What is Direct Selling
Direct selling is the sale of consumer products or services, person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location. It is a retail channel used by large, global companies and small, entrepreneurial brands to sell all types of goods and services, including:
- Nutritionals and healthcare
- Cosmetics
- Jewelry
- Housewares
- Food and beverage
- Giftware
- Utilities
- And much more
The Direct Sellers Association is the recognized voice of the industry in Canada and DSA members focus on maintaining the highest levels of integrity and trust in all their business interactions.
Entrepreneurship
The direct selling channel isn’t only about getting great products and services into consumers’ hands. It’s also an avenue for entrepreneurial-minded Canadians to work independently and to build a business with low start-up and overhead costs – there is no need to rent retail space, purchase a franchise or hold a large amount of product on hand. These Canadians also develop important business and life skills, including marketing, networking, finance and relationship management.
Independent Sales Consultants (ISCs) work on their own, but partner with a direct selling company, retaining the freedom to run their own business. ISCs create strong relationships with potential clients, primarily through face-to-face discussions and demonstrations. In recent years, ISCs have also turned to social media and the internet to showcase their products and to grow their customer base.
Opportunity & Flexibility
Over a million Canadians from every province are involved in direct selling, to create personal income and because they enjoy a company’s products or services. They purchase products or services for their own use and also offer them to friends, family and others, thereby earning commissions for their sales. The most successful of these consultants often decide to expand their business by building a network of ISCs.
A majority of ISCs work part-time, and the flexibility to set your own hours offers busy parents, caregivers, professionals and others an ideal level of work-life balance. Direct selling has a long history of both substantially contributing to the economy and supporting the Canadians involved.
For more about the many fantastic opportunities that direct selling industry has to offer, watch an interview with Peter Maddox, DSA President and Lital Mintz Snir, Executive National Vice President at Arbonne.
