Direct Selling 101 – Boot Camp

Direct selling is the age-old method of conducting sales directly with an individual, away from a fixed retail location. But there's more to the story than the simple sale of products. This sales channel is fundamentally different from other distribution channels.

Learn what accounts for those differences and how successful companies structure their operations around the unique philosophies associated with specific direct-selling principles.

The first rule of financing is to hire an expert. Doing so doesn’t get you off the hook for knowing the inner workings of your company’s budget or the key operating indicators at work in the direct selling business model.

This session will cover the metrics you need to place your company on the right track for success instead of heading over the financial cliff.

You clearly see the shape your business needs to take to compete, but selecting the technology platforms and tools to bring that vision to fruition can be daunting.

This session will help you assess technology solutions for their ability to drive your business forward. You will also learn to avoid unproven technologies that promise results that may be too good to be true.

Social media can be time-consuming when time is a scarce resource for any newly launched enterprise. We'll explore the social media must-haves to get you on the right track to managing your consultant community, including:

• The nuts and bolts of managing your consultant community pages
• Interacting with the public and ensuring that your consultants live up to your brand's highest standards
• Avoiding the negativity and using social media for motivation, recognition, and real-time updates

The odds may be against Direct Selling company success - but for the courageous, passionate, and dedicated, the rewards are immeasurable.

This session will highlight the biggest pitfalls companies face as they launch, grow, and become successful. We’ll focus on the Top Challenges start-ups and trailblazers face in today’s rapidly changing marketplace and how to approach them. Get ready to dig deep and assess the areas where your organization can minimize risk and maximize opportunity by uncovering the connection between:

• What reasons cause companies to struggle and fail
• Why independent contractors disconnect and leave
• Actionable steps to take in stacking the odds in your favor

To make sure your company has the legal support it needs, you must retain a knowledgeable attorney who knows the ins and outs of direct selling law. But you still need to know the basics, and that's exactly what this session will provide. We'll specifically dig in to:

• The impact of the independent contractor status in your field
• Promotion do's and don'ts
• What federal regulation says about product and opportunity claims

How your company compensates your salesforce is one of the most critical business decisions you’ll have to make. Whether you are starting your own enterprise or starting your career at an existing one, this session will provide the education you need to understand the basic principles and to refine your direct selling compensation plan. We’ll cover the different parts of a plan and the behaviors they drive, key considerations when designing or evaluating your plan, and the role promotions should play without overriding your plan. Most importantly, you’ll see how one slight adjustment can cause a domino effect within your salesforce.

While building your team, you need to know how to train and develop them. Your salesforce is geared up to recruit more sellers and is motivated to sell your products for the long term. We’ll tackle the basics of creating field development programs that foster growth, leadership skills, and ethical behaviors.

We’ll discuss how to move your first-level salesforce into leadership and set performance standards. This discussion will explore the fun and appealing training methods that get your salesforce excited about their businesses and why inspiration and recognition are crucial to your company’s long-term success.