The Pandemic Effect For many direct selling companies, the COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for increases in recruiting and sales, because people were looking for ways to earn money while quarantined. Since the world reopened, the pandemic effect is in reverse, so today most direct selling companies are seeing reductions in recruiting and sales. The pandemic…
Must Direct Selling Companies Treat All Reps The Same?
By Kevin Grimes, J.D. The short answer is a very precise, lawyer-like,“yes and no”. The long answer depends upon the context of the question. If the question is about compensation plan issues, ranks, and the rights and privileges associated with each rank, the answer is “no”. In a direct selling model, the compensation for which…
Should Party Plan Companies Worry About FTC Actions?
Most of the sales of products by party plan companies are made to people who are not consultants. In 2015 and 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed orders against Vemma and Herbalife, each of which is a network marketing company. One of their concerns was the lack of customers who were not representatives themselves. Another…
Direct Selling: Yes Or No?
Are you looking at network marketing or party plan selling as a possible sales channel for your company? This is direct selling. Direct selling is the umbrella term often used to describe a business with independent representatives who can earn money on their personal sales as well as on the sales of others in their downline organization….
Kindling For Your Direct Selling Fire
To start a fire, it helps if you have kindling – wood or paper that burns at a lower temperature. Do you have kindling for your direct selling fire? If you have a network marketing or party plan company, you may be wondering what you can do to grow your direct selling company…
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…
The Differences Between Network Marketing And Party Plan Companies
For many years, there have been two distinct types of direct selling companies. These two types of companies have often been called network marketing companies and party plan companies. I see network marketing as “red” and party plans as “blue”. You will soon understand why there can be no purple. The business model you…
Is Your Compensation Plan Meeting Your Expectations?
If you quickly answered “yes”, are your expectations appropriate? If you answered slowly or not at all, perhaps you’re not sure. In this video, I will share with you some tips on how to evaluate the performance of your plan. This is important because your largest expense is field compensation. Getting the biggest bang for…
Thumper’s Wisdom
In the classic Disney film “Bambi”, the rabbit Thumper offered some great advice. He said, “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” What does this have to do with direct selling? The answer is “a lot.” Something Good When people join a direct selling company, they are…
What You Need To Know About Required Or Optional Monthly Fees
When it comes to charging your independent reps required or optional monthly fees, your direct selling company has choices. This video is about these choices. Shortly, I will explain the strategies and consequences of each one. Why Charge A Renewal Fee? Some direct selling companies charge their independent representative’s annual renewal fees. Each company…
8 Reasons Why You Need To Have A Compliance Department
Would you rather go to the dentist, or set up your direct selling company’s Compliance Department? Whether you would prefer to go to the dentist or not, this video is for you! Compliance Department There are many reasons why your network marketing, party plan, or social selling company needs to have a Compliance Department. In…
Planning Your Trip Incentive
In previous videos, we’ve talked a lot about compensation plans. In this one, we’ll address one component of the other side of field compensation – recognition. Field compensation should include both money paid through your compensation plan and recognition. Incentive trips are one component of recognition for both party plans and network marketing companies. Planning…