The direct selling channel—defined as a go-to-market strategy that provides brands with high-touch, one-to-one, relationship-driven connections with its customers—is uniquely distinct from traditional and online retail.
Understanding direct selling today requires an appreciation for our history; we are far bigger than an alternative channel of distribution or go-to-market strategy one might encounter in a college textbook. Indeed, we represent a spirit of innovation, and we are powered by an individual’s desire to work independently to find the fulfilling social connection one gains when sharing beloved products with others.
The elements that combine to produce a name are often rooted in history, and what we know today as “direct selling” is—in large part—a reflection of the American spirit of individuality and independence that resonates globally.
After the Civil War ravaged the South, many young men, unable to afford higher education, began selling Bibles door-to-door. Just before World War I, and upon recognizing their shared use of “sales agents” to sell products, 10 companies joined together to form the Agents Credit Association—the Direct Selling Association’s predecessor—to fight for the interests of the 93,000 traveling salesmen across the United States.
The Great Depression and World War that followed tempered a generation of resilient individuals who would become the founders of direct selling companies that continue today. The postwar boom created opportunities for American women seeking new ways to contribute to their family’s financial security.
Across these decades, companies that have chosen to distribute products and services through a direct, person-to-person exchange have come to call themselves direct sellers. Just as direct selling has endured across the decades, the names people have used—and continue to use—to describe their involvement in the channel have evolved in a parallel fashion.
Members of our global community have many names. Some call themselves social sellers. Many may call themselves party plan consultants. Still, others describe themselves as door-to-door, even person-to-person distributors who sell big-ticket products to trusting consumers who maintain fierce loyalty to beloved brands and products.
But no matter the name, the direct selling’s dynamism—an engine of self-rejuvenation fueled by its ongoing need to reposition itself to compete in an evolving global marketplace—remains a constant factor in driving the evolution of direct selling worldwide.
Importantly, those calling themselves “direct sellers” share a commitment to ensuring the most ethically rigorous business practices and vigilance for protecting the consumers who participate in the opportunities they create, as well as any consumer who purchases their products.
All embrace the Direct Selling Association (DSA) Code of Ethics as the benchmark for setting bad actors apart from the visionaries whose ideas have empowered millions to start their own direct selling businesses and build better lives for themselves and their families.
In the United States, the DSA is the national trade association for companies that market products and services directly to consumers through an independent, entrepreneurial salesforce known as the direct selling channel.
DSA’s mission is to promote, protect, and police the direct selling industry while helping direct selling companies and their independent salesforce become more successful.
DSA’s education initiatives ensure that channel leaders have the latest insights and best practices to achieve the high standards of business ethics set by the Association. In 2019, DSA joined with the Better Business Bureau National Programs (BBBNP) to create the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), an independent, impartial monitoring, dispute resolution, and enforcement of false product claims and income representations made by direct selling companies and their sales-force members across digital platforms, regardless of DSA membership.
The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), based in Washington, DC, is an international organization representing the worldwide direct selling industry.
DSA’s sister organization, the Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) works to engage, equip, and empower educators to provide students with an accurate understanding of the direct selling channel as a powerful go-to-market strategy, distribution model, and entrepreneurial option.
Through its Fellows program, the DSEF partners with members of the academic community to support research and education programs that expand knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of direct selling. The Foundation works with professors in a variety of disciplines to deliver multifaceted programming aimed directly at the contemporary issues facing direct selling companies and consumers in a global marketplace.
I would like to extend DSA’s deepest gratitude to our DSEF Fellows, Dr. Victoria L. Crittenden, Babson College, as well as to: Dr. Sara L. Cochran, Indiana University; Dr. Anne T. Coughlan, Northwestern University; Dr. William Crittenden, Northeastern University; Dr. Linda Ferrell, Auburn University; Dr. O.C. Ferrell, Auburn University; and Dr. Robert A. Peterson, The University of Texas at Austin. We thank you and those other leaders who helped contribute to your research.
Most importantly, I know that you will come to realize that the seemingly simple name “direct selling” is filled with historical, cultural, and strategic marketing meaning. You recognize how some of the brightest brands worldwide employ our channel to maximize their competitive market standing.
JOSEPH N. MARIANO
President and CEO
Direct Selling Association
Washington, DC, 2021