Obstacle or Opportunity?

FTC's latest enforcement against AdvoCare reveals a shift in the status quo for direct selling

In many ways, 2019 has become the year that direct selling as we’ve always known it changed forever. In May, AdvoCare announced that it was exiting a multi-level compensation model. On October 2, the FTC held a press conference (a press conference!) with details behind their actions related to AdvoCare. In September, new details emerged to recent cases involving Vemma and Herbalife. 

The rules of the game have changed; what's your new game plan? 

We have something that could help ... 

 

A bright light is shining on what is and is not acceptable in today's regulatory environment. These regulatory shifts are becoming more frequent and more aggressive in nature. 

At the same time, we're seeing changes in the marketplace. On one hand, direct selling is being embraced as a legitimate go-to-market strategy like never before. On the other, countless gigs and side hustles are cluttering the entrepreneurial landscape that direct selling used to "own." 

We're no longer the only gig in town, and we're seeing a need for simpler, more straightforward ways to reward our Distributors that look more like affiliate marketing programs and less like compensation plans as we've always known them. 

And let's not even get started on all the changes we're facing in the consumer marketplace. 

Feeling intimidated? Overwhelmed? A little lost?

How can you decisively and comprehensively get
from where you are ... to where you know you need to be? 

(without losing the trust and engagement of your sales force and customers)

 

It's going to take a lot more than a webinar or a 50-minute conference session to deal appropriately with something like this. You need experience and expertise that covers a range of areas and skills that a single person simply can't muster on their own. And you need it to be specific to your company. Generalities and "best practices" can only help up to a point. 

That's why SCP is partnering with attorney Brent Kugler, partner at Sheef & Stone, to provide the most holistic assessment available for any direct selling company today. The Compliance & Messaging Audit is a thorough assessment of the core areas of your business that are directly impacted by the new direction we must all take in direct selling. Here’s how it works:

Strategic Choice Partners is a consulting firm that offers experts from many different areas of direct selling under one roof, and has more than 300 combined years of experience in the direct selling industry. 

Since 2015, we’ve worked with more than 70 companies of all shapes and sizes. From Startups to Hypergrowth to Turnarounds, we’ve done it all, and done it a few times over.

But there are certain areas of direct selling where we recognize and respect the expertise and experience of others, and join forces on certain projects when it make sense. We're excited to partner with attorney Brent Kugler to provide the legal review portion of the Compliance & Messaging Audit. Brent has been providing legal counsel to direct selling companies for 20 years, both as General Counsel for a direct selling company, and as a partner at Scheef and Stone. 

What our direct selling companies make possible for millions of people across the world is simply too important for us to do it the wrong way. 

As stewards of your company's mission and purpose, you can't simply settle for figuring out what to do next; you've got to nail how to do it best to see true impact. The real key to it all, and what really sets SCP apart in situations like this, is not in what you decide to change, but in how you go about doing it. 

The phrase you hear so much is “change management,” and from our standpoint, this is actually the greatest challenge facing direct selling companies right now. We’ve watched many companies over the years make the right and necessary changes to their business, but do it in a way that can be devastating to both the field and the business itself. 

For that very reason, we surround our recommendations with not only the expertise in what you need to do, but also the experience in how to go about doing it the right way. It’s a thoughtful, strategic assessment instead of half-baked, knee-jerk reactions, and the goal is full integration and participation across every department in the process. 

No matter how big or small, young or old you are, it’s clear you can no longer assume that these regulatory issues are just things the "big companies" have to deal with. 2019 has marked a clear shift in direct selling. We want to help you work your way through it. 

This is our opportunity to stand tall in the midst of the gig economy. 

This is our opportunity to embrace a new world of direct selling, with eyes wide open and hearts and heads fully committed. 

That’s what the Compliance & Messaging Audit is all about: a comprehensive package to spotlight the areas that deserve your focus right now, and ideas on how to make the transition without alienating your entire sales force and customer base. 

Leave your contact info and we’ll follow up with you right away to schedule a call so we can chat through what makes sense for you. There are no obligations to work with us beyond the free call. If you're a young company (two years old or younger), ask about our special pricing just for you. 

Leave your information below and we will follow up with you right away!