One of the simplest ways for the average person to claim a stake in commerce and have a chance of making commensurate pay for the value they bring to their company is by doing direct sales. The direct selling industry revolves around companies selling their distributors (you) their products at a discount and then giving the distributors license to sell their products at fair market prices. The distributor gets to keep the difference, minus any marketing expenses, as their profit. There is no intermediary (retailer) between the distributor and the consumer. You will be selling directly to the consumer.

Further, some direct selling companies that are structured as multi-level marketing organizations use a tiered compensation system where they give their distributors a percentage of the sales revenue generated by the distributors they bring into the company.

Direct selling is an industry that rakes in tens of billions of dollars every year in the United States.  Some of the popular companies in the space include Avon, Mary Kay, Chloe and Isabel, and H20 at Home. If you’ve ever used these companies’ products before, chances are that you bought it from a lone distributor who was doing direct selling.

Would Direct Sales Be Good for You?

Direct selling is not for everyone. But then again, you are not everyone. If you are a highly motivated individual and you feel like you are not being fairly compensated for your efforts at the company you currently work for, you will probably like direct selling.

Being a direct seller can be both interesting and frustrating. It is really an entrepreneurial endeavor and the rules of entrepreneurship apply. You must be a self-starter who is willing to put in the hours to get the job done. You should also be comfortable with the idea of going out and meeting people since most sales in this industry are generated through one-on-one interactions between distributors and prospects.

What It Takes

Since your income will only be limited by the number of sales you make, you can pretty much write your own ticket. With such tremendous upside, you must be willing to commit fully and do whatever it takes to succeed.

Your first assignment if you want to enter into the industry is to find a product and company you believe in. This is very important as you cannot effectively sell a product you know very well is no good. This is a sales job and selling is essentially a transfer of feelings. If you are passionate about the product and communicate with confidence and passion, your prospect will feel it in your voice and posture and will respond positively to your pitch. If you aren’t confident about the power of the product, the prospect will sense it too.

The next step is to sit down and draw a marketing strategy. You are essentially taking over your company’s selling and local marketing function.  View yourself as an entrepreneur running a business and draw a strategy to market, sell and distribute the product effectively.  In your strategy, you must define the kind of prospects you want to contact, where you will find them, the benefits of the product you will pitch them, and how you will move to close every sale. Most of the sales calls you make won’t be a success, especially in the beginning. With experience, you will close more sales and you will get momentum on your side.  

You should use all distribution channels available to you. The internet, for instance, allows you to reach possible prospects en masse. Build a website and take advantage of search engine optimization as well as paid ads.

One aspect of what it takes to succeed in this industry that new entrants ignore is the need to surround themselves with people that understand the business and that can offer both emotional and professional support. Successful entrepreneurs from all over the world keep the kind of company that can facilitate their success. You shouldn’t be any different. You will face major ups and downs in your direct selling career. When this happens, you want to have a trusted ear that you can bounce ideas off of and keep yourself motivated, optimistic and focused.