One of the things I love about my job as a consultant to direct selling companies is that I get to work with a variety of companies at a variety of stages. And while I see little nuances and differences among them all, I can promise you that all direct selling companies have much more in common than they think. So, when I start to see some work that I’m doing with several clients resonate at a really high level, it makes me think, “That would make for a great article!” And today’s article is … [Read more...]
The Elephants in Direct Selling’s Room
No one likes having difficult conversations. But there comes a time when you can no longer ignore the proverbial “elephant in the room.” Well, guess what? That time has come for the direct selling industry. We need to face our most recent “elephant,” better known as “the gig economy.” So let’s take a moment to address this problem pachyderm. What is the Gig Economy? The gig economy is the general term that describes the ever-widening variety of non-employee income opportunities … [Read more...]
2019: The Year Direct Selling As We Know It Changed Forever
I know. It has quite an ominous sound. And then, it also seems a tad presumptuous and oddly grandiose. Of course, it could also just be another click-baity, news-jacky headline whipped up by a consultant trying to drum up business ;-). I guess all of the above is possible. But none of it can dismiss the point that 2019 may indeed be the year we look back and realize it all changed. Direct selling as we’ve known it will never be the same. And I think I’m OK with that. There’s a quote … [Read more...]
Rethink Resolutions: 9 Resolutions for Direct Selling Companies in 2019
How has the beginning of 2019 been for you? As we enter the halfway point of 2019, it’s only natural to reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far, where we’ve fallen short of expectations, and what happened that we never saw coming. Every year is filled with its share of blessings and surprises. At the same time, in many ways, the first part of your year can look just like the last part of your year if we aren’t careful. Which gets me thinking about resolutions. Do you only make … [Read more...]
5 New Rules for Direct Selling Success
It used to be that choosing how you wanted to sell your products using a direct selling method was a fairly simple proposition. Direct sellers employed two basic selling approaches: one-on-one and one-to-many (usually referred to as “party plan”). The Most Recent Approach Then along came the vitamin and supplement companies who drove a new method of selling using a variation of subscription selling called “autoship.” While it seems common now, this approach was quite innovative … [Read more...]
DSA Fall Conference Top Takeaways
This year’s DSA Fall Conference combined regulatory, marketing, communications and technology-driven content. It was an immersive program of inspired speakers, thought-provoking sessions and provocative questions with global peers plus a keynote from the new FTC chairwoman. Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, and Michel Bayan from DirecTech Labs discuss their top three takeaways from the DSA Fall Conference in their guest article on The SourceDS titled, … [Read more...]
9 Surefire Ways to Supercharge Your Strategic Planning
Q: On a scale of one to 10, how would you rate your company’s strategic planning process? I recently asked that question to a group of about 25 direct selling executives, and the average answer was a “5”, with the highest being a “7”. That should tell us a lot about how we feel about our planning process. Dwight Eisenhower once said: In planning for battle, I have always felt that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. I love that quote because it speaks to the priority of … [Read more...]
Strategic Planning Done Right
In this short 30-minute webinar, Brett Duncan shares simple ways any direct selling company can get the most out of their planning process. Learn specific techniques and guidelines you can use to improve the planning process at your office. Get Instant Access to this webinar and many others. Create your free account now! The Planning Process Whether you are a one-person company or a thousand-employee company, you will receive valuable information from this webinar because the planning … [Read more...]
More Ways to Supercharge Your Strategic Planning
I recently wrote an article titled, "9 Ways to Supercharge Your Strategic Planning," for our good friends at WorldOfDirectSelling.com. If you haven't read that article yet, do it now. It includes a more comprehensive listing of tips that can help you make the most of your strategic planning process this year. The video above provides a few bonus tips to add to the mix. Enjoy! Additional Resources for Strategic Planning Here are a few other valuable resources that can help you maximize … [Read more...]
The 5 Steps a Venture Capitalist Takes to Value Your Business
In the world of direct selling, one of the most difficult issues includes capital formation and how to make your particular company attractive to a venture capitalist in order to raise the necessary capital to take your company to the next level of growth. Dan Murphy, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, discusses how Venture Capitalists (VCs) think about valuing business, and how you should think about it as you prepare, in his guest article on the World of Direct … [Read more...]
What’s Your Hell or High Water Statement?
Let me blunt. Your problem isn’t ideas. It’s not social media or your website. It’s not even customers. Your problem is commitment. Your problem is you confuse business with busy-ness. You think success is measured by the size of your to-do list. You think the best option is lots of options. And you’re confused when it comes to commitment. Don’t worry; you’re not alone. This isn’t just a “business thing.” It’s a human thing. People logically know that focus and commitment are effective, but … [Read more...]
Free Webinar – Strategic Planning Done Right with Brett Duncan
What thoughts go through your head when you hear the phrase "Strategic Planning?" Do you shudder in fear at the thought of late nights prepping spreadsheets and powerpoint decks? Do you start to yawn as you think of sitting idle for days on end in the same conference room chair? Do you get anxious feeling like you're already behind and that your planning process is more of a thorn in your flesh instead of a strategic advantage? REGISTER NOW Turn Planning into Something You Want to Do (Not … [Read more...]
15 Valuable Lessons from Playing RISK
On a recent vacation, I found myself playing a lot of RISK, the game. The beauty of RISK is that it forces you to make choices, or you can’t succeed. Here are 15 vital lessons from playing Risk that I think we could all learn from. Focus your efforts. Have a plan, and stick to it. Be flexible enough to react to new opportunities. New opportunities will pop up. If it’s better than your plan, consider changing (quickly). If you’re not sure, ignore it, and stay the course. Don’t … [Read more...]
The One Word to Get You Through Strategic Gridlock
We strategic thinkers so easily get our hopes up sometimes. Haven’t you been in those sessions before where you just know you can drive the group to truly sell out to your key objectives? Committing together to make it all happen? Things are going well, you’ve got your tight list of objectives and goals, and it feels like some real barriers have been knocked down. And It Goes Downhill... Then someone points out that there’s one small initiative that hasn’t been addressed in the … [Read more...]
The Difference Between a Mission & Vision Statement
No day-long corporate strategy session or weekend retreat can survive for long without two things being forced upon everyone to ponder and pander over: Mission Statement Vision Statement I’ll confess, I’ve never had a strong grasp on the differences between them. Most vision statements I’ve seen would pass for mission statements and vice versa. But then I heard them both explained this way, and it made all the difference in the world. I first saw this expressed by Christopher S. … [Read more...]