I began my career in direct selling in 1986 when I went to work for a company that develops and sells network marketing software. My previous background was software development, so I was hired as a programmer/analyst. Within a few months, I was promoted to project leader. In those days, project leaders did everything for their…
Pilot Programs, Pre-Launches, and Launches
If you are launching a new direct selling company, you may be contemplating the use of a pilot program and/or a pre-launch, before you launch your company. A pre-launch is also called a soft launch. Pilot Programs A pilot program is a group of activities planned as a test or a trial of a business…
What About Sales Tax?
If you’re launching a new direct selling company, you should be asking this question! Collection and Remittance Most businesses register for sales tax collection authority, collect sales taxes, and remit collected taxes only in the states where the business has a physical presence (a store, an office, or a warehouse). However, direct selling companies are…
What Do Investors Want?
If you have a great idea for a new business, you may need some financial help to get your business off the ground. To get funding, you should think of yourself as a salesperson with potential investors as your customers. The best salespeople believe it’s smart to get to know your customers. If you are…
Business Partner Decisions
“I chose the wrong person.” “We didn’t share the same expectations.” “It turned out that our ethics were very different.” Just like marriages, business relationships can break apart for fundamental reasons. Whether you’re in search of new business partners or you’re already hooked up, there are smart things you can do now to strengthen these…
Have You Visited Our Vimeo Channel?
Sylvina Consulting is a publisher of great educational content for new and established direct selling and network marketing companies. In addition to their top-rated 250-page book, Start Here: The Guide To Building And Growing Your Direct Selling Company and their Amazon Kindle e-book MLM Software: What You Need To Know, Sylvina Consulting also has its…
Why You Should Never Put Yourself Into Your Company’s Genealogy
Most of the articles I have written over the years while working with network marketing and party plan direct selling companies haven’t been controversial. This is NOT one of them. The Issue Several times each year, we learn that a client of ours or a prospective client is planning to (or already has) inserted the…
Direct Sales Tales That Teach
Over the years that I’ve worked to improve party plan and network marketing companies, I’ve seen the results of mistakes made by others with good intentions. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” I agree. There is wisdom to be learned from the…
A Map To Get To Your Gold
What is… a map to get to your gold? a bible for all direct selling companies? a consultant in a book? the most valuable $300 you’ll ever spend on your business? Our “Start Here” book is all of these and more. If you are starting or growing a network marketing or a party plan company,…
What Kinds Of Products Are Best For Direct Selling?
Not every type of product is ideal for the direct selling channel. Some are clearly better than others. If you’re going to introduce a new product, let it be a good one for direct selling. Questions To Answer In this video, I will ask you a series of questions about your products. Watch to find…
5 Reasons To Have An MLM Company
Several times each month, we talk with people who are uncertain about starting a multilevel marketing company. When I have these conversations, I give the caller the 5 reasons to have a multilevel marketing company. Would you like to know the 5 reasons? The 5 Reasons 1. Sell More Will your products or services sell…
How To Have A Successful Recruiting Culture
A direct selling executive once told me, “We don’t have a recruiting culture.” What exactly is a recruiting culture? The simple definition is a high rate of early recruiting. To have a recruiting culture, a company must do several important activities well. Watch my video to learn about them. Who Are Your Recruiters? In some direct…