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From the variety of products sold through its channel to the diversity of its salesforce to its array of companies—large and small—the direct selling industry’s strength is its many faces. But what makes the industry unique is its unity—its ability to celebrate successes and meet challenges with one voice. And Many Faces, One Voice was the theme of the Direct Selling Association’s 2008 Annual Meeting, held June 8-10 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
“The DSA is made up of an amazing range of companies—from Wall Street stars to startups—that offer a huge variety of products and business plans,” incoming DSA Chair and USANA President Dave Wentz told the nearly 1,000 attendees. “Yet, our differences don’t divide us. Instead, the DSA unites us. Many faces give us strength, but one voice gives us power.”
For three days, direct selling executives and suppliers came together to share experiences and knowledge. Through three general sessions, 18 workshops, six roundtables and an array of networking events, attendees gained valuable insights, caught up with old friends and made new connections.
“We are a diverse industry, but united for a common cause. It is great to be able to learn from one another and share successes,” said Dan Moore, President, The Southwestern Company. “The DSA’s Annual Meeting always represents four things our industry is all about: networking, building relationships, learning and sharing. All these words can be summed up with another word—opportunity—and that is what you get out of so many knowledgeable individuals in one place at one time.”
A Grand Beginning
From the moment the doors to the exhibit hall opened Sunday evening and direct selling executives joined exhibiting suppliers for the grand opening reception, the electricity in the air was evident. “As a first-time participant at the Direct Selling Association Annual Meeting, I was immediately impressed by the energy, camaraderie and opportunities for networking and sharing that took place,” said Miriam Muléy, CEO, The 85% Niche. “What an incredible group of movers and shakers!”
For two hours, executives had the chance to stroll the aisles of the exhibit hall and visit the 120 supplier-member booths featuring the vast array of products and services that help make direct selling companies more successful. “The DSA Annual Meeting has always been an incredible platform for supplier companies to showcase their products and talents,” said Rick Stambaugh, newly appointed DSA Supplier Chair and President of The Fionda Group. “For our company, this year’s Annual Meeting was the best so far. We appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the Annual Meeting and are eagerly looking forward to next year’s meeting.”
Finding, Keeping and Growing the Right People
On the first full day of the meeting, as attendees gathered in the McArthur Ballroom for the first General Session, emcee Jason Hewlett vividly brought to life the Many Faces, One Voice theme. Hewlett entertained the audience with spot-on impersonations of such popular singers and musical groups as Michael Jackson, the Temptations and Louis Armstrong. The crowd, primed and energized, then warmly welcomed the meeting’s first keynote speaker, Jason Jennings.
Jennings, the author of such best-selling titles as Think Big, Act Small, shared what he learned from identifying the firms that have delivered stellar performance for a full decade or more, despite the ups and downs of the economy. Of the more than 72,000 companies he and his research team screened, the leaders of 10 shared traits that Jennings said helped them help them find, keep and grow the right people: They have a cause and live it every day, they master the art of letting go, they are stewards, and get their people to think and act like owners.
“Jason Jennings was among the best keynote speakers I have heard,” said Paula Antonini, Global Director, Development, The Body Shop at Home. “He really did his homework and gave us great inspiration as well as solid principles that are relevant and meaningful in today’s world.”
As impressed as attendees were with Jennings’ speech, he seemed equally so with his experience at the Annual Meeting and with the direct selling industry as a whole. “Whenever I am booked for a speech I always like to shake 400 to 500 hands on the morning of the speech or go to the cocktail party or reception the day before,” he said. “I got to do both leading up to this convention. The authenticity and the generosity of spirit are more impressive than in most audiences that I have had. There is no question in my mind that the Direct Selling Association at the Biltmore Hotel in Arizona is going to be one of the highlights of my year.”
Protect, Serve and Promote
Following Jennings’ address, attendees chose from six concurrent workshops: Multiculturalism & Diversity: Unleashing the Power of Diverse Constituencies; From Local to Global, From One Generation to the Next; Making Great Presentations; Ensuring Your IT & Strategic Plans Work Together; Sign Them, Train Them & Move Them Up; and Make It or Break It: How Successful Companies Overcome Missteps.
First-time Annual Meeting attendee Judy Bell was impressed by the information presented during the Multiculturalism & Diversity workshop, which outlined the benefits companies can gain by tapping into diversity. “The workshop was very beneficial,” she said. “Miriam Muléy was extremely helpful, and she and I have had great conversations since the meeting.”
After a buffet lunch in the exhibit hall, it was time for the day’s second general session and DSA President and CEO Neil Offen’s annual State of the Industry address. “Our mission today contains two important elements: a commitment to protect, serve and promote our member companies and the independent businesspeople they represent, as well as a commitment to consumers to ensure that the marketing by member companies of products and/or the direct sales opportunity is conducted with the highest level of business ethics and service,” he said. “By holding ourselves to a higher standard, by policing our own actions through a system of self-regulation that goes above and beyond the requirements of the law, we do more to promote and protect ourselves than is possible through any other method.”
Give More, Get More
Little demonstrates the direct selling industry’s service to its communities more than its commitment to corporate social responsibility. The efforts of companies large and small were showcased during the second general session in a talk-show format hosted by Tracy Lynn Burton, Owner, Traci Lynn Fashion Jewelry; and Dan Macuga, VP Network Development and PR, USANA Health Sciences.
“I especially appreciated the focus on corporate social responsibility, as this is a priority for USANA and our entire industry,” Macuga said. “It was inspiring and instructive to learn about the many ways direct sales companies are improving their communities. DSA gatherings like the Annual Meeting help us educate and support one another, which will serve to reinforce our industry and its public image.”
During the session, Marjorie Fine, EVP and General Counsel for Shaklee Corporation, described her company’s efforts to lead the way in environmental stewardship and the support of social causes. Shaklee is the first consumer-products company to offset 100 percent of C02 emissions through the EPA Climate Leader’s program and to use 100 percent green power. Additionally, through the nonprofit organization Shaklee Cares, more than $2.5 million in cash and products have been given to individual families and communities to help people directly affected by natural disasters and emergencies.
Since its founding in 1955, the Avon Foundation has been committed to improving the lives of women and their families. Tom Kelly, Senior Vice President, U.S. Direct Selling, Avon Products, discussed two key areas of focus for the foundation: the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade and Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program.
Proving companies can practice corporate social responsibility from the day they open their doors, Learning is an Art President Jennifer Fong shared her company’s unique approach to giving. One hundred percent of the profits—after expenses and taxes—from the sales of Learning is an Art’s educational toys and games go to top-rated charities, helping people to get food, medical care, clean water, shelter, protection and education.
“It was such fun participating in the CSR talk show,” Fong said. “I very much enjoyed being able to share Learning is an Art’s vision and CSR programs, and I appreciated the opportunity to represent young companies that are also seeking to make a difference. It was such an honor to be up there with the giants in the industry, such as Shaklee and Avon, that are doing such tremendous things throughout the world.”
After a networking break in the exhibit hall, attendees returned to the McArthur Ballroom for a Speaker Showcase to hear from three leading motivational speakers. Kim Kiyosaki discussed her mission to support financial education, especially with women; Chris Widener shared the power of influencing others; and Ron White wowed the crowd with his powerful memory skills.
As the day ended, meeting attendees joined Direct Selling Education Foundation Executive Director Joan Cassedy and DSEF Chair Doris Christopher at a special networking reception to celebrate the foundation’s 35th anniversary.
Workshops Get Rave Reviews
The final day of the meeting kicked off with two banks of 12 workshops, allowing attendees to gain knowledge about such topics as leadership, changing compensation plans, customer service and technology needs. “E-Learning at It’s Best, Even on a Budget with Barbara Burlingame and Debbie Zetik was particularly informative,” said The Southwestern Company’s Dan Moore. ”With ever-changing technology, there are more options to meet the learning needs of a diversified salesforce.”
Meredith Tieszen, CEO and Founder, Let’s Do Tea, experienced an “ah-ha” moment during the workshop Increasing Productivity in the Field, co-presented by Ruy Revak, President and CEO, Symmetry Corp.; and Mark Wilson, Executive Vice President, Customer Relations, USANA. “Being a smaller DSA company with years of growth ahead, it was refreshing and encouraging to attend this workshop,” she said. “This hit home the most: Rudy Revak said, ‘It’s not how big you are, it’s where you’re heading.’ Wow—what truth!”
One of the most well-received workshops of the day was Sales & Recruiting from a Female Perspective, which offered the standing-room-only crowd insights into helping women achieve emotional resiliency and recruit from gratitude, not fear. Katherine Glover, President, INTI Publishing, moderated the panel that included Kathleen Earle, Executive Director, West Area, Field Training, Avon Products Inc.; Bob Henry, Chairman & CEO, Arbonne International; Pat Pearson, MSSW, author & speaker and Janet Cronstedt, Senior Vice President, Sales Training & Field Development, Take Shape for Life.
Cronstedt cited a quote that she says answers a key question discussed by the panel: Why are more women in this business?
Women long to find someone who has been where they have been, who share their fragile thoughts and places, who see sunsets with the same shade of blue.” —Beth Moore
“In my view, this quote supports what we know,” said Cronstedt. “Women bring a tendency toward inclusiveness, empathy, communication up and down, a focus on broader issues and at some level, new solutions to old problems. Participating on this panel was a particularly enlightening experience. Clearly, this topic is a hot one and warrants more discussion at future DSA meetings.”
Green Is the Color of Money
After one last networking lunch in the exhibit hall and a final chance to make the rounds of the 120 DSA supplier-member booths, attendees gathered once more in the McArthur Ballroom to hear keynote speaker Dan Esty, author of Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage.
Nathan Moore, Mary Kay Inc. Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, and outgoing DSA Chair, said Esty’s message was timely and well-received by attendees. “I always enjoy the issues-awareness raised at the annual meeting,” he said. “If you’d told me a year ago that ‘green speak’ from a professor at Yale would resonate so well with our members, I might have thought twice.”
Esty shared strategies for developing environmentally sound practices that help companies gain a business advantage. “Smart companies are recognizing that as society gets more serious about environmental problems, companies that come forward with solutions stand to profit,” Esty told Direct Selling News. “There are lots of companies now that have recognized this point and are investing in creating new products and new services that offer solutions to the customers out there in the marketplace.”
The final educational sessions of the meeting, six roundtable discussions, offered attendees the chance to brainstorm and problem solve with their peers on such topics as salesforce development, regulatory issues, and communications and marketing. Additionally, CEO panels for both private and public companies allowed top executives to discuss industry trends and business strategies.
“The first meeting for publicly held companies enabled several firms, including Herbalife, to discuss current threats—and opportunities—impacting our industry,” said John P. Venardos, Vice President, Worldwide Regulatory and Govt. Affairs, Herbalife Ltd. “The opportunity to network with my peers is a major benefit of attending the DSA Annual Meeting.”
After the roundtable discussions, attendees had a chance to unwind before the Awards Banquet and reflect on all they’d experienced during the previous three days. “I made new friends, rekindled old acquaintances and had an incredible time learning and sharing with others,” said first-time attendee Miriam Muléy. “I came with a blank slate and left with a long list of great ideas to help me in my business.”
Director of Blessings Unlimited Julie Vickers agrees. “The DSA Annual Meeting is the event not to miss,” she said. “It is a wonderful time to network, be immersed in the industry and be reinvigorated. The DSA puts on a top-notch event that is effective and productive. We come away with lots of creative ideas, cost-saving tips and motivational materials. Each year, I am impressed by the camaraderie in the industry, the openness of colleagues from other companies and the friendliness.”
Nancy Laichas, Rebecca Larson, Jerry Reagan and Amy Robinson contributed to this report.
