compensation plan design basics and how to use your plan to drive desired behaviors
  • Implementing promotions that will drive your company’s success—not take away from it
  • Creating a salesforce from scratch without cannibalizing other organizations—and why you should avoid such behavior at all costs
  • Industry-specific key operating indicators and why mastering their analysis is one of the most important things you need to learn
  • Crafting social networking policies and putting them into action from day one
  • 10 reasons companies succeed, 10 common failure points and how to make sure your company is on track to make the right decisions
  • The legal framework that supports our industry and why even non-attorneys should care
  • The critical role a financial plan will play in your company’s stability and success

Click here for Hotel and Registration Details

Click here for Travel Discounts & Details



Schedule-At-A-Glance
Tuesday, September 22
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.Education Committee Meeting
By Invitation Only
6:30 p.m. Hispanic Marketing & Party Plan Council Dinners
Wednesday, September 23
7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.Registration Open
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.Direct Selling: An Overview & A Look at the Impact of This Economy
8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.Finding the Right Marketing Plan
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.Compensation Plan Design Essentials
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.Networking Break
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.Key Operating Indicators
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Promotions that Drive Your Business
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.Networking Luncheon
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.Social Media Marketing
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.Three Principles & Four Questions
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.A Legal Framework
4:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.New Company Case Studies
5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.Ask the Vets!
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.Dutch-Treat Dinner
Thursday, September 24
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.Registration Open
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.Business Plans & Budgets
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.The Top 10 Reasons Companies Succeed
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Creating a Distributor-Centric Company
11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Networking Break
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.Assessing Your Technology Needs
12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.Networking Luncheon
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.The 10 Most Common Mistakes in Direct Selling
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Five Keys to a Fast Start
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.Credit Card Payments & PCI Compliance
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.Networking Break
3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Creating a Salesforce from Scratch
4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.Motivating & Sustaining Your Salesforce
5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.Salesforce Development Roundtables


Wednesday, September 23

8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Direct Selling: An Overview & A Look at the Impact of This Economy
Beginners, newcomers and veterans alike, get a feel for what direct selling is all about, as DSA’s president gives you a framework for this two-day Boot Camp, including:

•A brief history of our industry’s 99-year tradition
•The effects this year’s legislative and financial events have had on direct selling—and what you should be prepared to see in the next few years
•Why any of this—and DSA’s role in it—should matter to your company
–Neil Offen, President, Direct Selling Association

8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Finding the Right Marketing Plan
We’re starting you cadets off with the basics! It’s your salesforce that makes your direct selling company different from other companies in other sales channels, right? But how do you determine how your salesforce members should make their sales—and what are your options? During this training course, you’ll find out:

•The three different plans from which you can pick
•How your product line affects your choice
•Why choosing well matters for your future growth
•Best practices to put your plan to work for your company
–Alan Luce, President, Luce & Associates

9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Compensation Plan Design Essentials
What else makes direct selling different? Distributor commissions, right? Are you missing your compensation compass? Or maybe you’re re-evaluating your company’s current plan and you’re not sure where to start? We’ll help you through this obstacle course, preparing you with:

•Designs that insure everyone wins
•Principles to guarantee your plan will work
•Best practices for a winning structure that won’t bankrupt your company
–Alan Luce, President, Luce & Associates

11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Key Operating Indicators
Every company, direct selling or otherwise, needs to pay attention to its key operating indicators—the data that measures your company’s success (or lack thereof). So, to what should you pay attention, and how do you tell if your data is in line with expectations? Your instructor will cover:

•The metrics to which you need to pay the most attention—and why
•Signs that your data’s off-balance—and how to fix it
•Ways to reasonably adjust your indicators as your company grows
–Jay Leisner, President, Sylvina Consulting

11:45 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Promotions that Drive Your Business
Promotions are meant to complement your compensation plan and encourage distributor activity—not replace your compensation plan. This training course will cover why this distinction is important and ways to promote successfully, including:

•How to create a sense of urgency within your salesforce
•Ways to enable your leaders to lead their downlines in the charge—not just guide them
•Best practices for using promotions to drive sales
–Jan Gilmore, Principle, Jan Gilmore Unlimited
–Sue Rusch, Consultant, Sue Rusch & Associates, LLC

1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Social Media Marketing
Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube . . . every time you turn around a new social marketing tool has appeared. We’ll help you navigate the landmines this new world provides and get a grip on the basics you need to know, including:

•Crafting company policy to keep eager distributors in line
•Choosing the tools that will best fit your company
•Engaging with online communities at the corporate level and why this dialogue is necessary for your company’s success
–Jennifer Fong, Social Media Associate, Luce & Associates

2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Three Principles & Four Questions
You know direct selling is different from other sales channels, but it’s about more than just a marketing plan or a commission check. We’ll delve into industry philosophy in this course, as our drill instructor discusses:

•Why distributor support is a critical component of your company’s success in a way that no other factor can claim
•How to earn your distributors’ trust and why you must do so
•The four constituencies you need to consider as part of every business decision and what the answers mean for your chosen course
–Alan Luce, President, Luce & Associates

3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
A Legal Framework
Not an attorney? Make sure you hear this presentation anyway. Our sales channel has a very particular legal framework and it’s important you know about it, no matter what role you play for your company. Discussion points include:

•The regulatory bodies watching our industry and where they’ve trained their scopes
•Direct selling’s five legal “Ps” and the facets of each that provoke attack
•Compensation dos and don’ts—and the troubles they’ll bring you if you confuse the two
–Spencer Reese, Partner, Grimes & Reese

4:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
New Company Case Studies
Now that you’ve had as much theory and philosophy as you can take in a day, make the most of this time while you listen in to a panel of successful new direct selling executives as they share:

•Business-altering opportunities they’ve gone through in the past two years
•Lessons they’ve learned as they’ve put theory into action on the battlefield
•Highlights of their operations and inspirational moments that have carried them on
–Jeff Stroud, President, Private Quarters

5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Ask the Vets!
You’ve heard the theory, the philosophy and the “true stories”—now, the floor’s all yours! We’ll open this final course of the day to your questions—fielded by our drill instructors—and help you grasp even the most confusing industry tenets.

–Featuring a panel of the day’s instructors

7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Dutch-Treat Dinner
Join your colleagues for an evening of socializing at Parker's Lighthouse Restaurant! Featuring a pre-set menu of tasty California fare, and only steps from the Long Beach Renaissance Hotel, you'll want to be a part of this dinner and keep the day's conversations going well into the night! (Parker's Restaurant is either a 15-minute walk or a $8 cab ride from the hotel. Dinner is $60 per participant. Guests are encouraged to register in advance as seating is limited.)

Thursday, September 24

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Business Plans & Budgets
Great compensation, strong marketing plan, but no financial plan? What are you thinking, cadet?! Our instructor will walk you through these critical considerations, drilling you on:

•Key metrics that must be in your financial plan
•The impact your marketing plan will have on your budget
•The role your salesforce will play on your financial stability
•Key drivers that will affect your plan—and success
–Robert Hipple, VP, Sales, Scentsy, Inc.

9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
The Top 10 Reasons Companies Succeed
You don’t need our command forces to tell you companies fail every day. You also know you don’t want to be one of them. So, how do you guarantee you survive the battlefield? Learn the top 10 reasons a direct selling company succeeds and more, including:

•How to insure these 10 things happen to your company
•What you do when you find yourself under enemy fire
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