Written by Brett Duncan. Brett specializes in helping direct selling companies evolve into modern social selling models while still maintaining the culture and essence of who they are and what makes them different. He is co-founder and managing partner of Strategic Choice Partners, a business development firm that helps direct selling companies take their next steps.
25 Reminders for Direct Selling Companies in 2025
Here we are again: slowing down for just a moment to finish out another year, enjoy the holidays, and then quickly ramp up for the beginning of something new.
I hope you experienced new success in 2024, and even the lessons learned from challenges and failures of the year planted seeds of clarity and success for 2025 and beyond. If you feel like things are “in flux,” trust me when I say you are definitely not alone.
For this article, I thought one of the more helpful things I could do is not drill down into a single topic, but rather offer up some quick thought-starters and reminders that, based on my conversations with direct selling execs, seem to be worthy of some attention this year (and beyond).
In no particular order, here are 25 reminders that I feel every direct selling executive needs to at least consider for a minute as we head into 2025. For some, you’ve probably got them covered and could teach me a thing or two. For others, maybe it’s not something you’ve ever considered. And I’m sure for several, it’s something you’ve known you needed to put some more thought into, but just keep putting off for another time.
Regardless, I hope spending just a few minutes reading through these will spark fresh thoughts and excitement for your business this year.
1. Spark More Conversations.
I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t remind you of this: the fundamental unit of success in direct selling is a conversation. I wrote about that here a while back. What should those conversations look like in 2025? Where should they happen? How can you have more of them?
2. Get Intentional About the Hispanic Market.
The last couple years have shown us the massive potential of the Hispanic and Latino markets globally. I’m not suggesting that you must pursue these markets. But you can’t ignore them. So be intentional and strategic about how you pursue them (or not).
3. Automate More of Your Marketing.
Marketing automation has come a long way quickly. Bringing together the potential of modern marketing automation (from emails, to texts, to further personalization) with the relational strength of direct selling is our channel’s biggest upside.
4. Don’t Ignore TikTok.
Trust me, I’m no TikTok expert. And I also know its future is rather uncertain, at least here in the U.S. But what some creators are producing, and profiting, on this platform is uncanny, and there’s no way the modern seller won’t require that this type of capability isn’t part of their arsenal. How is your company embracing that?
5. Commit to Better Communication.
As I’ve said before, communication is half of what determines failure and success in direct selling. Surely there are ways for you to improve it at your company. From your planning process, to how you leverage communication channels, to your tone and approach, find ways to get better this year.
6. Stop Tolerating Bad E-Commerce Experiences.
Rather, stop forcing your Customers and Distributors to tolerate your company’s bad ecommerce experiences. Embrace your identity as an ecommerce company, and take a next step (or leap).
7. Invest More Time and Attention in Your Next Generation of Leadership.
I’ve shared thoughts on this before, too. “Most companies assume their original generation of leaders will always be their leaders. And that can work if you’re only interested in being in business for 10-15 years. But if you want to grow for decades to come, you need to have a new crop of leaders stepping up every 10 years. It doesn’t mean the old leaders go away; it just means that everyone makes room for the next generation to rise up and take the company to the next level.”
8. Stop Wasting Time on Weak Promotions.
We’re an industry that always has a promo (or twelve) in play. You’d think we’d be better at creating strong promos that make sense. But many companies get stuck in just whipping up new promos every month because that’s just what we do. Stop wasting the attention you’re getting with these opportunities on weak offers. Make sure your promos are hard to say “no” to.
9. Commit to Profit.
At the same time, stop giving away the farm just to get the field excited or just to borrow next month’s sales and squeeze them into this month. As a steward of your company, one of the most important things you can do is be in a position of strength (specifically, cash) so that your Distributors have a long term opportunity on their hands. Trust me, I know this is difficult. The only twist I would offer here is to take on the mentality of “If it can’t be profitable, why should we do it?”
10. Reinvest What Goes Into Your Host Program.
If you’re a party plan company, a lot of effort goes into your host program. And a lot of host programs are being used in ways they were never intended to be used.
If you could use the cost of your current host program in a different way that still rewards Distributors and Customers, what would you do? And why aren’t you doing it? Let’s make sure we’re not still partying like it’s 1999.
11. Clarify Your Company Message.
What’s the simplest way for you to communicate your product? Your opportunity? What makes people “get it,” and then take action? Stop wasting precious moments on details that don’t matter and jargon that no one really understands.
12. Prioritize the Use of AI at Your Office.
It’s time we all graduate beyond using AI to help with our personal tasks and leverage it to help us with processes at the office. From forecasting to supply chain management to Distributor tools to social media planning, you’re falling behind if you’re not learning how to incorporate AI into your business processes. I know it can be overwhelming. Hire some help to help you figure out your plan. It will likely be the best investment you make all year.
13. Refine Your Core Compelling Offer.
The easiest thing to sell is something someone already wants. How well do you really know your ideal customer, and what they hope to gain from your brand? Have you bundled and packaged and presented that offer in a way that really resonates with them? What updates could be made to push this to the next level?
14. Promote Value (not Price).
As the economy continues to ebb and flow, don’t give in to marketing your products mostly on price. Should we consider promotional offers here and there? Of course. But make sure you’re finding ways to market the value of your products (and your opportunity), and don’t think a price drop is going to solve whatever problems you’re facing.
15. Maximize Your Compensation Plan.
Everyone seems to be interested in changing their comp plan. Many are looking for ways to spend less on it. And there’s certainly good reason for that to happen in many cases. But before you go down that road, take a good look at each component of your current plan. Analyze each component as a separate item, and truly understand how its impacting behavior. If you had to spend the same amount on compensation, but in a different way, how would you do it?
16. Get New People.
This is no secret: new Distributors and new Customers lead to new growth. There’s never a year that this isn’t a focus at your company, I’m sure. This year, commit to actually getting granular in understanding how and why you get new people. Don’t just hope for it, or talk about it, but actually figure it out.
Here’s a place to start: figure out ways to use some of what you’re spending now (see #8, #10 and #15 above) and use it toward new Customer or new Distributor incentives and see what happens.
17. Pick 3.
More projects rarely mean more recruiting and revenue. Pick three strategic objectives to really focus on this year, and give them the time, attention and financial investment necessary to lead to success. Most direct selling companies simply give up on a good plan too early.
18. Get Better at Performance Marketing.
A crude definition of “performance marketing” would be this: when we spend $XXX on marketing, we get $X,XXX in return. Do you have the analytics, reporting, discipline and know-how in place to determine this in everything you do?
19. Watch Out for Shipping.
Shipping costs are crazy, and they get crazy every year. On the one hand, we’re told that people hate to pay for shipping (and they do). On the other hand, the cost to ship orders is ridiculous. Get creative in how you position your offers and leverage shipping cost as a purchase motivator. And find partners who can help you reduce your overall spend.
20. Help New Distributors Get Their First Order.
Once a new Distributor gets their first order, the whole world of what we offer opens up to them. Up to that point, they’re not exactly sure if this will work for them or not. So how can you get creative about helping and/or encouraging new Distributors to get that first order?
21. Maximize Their First 90 Days.
Your data will likely show you that most new Distributors are in and out within 90 days, unless they experience some form of success. We all want them to stay longer, and should do everything we can to make that happen. But in the meantime, how can you gain more from your partnership with them in those 90 days? Put another way, if you knew they were only going to be a part of your business for 90 days, what would you do differently?
Ironically, the decisions you make under this perspective may actually be what helps them stay longer.
22. Don’t Give Up on Affiliate Programs.
Affiliate programs have been a hot topic in direct selling for the past three years. Some companies are adding affiliate programs to their existing foundation. Others are launching new brands. And others are abandoning a multi-level structure altogether. So far, very few (if any) have generated sales in a single-level affiliate program that they did as part of a multi-level direct selling company.
That doesn’t mean addressing the affiliate market and even introducing compensation programs for them can’t work. It’s just taking more adjusting than most figured. Ultimately, we need to make sure our opportunity is being considered by the rapidly growing affiliate/influencer/creator/social seller space.
23. Get a Second Order.
We all love getting that first order from a new Customer, and we should. You know what’s even better? Getting the second order! And it typically costs us a lot less. What programs and promos could you put in place to get more second orders this year?
24. Lean In.
As I mentioned above, it feels like lots of companies are pivoting away from direct selling. Others are closing their doors altogether. While this can be concerning, it’s not uncommon. Every industry has companies who pivot in their go-to-market strategy. Every industry has companies that close their doors. I think it’s a wonderful time to double-down on modern direct selling (with an emphasis on “modern”). Zag while others are zigging. Lean into who and what you are as a company. Find ways to stand out. And…
25. Be Bold.
These times will not tolerate timid, tepid actions. The opportunities are there. Many creative direct selling companies are finding ways to thrive. Learn what you can from other companies, but then also recognize that you are unique in certain ways. Figure out what makes sense for hen also recognize that you are unique in certain ways. Figure out what makes sense for your company, and then make it happen boldly.
What’s at the top of your list for 2025? I’d love to hear reminders you think I missed in the comments below.
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