| The direct sales business revolves around direct | | | | solid product or service line. Some MLMs put most of |
| selling-personal contact and sales made outside of a | | | | their focus on recruiting downlines; the actual product |
| traditional retail setting. In other words, direct selling is | | | | or service is secondary, and sometimes they're only |
| much more focused on relationships between people | | | | cheap, insubstantial products designed to keep the |
| than selling in a retail store is where customers bring | | | | MLM legal. MLMs that focus solely on recruitment |
| their purchases to anonymous counter clerks. | | | | come dangerously close to being illegal pyramid |
| Virtually any product that's made today can be and is | | | | schemes. |
| marketed through direct sales. Using this model, direct | | | | Also, unlike MLMs, with direct selling your main |
| sales businesses market everything from cosmetics to | | | | relationship is with your customer, and your focus is on |
| farm equipment and from nutritional supplements to | | | | attending to that customer's needs. Is it time to call Sue |
| kitchen appliances and cookware. | | | | to check how she's enjoying her cookware? It's been |
| If it's for your body, your home, your job, or your | | | | seven years since Larry bought the tractor from |
| garden, you can get it through direct sales. | | | | you-it's time to contact him about a possible |
| There are different forms of direct selling, too. Some | | | | replacement. |
| direct salespeople focus on one-on-one interactions | | | | Those are the kinds of tasks you're concerned with |
| with customers. When you're selling a big-ticket item, | | | | as a direct seller. |
| you want to spend as much time answering each | | | | But if you're in an MLM, you've got to motivate a lot of |
| customer's questions as you need to in order to make | | | | people in addition to your customers. In order to make |
| the sale. | | | | any real money, you've got to recruit, train, and stay in |
| Other direct sales businesses use the demonstration | | | | almost constant touch with an increasingly large |
| or party model. For example, direct sales reps for | | | | downline. Dealing with customers becomes secondary. |
| cookware companies will often do a demonstration of | | | | Finally, the direct selling business pays off in immediate |
| the products by cooking something in the host's home. | | | | rewards. You make the sale-you get your commission. |
| Guests get a look at how effective the products are, | | | | The MLM companies can take a lot of time to pay off, |
| and they get a tasty treat at the end of the | | | | and the vast majority of people who get involved in |
| presentation. Talk about positive reinforcement! | | | | MLMs make hardly any money at all. |
| So far, you might be thinking that direct sales looks a | | | | If you're willing to wait a long time and work very hard |
| lot like multi-level marketing or MLM. But there are a | | | | for few returns in exchange for the chance to build a |
| few crucial differences between the two. | | | | network of close friends, the MLM business model |
| With direct selling, you are paid a much larger | | | | might be for you. |
| commission on your actual sales. You're not worried | | | | But if you want immediate results and would rather |
| about recruiting and training other salespeople-your | | | | focus on selling than recruiting and training, direct selling |
| only concern is with how well you're doing at making | | | | and the direct sales business are probably a better |
| sales. | | | | place for you. |
| When you're doing direct sales, you are representing a | | | | |