So what is the elephant in the room? Direct Sales.
There. I said it.
I'd say 50-75% of you just got uncomfortable and may or may not even finish reading this post, and that's ok. For the remaining 25-50% who didn't get totally weirded out, well it's probably because you are also in direct sales (or know someone cool who is)!
To the majority folk who are weirded out, I am with you. I agree. There is a stigma with direct sales that I personally have felt (but obviously have gotten over), but the funny part is, I don't know why I felt that way in the first place. I have never had a horrible experience with a direct sales company. And yet that feeling was true for me and may still be true for you. As far as I can tell, yes there have been companies and salespeople that have given direct sales a bad name. But you can find the same for lawyers, doctors, realtors, small business owners, teachers, and the list will go on forever.
Right now in this moment, I have potentially dozens of friends in direct sales. I kid you not. And I am not referring to anyone I know from LimeLight. I'm talking legitimate friends that I have known for years, some over a decade. They include companies such as Young Living, DoTerra, Pampered Chef, Plexus, Jamberry, Beauty Counter, Mary Kay, Rodan and Fields, LulaRoe, Scentsy, Arbonne, BeachBody, Tupperware, Stella & Dot, Nerium, Noonday Collections, Thirty One, Younique, and I am pretty sure there are more I am forgetting.
These are all really cool people. And they are really nice too. You know what they all have in common? They found a product/system/item/what-have-you that they LOVED. Like really loved. They liked it so much they wanted to tell all their friends about it. And if they wanted to tell all their friends about it, well then they could sign up for a certain fee and not only tell people about it, but they could earn an income from it too! Sounds nice, doesn't it?
I really kinda stumbled into direct sales accidentally. I wanted a hobby and I also wanted safe and natural skin care that worked. I totally found LimeLight by accident and then became totally intrigued by their skin care line and the cosmetics. I had to try it. It absolutely didn't disappoint. I was thrilled! But I also thought, I could potentially be crazy and the only person in the world who actually loves this stuff. So I had a launch party with my family. They loved it too. Ok, so I'm realized I'm not crazy. Then my close friends tried different items. They also fell in love. Further proof that I am not psycho. All the while, I am having a BLAST talking about makeup and skincare, helping other women feel good about their skin and more confident in general, and I am making extra dollars for my family. A little hobby turned into something fun and rewarding!!
I think part of the problem with the negative direct sales stigma is that people are skeptical that you can make any money. Are you going to make huge dollars just selling and not forming a team? No probably not. However there is a LimeLight lady who sold over $25k of product in one month, so yeah, you can make total bank if you are a sales wizard. But by and large you make more when you form a team. You aren't just making money off of those people just because (another negative stigma). When you TRULY have a team, you lead them, coach them, and train them. It's like being paid to be a manager instead of a minimum wage worker. Simple as that. I have heard that some companies make you keep inventory so there is more of an upfront cost and it is harder to hit profit that way. So yes, it might be harder to earn in those companies. I find that most direct sales companies are not in that category anymore. Either way, I believe you can make extra income if you work hard and believe in the company you are selling for.
So what is the trick to figuring out if direct sales is something for you? Here's my take on it:
#1 - Do you love the products? If you don't, then pass. We don't have time to be phony in life. It will wear on you and it will show that you aren't sold on what you are selling.
#2 - Do you have people in your life (near or far) that you think would love the products like you do? If no - then most likely you should pass. This isn't always the case, but I find that searching for strangers to buy from you is no easy task. They don't appear out of nowhere, you have to actually get to know them before you sell anything to them 99% of the time.
#3 - Is the company trustworthy and is the compensation plan reasonable? If you want to make a certain amount to start every month, figure out what it would take to hit that goal. If that feels reasonable then it should be a good situation. If it feels far fetched it may not be a strong compensation plan that would fit your life.
That's about it. If you can figure out those three things, then it's certainly worth looking into. And just so you know, if you want to grow anything - like really grow it (whether that's a small business you start yourself or a direct sales business you join) you really have to be willing to be uncomfortable. You will be stretched. You will probably do things you thought you would never do. But guess what? You will want to do it because you believe in something and want to tell other people about it.
Here's direct sales to me:
I have a friend who sells oils because she wanted to get rid of toxic chemicals and instead she found a passion and loves educating people about their many uses and benefits. She's a rockstar and promoted recently (and she started just as a hobby, mind you). I buy oils/products from her on occasion and other times I just ask her questions about oils because she is a walking encyclopedia on them.
I have a friend who sells supplements and she feels better than she ever has and it helping friends and family members alike feel better too. She's felt cruddy for years and now is seeing improvement! I'm so intrigued by it that I am helping a beloved family member try the products to see if they could have some benefit from them too!
I have multiple friends who have joined BeachBody. One loves it but just uses it for her own benefit but doesn't try to build a team or anything. The other loves it and tells everyone about how much it has helped their lifestyle and she has a large team. I think the one who says nothing about it is awesome. I think the one who shouts it from the rooftops is awesome and I love seeing her positive and uplifting social media posts promoting good health!
I have an old friend who sells anti-aging products and not only has she changed her family's income (they struggled for years), but she also has a company provided car. I don't personally use her products but I support her from a distance by liking or commenting on posts from time to time because I know it means that Facebook will show her post to more people who might need to see more info about her products or company!
I have a friend that sells makeup and used her little side hustle to finish off some student loan debt. It didn't take ridiculous effort on her part because selling makeup online is super fun and not terribly time consuming, but at the same time she made a small dent in their debt snowball! That's a win!! I don't buy a ton of makeup from her because I love the makeup I sell, but she has ever had a product type that LimeLight doesn't make and I of course needed to try it! (#makeupjunkiesunite)
I have a friend who sells clothing that makes her feel pretty and she helps other ladies find items that make them feel pretty too. Plus she can stay home with her babies thanks to her little business. I love to buy clothes from her when it's in the budget for the month because I want to support my friend and the clothes make me feel pretty. Hard to do when you feel like you are covered in snot 50% of your days.
Listen, I'm not the first person to go on about this. But I might be the only person you take the time to stop and read when it comes to this topic. If you have more questions about it, trust me I have more thoughts on it so feel free to ask me. I know, hard to believe with how long this post is, huh? Feel free to reach out! You might need an unbiased opinion from someone who has done it before. That's actually what I did. I called my sister who had done some direct sales to see if she thought it was a good idea. And even though she didn't continue with the companies she started with, she could tell that it was a good option for me. So talk to someone you trust who has been in a similar spot!
Ok, I'll step off of my soap box for now. If you have made it this far I will now reward you with a cute picture of an elephant because we talked about the elephant in the room.
Bottom line - don't be afraid of the Elephant in the room. It's actually really nice and you don't need to feel weird around it.
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