When companies leave direct selling, their stories present keen lessons for the entire industry.

Sports sponsorships have grown over the past few decades from a relatively unknown concept to one of the fastest-growing segments of the marketing industry.

Excitement is palpable and anticipation electric. Perhaps no other industry rallies its salesforce in quite as spectacular fashion as direct selling.

Today, three technologies—online video, mobile phones and social media—have revolutionized nearly every industry on the face of the planet.

“Life’s a bit like mountaineering,” said Sir Edmund Hillary. “Never look down.” It’s what direct sellers do, too—never look down.

In the age of 24-hour news cycles and quasi-news blogs, the direct selling industry experiences more than its share of fallout from the recirculation of misleading statements and misnomers.