Business View Magazine | March 2018

33 proved itself to be flexible enough to incorporate elements of all of those other channels into its core methods by themillions andmillions of contractors who sold these products on a personal,face-to-face level.And so,once we hit the Great Recession,we actuallyhad only slight turndowns in the total,esti- mated retail sales compared to other segments,and thus,we were able to recover as amarketingmethod more quicklyand,indeed,the number of sales people continued to growthrough that period of time.And since that time,as the economy improved,we returned to that four to five percent growth rate.So,there’s been a significant increase and a significant growth in the channel,typified byhome parties,as well as network marketers who have large sales organizations where theybring in people to sell products,personally,de- spite the reduction of people out in the field because of the lessening of the door-to-door component.”In fact,today,approximately90 percent of DSA’s members aremulti-level marketing companies,whereas in 1970, onlyfive percent of itsmembers were in that category. WhileMariano admits that the direct selling channel has its challenges,including the presence of a small number of companies and individuals who claim to be legitimate direct sellers,but do not ascribe to the DSA’s high ethical standards,as well as the abilityof internet retailers to nowdeliver their own products in amore timelymanner than ever before,he still believes that the businessmodel has an appeal that is strong and compelling.“The opportunity for individuals to be micro-entrepreneurs and to have the flexibilityto sell, andcombine thosesalesactivitieswithsocial activities –theseareall things that appeal toayoungergenera- tionthat sees,andwants tosee,lessand lessdistinction between theirpersonal lives,theirprofessional activities, andeven their communityactivities,”hestates.“Theyare viewing,byall accounts,opportunities thatwill allow themtocombineall of themwithadegreeof flexibility. Anddirect sellingallowsyoutodothat.” So,while the days of the Fuller BrushManmay be long gone,direct selling continues to be aviable segment of the country’s retail sector.And,as such,the Direct SellingAssociationwill continue to be its lead- ing voice and protector.