The Direct Selling Association recently presented its 2009 annual industry awards for outstanding achievement in the areas of technology innovation, partnership, salesforce development and program excellence. The five companies honored during the association’s annual meeting were ACN Inc., Mary Kay Inc., Oxyfresh.com, Scentsy, Inc. and ServiceQuest.

The newest members of the DSA Hall of Fame, Andy and Joan Horner, founders of Premier Designs, were also inducted. The Direct Selling Hall of Fame honors individuals who have devoted significant years of service and have made considerable contributions to the Direct Selling Association, the Direct Selling Education Foundation and the direct selling industry.

Andy and Joan Horner have been married for more than 60 years. Mr. Horner was 60 years old when he and Joan founded Premier Designs and are still actively involved in the business. Andy's business career spans more than 50 years and includes executive positions with companies such as Johnson Wax, Xerox Corporation and Home Interiors and Gifts. Joan Horner served alongside Andy at Home Interiors and Gifts, working with regional groups within the Home Interiors salesforce. For many years, Joan assisted and traveled extensively with Mary Crowley, founder of Home Interiors & Gifts. Joan, who serves as Executive Vice President of Premier Designs, has been instrumental in overseeing design and selection of the jewelry product line. She is a prolific encourager, writer and inspirational speaker. Joan and Andy have five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Industry Awards

Mary Kay Inc. became the first recipient of the excellence in Salesforce Development Award, a new award for 2009. The Excellence in Salesforce Development Award recognizes companies that have implemented an innovative salesforce development program with demonstrated results. In an effort to provide the Mary Kay independent salesforce with current, effective, convenient and exciting education, the company launched the first in a series of Satellite Education Events earlier this year. The live broadcast provided distributors with educational lessons that could be immediately applied to their businesses, and aired simultaneously to more than 26,000 people in more than 150 movie theaters around the United States. Focusing on helping representatives become competitive in a tough economic environment, as well as spring 2009 fashion and cosmetics trends, this event generated tremendous excitement within the field salesforce and the majority of attendees indicated they would attend future Satellite Events.

Supplier member ServiceQuest received DSA’s Partnership Award for its work with a number of DSA member companies. ServiceQuest is a distributor service consulting and training firm that has exclusively served the direct selling industry since 1988, providing distributor services at three levels: developing distributor service agents, supervisors and managers through mentoring and training; designing processes, scripts and work flow that create continuity and a quality experience for the distributor; and championing best practices that result in meaningful and memorable service experiences, contributing to distributor and consultant retention. The ServiceQuest program elevates the consultant and distributor service experience at all points of contact with direct selling companies, beginning with the distributor service front-line agents.

Scentsy, Inc., was the first recipient of the Rising Star Award, presented to an up-and-coming direct selling company that has dedicated itself to achieving a high standard of excellence in business operations. Scentsy is headquartered in Meridian, Idaho, and owned and operated by Orville and Heidi Thompson. Scentsy, Inc., opened its doors in 2004 with the idea of offering a safe, wickless alternative to burning candles in homes and offices. The company’s passion has grown from offering a safer alternative to offering a better alternative. Scentsy’s flagship product line is an array of decorative warmers that utilize a low-watt bulb to melt a fragrance-filled, wickless candle bar.

The Success Award, presented in 2009 to ACN, Inc., honors direct selling member companies for excellence in areas not recognized by any other DSA award. ACN, Inc., was recognized for its “reinvention,” which began with creating a comprehensive set of new business tools to provide its salesforce with a variety of resources that could be integrated into every aspect of their business—from conference calls to training sessions to conventions and beyond. The company also created a TV channel on the corporate Web site and cultivated a celebrity endorsement from Donald Trump to build excitement for the product and opportunity. The results of this three-year reinvention program are increased salesforce size, record-setting growth, dramatic increases in quarterly event attendance and an excitement they’ve never before seen within their salesforce.

Also new for 2009, the Technology Innovation Award was presented to Oxyfresh.com. The Technology Innovation Award recognizes companies that have developed an innovative use of technology that has had a demonstrable impact on the business and/or the field sellers. Oxyfresh’s information technology team and Web designers created a state-of-the-art “Money for Life” Web site designed to optimize the ability of field distributors to attract new business partners. This interactive recruitment system includes 13 presentations that can be customized and e-mailed to prospects. MoneyforLife.com also includes a prospect manager. With this functionality, distributors can easily manage their business contacts. MoneyforLife.com has increased traffic to Oxyfresh’s opportunity Web site by more than 500%, greatly enhancing business-building efforts for their entire field of distributors.

About the Direct Selling Association

DSA is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers. Among its more than 250 active and pending members are companies selling both via a party-plan method and in the traditional person-to-person style. In 2007, U.S. direct sales were more than $30.8 billion with more than 15 million direct sellers nationwide. The vast majority are independent business people – micro-entrepreneurs – whose purpose is to sell the product/service of the company they voluntarily choose to represent. Approximately 90 percent of direct sellers operate their business part-time.

For more information on direct selling, DSA and its Code of Ethics, please visit the DSA website at www.dsa.org.