New Perspectives

Stories in this section:
Lessons in Leadership
Direct Selling: A Real Business
Neil Offen: Why Are We Hot?

Direct Selling: A Real Business
by Aaron Weber

I believe in this industry. I love this industry. I truly feel that there is no industry greater, and I am very positive about our future. The opportunity before us is outstanding. Many are already realizing their portion of that opportunity, and many others are on their way. Some still have work to do.

Direct selling is a real business. We sell real products to real people that provide real solutions for real problems, and from all of that naturally flows a real and rewarding business opportunity-there's no doubt about it.

As I travel around the world to meet with business professionals at various DSA functions or interact with officials from many countries, I am increasingly convinced that this is indeed the greatest industry ever. The principles it was founded on-people helping people, lifting others to a higher plane, providing lifestyle opportunities that individuals may not otherwise have, and selling great products to those who know and trust you-are ennobling. They are right, real principles.

Many who operate in the marketplace (too many, in fact) do not have a correct or full understanding of the benefits and power of the model we represent. Why is that so, and what can we do to change perceptions of direct selling around the world?

In the history of direct selling there have been, and maybe still are, some who do not and will not operate properly and according to the industry's fundamental principles-they do not keep the direct selling business real. They try to shortcut the process and minimize the most noble and distinctive components of our business, doing themselves and others in our industry a disservice.

Here is a case in point:

Recently I have met with MOFCOM (Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China) and SAIC (China State Administration of Industry and Commerce) officials, and as I have gotten to know them personally it has become clear to me that their primary concern with our business is a perceived lack of "realness" in our model and operating behavior. These individuals saw and experienced firsthand how some companies operated in their market prior to April 1998, and they did not like the results. In fact, they shut the industry down-and when you hear some of their stories, perhaps they were right to do so. But times change and industries and companies mature and grow. As an industry we are doing just that. We are ready to break out from age-old negative perceptions to become known for what we really are-a great business.

This industry is made up of more than 55 million distributors around the world. We bring in more than $100 billion in revenue, and we bless the lives of countless millions every day through independent business opportunities. We make people better-or more correctly-we provide opportunities for them to make themselves better. We are a magnet for those individuals who want more from life but don't know how to go about getting it. Our job, our singular focus as an industry, should be to help those people realize that they can find what they seek through direct selling.

As we operate with this higher-level mentality-as we keep our business real and focused-not only will entry barriers be eroded, legislators and regulators become our allies, and media become universally helpful, but also we will reach our full potential as companies and as an industry.

Companies entering new countries and markets provide ideal opportunities to reset, reestablish and improve our industry. Every year provides a similar fresh start. During such times, as we develop our budgets and our business plans, let's take a critical look at our own operational methodologies and consider whether we can do better. Let's seek to reach higher levels of performance. Most, if not all, in our industry would want to be perceived as doing real and valuable business and would work toward that end. We can achieve this objective both individually and collectively.

This way of thinking about our industry starts at the top with direct selling companies' management. If we follow Truman Hunt's L.E.A.P. method (see the November 2005 issue of Direct Selling News), if we get involved in our industry associations, if we promote and engage in correct operational methodologies, and if we support other players who operate with similar organizational principles, we will realize this bright future for ourselves and for our industry.

I believe in this industry's leadership and that we are headed in the right direction. If we stick to the real and practical principles that have made direct selling the greatest and most rewarding industry in the world, this industry will become unstoppable. And if it doesn't become unstoppable, then we have missed something.