What you should (and shouldn’t) be focused on this year.
Now that we are a month into 2025, we thought it was important for Direct Selling News (DSN) to compile a list of what we believe are the most important things that you—as an executive in the channel—should be considering.
The channel is changing, and those changes aren’t always easy to navigate or understand. We’ve already seen prominent companies pivot away from direct selling or shutter completely in the first weeks of the year. DSN recognizes that everyone in the channel is looking for ways to grow their business; reassure their sales force; and regain any ground they may have lost over the last few years.
As the leading daily news source for the channel and its executives, DSN is always working to cover the topics that concern you the most. For many of you, it’s growth. Where to find it. How to keep it. How to accelerate it.
We strongly believe that growth opportunities do exist in direct selling. And we believe there are things you can and should consider doing to best position yourself for the coming year. So, here are DSN’s “Do”s and “Don’t”s for 2025 in order to best leverage your company for stability, prosperity and future growth.
Do Get Granular about Growth
This sounds like a no brainer—when isn’t acquiring new distributors and customers a priority? But instead of making this a broad, overarching initiative like you do every year, in 2025, dig deep into the data. Where is your growth coming from? How are you getting new customers?
Where are your new distributors coming from? Why do they join? Why do they stay? Take the time and energy needed to truly explore your growth segments and leverage them.
Don’t Neglect Hispanic Markets
We all know that growth has been hard to come by recently. The notable exceptions to this are Hispanic markets throughout the Americas. The size of the opportunity is undeniable. Spanish is the second most spoken language globally, with over 559 million speakers in 2024. And the Latino population now encompasses 19 percent of the total US population and 26 percent of all children living in the US. It’s not a cure-all for stagnation, but if you aren’t exploring your options both domestically and abroad—what are you waiting for?
Do Jump Start Early Distributor Success
The first 90 days are crucial to distributor retention. If new recruits don’t find some form of success in those three months, the data shows you are likely to lose them for good. What can you do differently to connect, engage and incentivize your newest distributors? What messages and motivation can you provide that will establish the bonds of community that lead to longevity and productivity?
Don’t Get Lost in the Details
This goes hand in hand with early distributor success. Clear and concise communication continues to be a challenge for many direct selling companies. As a channel, we tend to over explain, making things unnecessarily convoluted and confusing. Keep your introduction to your products, services and opportunity as straightforward as possible. Attention spans are fleeting. Plainly state what your company stands for and save the jargon and inside speak for later—much, much later.
Don’t Neglect the Next Generation
To achieve long-term sustainable growth, you need to usher in a new generation of leaders every decade. This doesn’t mean you discard the generations of leaders that fueled your original growth and prosperity. It does mean that you continually bring new leaders into the fold that can grow your base and relevancy for the long haul. Make sure you are listening to and properly incentivizing your younger, engaged, up-and-coming class of current leaders. If you don’t, someone else will.
Don’t Give Up on Affiliate Programs
Nothing has been more debated in direct selling than affiliate programs over the last few years. A single-tier affiliate program allows for the kind of fluidity and flexibility influencers demand. And even though obvious synergies exist between traditional direct selling and single-level plans, as a channel we have not been able to crack the code…yet. That doesn’t mean adding a single-tier plan or launching a supplemental brand with that structure can’t work. But it does require innovation.
We are seeing more and more examples of that within the channel. Young Living’s Wyld Notes allows distributors to earn under both distributor and affiliate programs. FASTer Way to Fat Loss has found success with their two-tier model. And beginning in March, stylists at Color Street can earn up to 40% on retail sales and an additional 15% for building a community of stylists. Affiliate programs could be a great opportunity.
Do Concentrate on Compensation
Overhauling comp plans has been another ongoing discussion in C-Suites across the channel. No matter the size or the age of the company, the focus has been on how to spend less on compensation. And it’s a conversation we must have.
Our channel’s message has always been “build a team then enjoy the mailbox money your team-building efforts will earn.” We don’t have to explain the predicament this has created as long-term, inactive distributors take up an inordinate amount of compensation funds. But is the solution really to spend less? Or is it to spend more strategically?
Companies could consider compelling their legacy leaders to still show some type of minimal activity. Some companies are seeing results from setting minimal monthly expectations for leaders. Look closely at how your current plan drives behaviors. What can be revised or reimagined to better reward your builders without alienating your legacy distributors?
Don’t Give Away the Farm
Bloated comp plans are at the core of many of the channel’s ongoing growth problems. Top heavy leadership has taken up a disproportionate chunk of profits. We know this. We also know that the quickest way to combat field apathy is to launch promotions that do the same thing. Resist the temptation of short-term solutions that result in longer-term consequences. Having adequate, liquid assets allows you to weather storms and be flexible.
Do Think about Consequences
While all this talk of change and reimagining your business is exciting, it’s also important to remember that it can have a cumulative effect on your field and corporate staff. Economic factors force the C-Suite into making small changes that—on their own—don’t seem too impactful, but too many changes or too many mistakes can weaken your relationship with the field.
Direct selling is a business based on trust and belief. Every small tweak you make compounds. Today’s distributors are hyper-aware. You don’t want to lose them by creating uncertainty and skepticism when you make too many changes or don’t communicate them well.
Gordon Hester’s Mastering Momentum article explains the importance of forward movement and how small, incremental mistakes can cause you to lose the trust and belief of your sales force. Carefully consider the consequences of your actions.
Do Improve Your User Experience
Direct selling companies can and should improve their ecommerce efforts. Today’s consumers expect a streamlined experience. The same holds true for your back office and distributor interfaces. Customers don’t have to tolerate a clunky, cumbersome user experience. They can and will simply move on. You are an ecommerce company—act accordingly!
Do Lighten the Corporate Load with AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) can greatly improve efficiency, allowing your corporate staff to better utilize their time on high-value, specialized tasks. The applications are endless—customer service, forecasting, supply chain, social media, distributor tools and much more. AI is a moving target—one that you can never really master in its infancy. Do you have an AI Officer in place that can drive research and implementation? If you don’t, it’s an investment that needs to be made now. Don’t get left behind.
Do Rethink Incentive Contests and Events
Incentive trips are synonymous with direct selling. These events have become powerful traditions that help companies define their cultures and solidify loyalty and commitment with their sales force. But as the face of direct selling changes, how you incentivize needs to change, too. Maybe it’s time to modernize your approach. Reassess how you are spending your incentive dollars and if they can be used differently to reward early and often. It’s not necessarily about spending less—it’s about spending more strategically.
For example, instead of one massive incentive trip at a costly destination in a far-off place that’s only attainable by the same top echelon of leaders each year—what if you did several small trips at less expensive resorts?
Make it a more inclusive experience and make it achievable to more people earlier in their journey. Today’s influencers are more interested in a great photo they can share on social media than a top-tier experience in a far-flung locale. Any palm tree will do—it doesn’t have to be in Tahiti!
Don’t Chase Shiny Things
When you attend conferences like DSN’s Direct Selling University, you always come away energized and excited, which is a good thing. But you may also find yourself overwhelmed with good ideas and possible initiatives that you want to implement right away. Your gut is telling you to do all the things immediately!
But the axiom is true: less really is more. Marinate on the ideas but drill down to the two or three big ideas that can quickly and powerfully move the needle then put your intention and resources on those. Then be willing to see them through. Simply stated—don’t give up on a good plan too soon, and don’t attempt too many things at once.
Do Stay the Course
The last few seasons, it seems as if each month brings unwelcome news of companies leaving the channel or going out of business. It’s only natural for direct selling companies to be concerned—maybe even panic a little. But we’d encourage you to not give in to insecurity and uncertainty. The channel is changing, evolving and reconfiguring itself into a viable, flexible option for today’s emerging entrepreneurs. Go “all in” on what got you here in the first place—customer-centric, product-forward, value-driven direct selling.
Don’t Be Afraid
The times where bold action is needed are the times when it’s most nerve-wracking to do so. At DSN, we believe that the opportunities are out there. Get creative. Act with purpose. There are success stories out there—study them, celebrate them, emulate them where you can. But remember, you will always be your best success story. Embrace what makes your company, your products, your services, your opportunity unique. And then go forward boldly.
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