Monday, December 27, 2010

Economy Got You Thinking about Direct Sales?


In this tough economic climate or, at any time, in which you felt light pockets, direct sales may have crossed your mind. Maybe not that exact term, but you might think of someone who sells Avon, Mary Kay, or any other product which is sold door to door, through personal contact, and/ or sell “parties”. Direct sales have a mystery to it. On one hand, those recruiting sellers boast the flexibility and lucrative income. On the other hand, some direct sellers do it as extra income, which questions if it is lucrative enough to be the main source of income. Michelle Goodman peeled back a little of the mystery in her article “Direct Sales: Golden Opportunity or Hype?” on Entrepreneur.com.

The article starts with a profile of direct salesman, Elvi Valenzuela who, within two years of joining his mother in direct sales, makes $12,000 a month.  Success? Well, according to the article, Valenzuela works 40 hours a week and just started to make the income he reported. Amy Robinson, spokesperson for Direct Sales Association states: “the median income for direct sellers is about $2,400 a year” or $200 a month.

Goodman gives three guidelines to think about when concerning direct sales:

Be Realistic about Sales
Set Your Own Hours
Weed Out the Scams

The conclusion about direct sales: it is hard work and will take time to build towards a lucrative income, if one is possible. There is no legal magic product that will give you the income often thought of for direct sellers. So, if you plan on venturing into the field and want to successful, plan on staying for a while.

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