As 2024 draws to a close, the direct selling industry continues to face a complex landscape, with both challenges and opportunities on the horizon.
To get a clearer picture of what’s ahead, I reached out to some of the prominent figures in global direct selling to hear their perspectives on the upcoming year. I asked them:
“What will be the most critical issue – be it an opportunity or a threat – that the direct selling industry should closely focus on in 2025?”
In this two-part series, you’ll find their responses. This week’s article brings together six insightful opinions. Don’t hesitate to add your thoughts in the comments section below.
Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners
“Direct selling companies must do more to embrace ecommerce as part of their core identity (not just a tool we use). The pivots we’re seeing are in large part in response, at least indirectly, to struggles companies have in competing with and standing out among the D2C ecommerce brands. If we could simply lean into these capabilities that are available to any company, then couple them with the relational and community-driven magic we all know and love of direct selling, then big things can happen.”
George Elfond, Co-Founder and CEO of Rallyware
“Direct sellers must evolve into omnichannel distributors who can seamlessly connect across physical and digital channels. The challenge will be building infrastructures that support multi-channel engagement while preserving the authenticity of one-on-one connections. Companies that get this right will future-proof their distributor networks and keep them relevant.”
Jerome Freytag, Principal Consultant at SBR Consulting
“The ability to articulate a compelling, modern value proposition stands out as both a challenge and an opportunity. A stronger value proposition drives recruitment, event attendance, party bookings, and sales growth. Many organizations are hindered by outdated messaging, as I’ve recently seen firsthand with two major European companies. Their distributors were using narratives unchanged for years. As the saying goes, ‘What got you here won’t get you there!’. Updating the value proposition requires product innovation, refreshed mission alignment, and, crucially, robust training to embed the new language and empower the field – starting with leadership.”
Dan Jensen, Compensation Plan Specialist, Founder of Dan Jensen Consulting
“A wise man once said, ‘Those who cannot learn from the mistakes of the past are destined to repeat them.’ This next year will be an excellent year for those who learn from their past mistakes, innovate with courage, and align with vision effective strategies that drive growth. A comp plan rewarding the right people, technology that empowers effective coaching, incentives, field training and support, and pricing strategy are some of the vital issues requiring perfect alignment. I am so very optimistic about our future. We have the best business model in the world to improve lives, but the fish are no longer jumping into the boat like they were during COVID. We must learn to fish better than we ever have before. Courage requires us not to rely on what we’ve done in the past but to innovate so our future is so bright we have to wear shades.”
Brent Kugler, Partner at Scheef & Stone, LLP
“I see a positive outlook for direct selling companies operating in the U.S. Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have pared back regulatory overreach by federal agencies. U.S. based companies should expect positive more regulatory developments in a second Trump Administration. During Trump’s first term, the Department of Labor rescinded a 2015 guidance that concluded that most workers are employees (and not independent contractors) under a new interpretation of the test for determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. Trump’s Department of Labor also rescinded the NLRB’s previous expansion of the definition of ‘joint employer’. These moves followed criticism from the business community that unelected bureaucrats in the prior administration were creating road blocks to job creation. It can be expected that the new administration will similarly pursue initiatives that are pro-business and beneficial to companies that market products and services through independent contractors. ”
Peter Maddox, President of the Direct Sellers Association of Canada
“A significant issue facing the Canadian direct selling industry in the upcoming year is the evolving political and regulatory landscape. Specific challenges include an upcoming federal election, uncertainty over trade relationships and tariffs, and ongoing questions about the regulation of various product groups. Maintaining flexibility and growing the opportunity for the over 1.1 million Canadians involved in direct selling, while balancing consumer protection and regulatory demands, requires proactive advocacy and collaboration with policymakers.”
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Hakki Ozmorali is the Founder of WDS Consultancy, a management consulting and online publishing firm in Canada, specialized in providing services to direct selling firms. WDS Consultancy is the publisher of The World of Direct Selling, global industry’s leading weekly online publication since 2010. Hakki Ozmorali is an experienced professional with a strong background in direct sales. His work experiences in direct selling include Country and Regional Manager roles at various multinationals. You can contact Hakki here.
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