News From The Edge

Owners and employees representing 25 companies attended the 12th Direct Selling Edge Conference in Ft. Worth, TX in October 2015.

“I went to a different conference last spring. I learned more in the first two hours of this conference than I learned in two days at the other one. The content shared at Direct Selling Edge was detailed and specific. I now know how to proceed with our company.”

Established in 2011, the Direct Selling Edge Conference is the only two-day school for new and young network marketing and party plan companies. It is held three times yearly in various cities in the USA.

Compensation plan and direct selling expert Jay Leisner of Sylvina Consulting presented two classes on compensation plans. He explained the 12 behaviors all great compensation plans motivate and reward, the 5 types of compensation plans, why simple compensation plans don’t work, and the 23 steps to follow to create a great compensation plan.

Attendees learned about the areas of law that impact compensation plans and direct selling companies and how the operational realities of a company matter from attorney Kevin Grimes of Thompson Burton, PLLC in MLM Law 101.  Kevin also discussed and analyzed the recent case the FTC brought against the network marketing company Vemma.

The importance of compliance training and education was addressed in two classes.  Donna Marie Serritella explained the steps to set up your own internal compliance department to protect your company, while Kevin advised everyone on proper and improper income disclosure statements, how to market your autoship program, and how to present the income opportunity.

Regarding product claims, did you know that just because it’s true, it doesn’t mean you can say it?

“I didn’t know how much I didn’t know. Thank you for all the knowledge.”

Industry veteran Jerry York coached students on the nine questions they should ask before obtaining software for their direct selling companies.  Jerry said, “You will make a better choice when you are prepared.”

Building a direct selling company is like a project with many steps.  If you want to save money and time, the order of the steps matter.  Sylvina Consulting’s Victoria Dohr presented the major tasks in the recommended sequence while explaining the importance of each one.

Direct selling social media expert Karen Clark of My Business Presence recommended how companies and independent representatives should use each of the major platforms.  Karen also shared examples of great posts, how companies should respond to comments, and the importance of monitoring the field.

Most people don’t understand that direct selling companies can’t operate like other businesses when it comes to sales tax.  That’s why Direct Selling Edge includes a session presented by Jeremy Richmond on the complexities of state taxation.  Collecting tax only for sales within your state isn’t legal if you have a direct selling company.

“I left with many takeaways as to how I can contribute and make improvements to how we are currently doing business.  Thank you for the wealth of knowledge!”

Jason VanWagoner of Meritus Payments gave a great overview of merchant account processing, how to prevent chargebacks, and how to choose a processing partner.

“Recruiting and Building Your Field Force”, a class on what to do to attract experience field leaders, was held by Jeff Jordan.  Included were recommendations on how much to spend on company initial recruiting based on your total launch budget.

Troy Dooly, a long-standing member of the Direct Selling Edge faculty, was unable to attend in person due to a previous commitment, but his presence was still felt on video by attendees as they watched a recorded session on the Eight Pillars of Iconic Companies.

Successful network marketing and party plan companies do many things right.  At the end of the second day, Jay presented the 20 Secrets of Successful Direct Selling Companies.

“The conference is jam-packed with practical information on how to start and improve a direct sales business.  Thank you very much for putting out such good training sessions and value.  We appreciate it!!”

The next Direct Selling Edge Conference will be held in warm Newport Beach, California on Thursday and Friday, February 4 and 5, 2016.  Owners and their employees of party plan and network marketing companies are invited to attend.  For details, click http://www.dsedge.com.