Letter from John Fleming, July 2014
Those of us who attend the DSA Annual Meeting in June always find something that serves to inspire us to the promise of the future. This is one of the most basic motivations for attending, along with that once-a-year opportunity to interact with those who we know have a common interest in entrepreneurship through the direct selling model. We have already posted highlights on our website, and our article in this issue will provide you with an overview of the meeting.
Our most recent DSN insert in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) was also distributed to subscribers of the WSJ on June 10, one week after the DSA Annual Meeting. Copies of The New Main Street: Where Entrepreneurship Meets Millions of Today’s Consumers were shared with all DSA Annual Meeting attendees, and the reprints are now available for purchase on our website at: https://directsellingnewsproducts.com/special-reprints.
The DSN/WSJ insert represents a concise and contemporary view of direct selling, the exact opposite of what has been published in many major media outlets as the accusations against one company and the industry received attention—much of which was reported in a biased manner that leaned toward the negative. Billion-dollar hedge fund managers do have a voice, but so do we. Through the DSN insert in The Wall Street Journal, we spoke loud and clear! Our collaborative effort included representation from a few companies as well as our friends at DSA. More importantly, we wanted this insert to be quite unlike any other we have done in the past. First, we did not want any company advertisements that would allow the insert to be perceived as a commercial advertisement. (Advice was provided by company CEO and C-level executives.) Secondly, we wanted the content to tell the story about direct selling as it should be told. Thirdly, we wanted this insert to be one of which every company and every direct seller could be proud, as this is the first major piece of information distributed through major media that informs, educates, shares the benefits of the direct selling experience and provides an outlook for the future of the industry and its alignment with trends. Highlights of the recent survey commissioned by Direct Selling News and conducted by Harris Poll are also included for the benefit of all. We know you will find the highlights to be valuable and supportive of the great future that lies ahead.
We are very proud of what we do here at DSN to provide the direct selling industry with support. There is no better example of our pride than the effort that goes into projects such as the DSN/Wall Street Journal insert, and I would be remiss not to mention the team that made this last insert possible. Teresa Day, our Editorial Director played her role as always in extraordinary fashion in leading the development of the insert content while Jennifer Mills and Emily Reagan carried on with the normal production process. Marci Allen did the layout with help from our SUCCESS Partners team. Lauren Lawley Head, our recently hired new General Manager, was incredible! She came to us with a great journalistic background and took on the role of Project Leader for the WSJ insert. The result is the very best insert we have ever published and all in support of you! Lauren takes The Back Page in this issue, but don’t be surprised when you see us flip flop between our pages. She has much to say, and you will love her perspective.
Now back to how and why the use of reprints can support exponential distribution of perhaps the best story told and shared through major media about direct selling thus far in 2014. Whether you define your company with the words direct selling or not, the story supports all. Only a few companies could be quoted in the limited space of 16 pages and six stories; however, the quotes used are representative of an entire industry, not just a company.
What if you order reprints to include in every new distributor/consultant starter kit for the next 90 days? What if every attendee at your next major meeting received a copy of the insert and you had the insert customized with your company story on the back cover? (If desired, we can do that for you.) What if you promote the availability of the inserts through your company communication vehicles, and you do it consistently for 90 days? Simply share this link for ordering, and you never touch any inventory: https://directsellingnewsproducts.com/special-reprints. What if the greater percentage of your distributors/consultants purchased at least 50 copies of the insert? What if your leaders purchased more copies? What if the majority of your representatives provided each of their customers with a copy of the insert in their next delivery of product or you included a copy in all product shipments for a period of 90 days?
I hope I have simply activated your thoughts as to how the messages in the latest DSN/Wall Street Journal insert might serve our industry beyond the 1.2 million WSJ subscribers that would have received a copy on June 10. We can grow the distribution exponentially… we know we can! This is our chance to spread the word! Our thanks and gratitude to those who made it happen!
Until next month… enjoy the issue!
John Fleming
Publisher and Editor in Chief