Many of us are entering the new year with a similar goal — to build community and connect more with others. To kick off season five, Priya Parker shares ideas on how to be the host with the most. An expert on building connection, Priya is the author of “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters.” Whether it's a book club, wedding, birthday or niche-and-obscurely themed party, Priya and Chris talk about how to create meaningful and fun experiences for all of your guests — including yourself. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts . For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey here ! Learn more about TED Next at ted.com/futureyou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
In today's podcast, Daryl Wurzbacher shares fascinating insights in what he sees are industry trends like customer programs and loyalty referral rewards. We're seeing a shift in the evolution of affiliates and influencers in building sales teams. Learn how understanding products and culture impact direct sales companies. Also see how important it is to have commission data readily available at fingertips and how KPIs affect sales force productivity.…
Jake Dempsey joins us for today's podcast. Jake gives us some insight on how social media technology has changed the landscape of direct selling and network marketing from the pre-COVID days to now. Catch a glimpse at some new tools available for distributors that appear to be game-changers in building their businesses today.…
In this episode, we’re delighted to welcome Hanieh Sigari and Mark Carr of Qyral—a unique new beauty products company. They provide rare insights on how they use technology to produce innovative solutions to personalize products for their customers. Learn some of their strategies for influencing, training and selling their product.…
Today we welcome Mike Christensen to the MLM.com Podcast. Mike is the vice-president of sales at InfoTrax Systems. He also is a board member of the DSA Supplier Committee. Mike shares with the MLM.com Podcast his knowledge of scalable compensation software, the importance of real-time data, and e-commerce. Enjoy!…
For this podcast episode, we welcomed Brian Brown. Brian is currently the senior strategic partner manager of Avalara. Brian's expertise includes helping direct sales companies ensure tax compliance. Today Brian will be sharing his knowledge of tax laws in the United States, and what to look for in tax software. Brian also discusses strategies for compliance with international tax regulations. Enjoy!…
Today we welcome a returning guest of this podcast: Jeff Jordan. Jeff has also written articles for MLM.com, providing us with his wide knowledge of the industry. Jeff has been in the direct selling industry for 30+ years. Jeff has served as an Interim Vice President of Sales for companies who need the expertise of a VP of Sales, without incurring the expense of a full-time VP. For this episode, Jeff will be sharing why an Interim VP is a benefit to direct selling companies. Jeff also discusses how an experienced Interim VP can bring their extensive field expertise to a direct selling company. We are happy to have Jeff as a frequent guest of MLM.com, and we welcome his insights today. Enjoy!…
Today on the MLM.com Podcast, we welcome Mark Schaub. Mark has been one of the MLM.com podcast's most popular guests, and we are delighted to have him return. Mark is an expert in business-relations between China and international partners. He has worked with King and Wood Mallesons (金杜律師事務所) since 2000. Mark has received Asia Law's prestigious "Lawyer of the Year" award several times for his excellence in corporate law. In this episode, Mark explains how to navigate direct selling in China, and which products are selling well. Mark also gives his insight into cross-border e-commerce and the importance of understanding the intricacies of Chinese law for distributors. Enjoy!…
Terrel Transtrum has joined us for this episode of the MLM.com podcast. He brings his 30+ years of industry customer service experience to this discussion. Terrell has recently co-authored LaunchSmart: How to Build a Direct Selling Company. Terrel owns two successful businesses (seven-plus figures) and has been awarded the prestigious DSA award for his company ServiceQuest. In this episode, Terrel discusses his history with teaching the best practices and techniques for customer service. These include appropriately addressing complaints and ensuring optimal compliance. Terrel provides insight into how customer service is ultimately a learning experience to practice life skills and to live a better life.…
For this episode of the MLM.com Podcast, Paul Adams joins us for an in-depth discussion on simplifying integrating customers into your business. Paul has been a direct-selling industry mainstay for over 30 years. Paul has served as a board member and industry expert for numerous companies. Paul's speciality is working with mid-level companies and identifying legacy sales leaders. Today Paul is sharing his insights on how companies can become overly complicated, due to a variety of reasons. Additionally, Paul provides some unique perspective on bringing and maintaining a solid customer base. Enjoy!…
Matt Layton, Vice-President of Business Insights at LegalShield revealed what effect COVID had on business over the last two years using data analytics. These findings may surprise you. For example, they saw an uptick in new "stay at home" businesses. Also, surprising metrics showed dramatic increased sales and recruitments when using Zoom meetings. Online Zoom meetings also improved distributor's growth.…
Scott Kramer discusses how important it is for companies to shift quickly to using social media in branding and every aspect of a business. He talks about how conversations are the currency of social media and also points out some bad habits both distributors and companies have fallen into using social media. He also explains the idea of controlled empowerment and how companies can help distributors create their own brand.…
Maria Osipova, a previous guest of the podcast returns with more in-depth insights to help consultants successfully grow their business. Discussion continues surrounding the importance of distributor being relatable and connected to their audience, and how this person-ability can be used to build trust and increase customer base for any products being sold.…
On this episode of the podcast, we talk about expert witnesses—what does an expert witness do? How do companies select expert witness? Jeff Jordan is an industry consultant with years of experience. He’s frequently an expert witness in cases between MLM companies.
Four years ago we had Lynn Bardowski of Million Dollar Party Girl on the show to talk about online parties and in particular Facebook Live. Today we bring her back to discuss the history of livestreaming as well as advice on how to go live with confidence.
Have you read about the recent Supreme Court decision to stop FTC disgorgement? Are you curious what it means for the direct sales industry? Our guest is Spencer Reese a top lawyer in the direct sales industry.
Did you get a chance to look at Penny’s report on digital transformations happening around the direct sales industry? The information they revealed was so fascinating, we had to get them on the podcast to talk about it. Our guest is Maria Osipova, VP of Marketing at Penny. We had a wonderful time talking to Maria. This episode is packed with information.…
Is there harmony between your headquarters and the field? Do your direct sellers trust you? Do they feel supported and are they getting the training they need? If not, you might be losing consultants and sales to your competitors. Your consultants might be feeling lost and confused in the digital world. And if they feel cut off from the people back at headquarters, it can have a huge impact on their loyalty. Don’t leave them out in the cold. Connect with them. On this episode of the MLM.com podcast, founder of the Direct Selling World Alliance (DSWA), Nicki Keohohou joins us to talk about how you can better engage your field and in turn help them to engage with their customers.…
The MLM.com Podcast has been on hiatus for two years. Today, we relaunch with a new series of podcasts bringing you information and insights about the world of direct selling. Whether you’re new here or a long time MLM.com listener, we want to welcome you to join our new host, Nancy Tobler, as she digs in to the issues that matter to today direct sales company.…
It’s no secret that MLMs exist in a bit of a grey area. There is no federal definition of a pyramid scheme. Over the years, regulators’ objectives and strategies change—sometimes in a major way. But have you noticed all’s quiet on that front? There hasn’t been a major government action against a well-established MLM since 2016. No doubt, some of you are holding your breath and biting your nails. The simple truth is things are changing. Independent MLM distributors have growing reach. So do the anti-MLM crowd. Your ability to do business is all about the public’s perception of your brand. If a reputable source calls you a pyramid scheme, the label itself can cause lasting damage. And right now, that allegation is cropping up everywhere. What can you do about it? We’re here with another podcast aimed at helping you as you make good choices as you think through your current strategy. We sat down with Spencer Reese to talk it out. Spencer gave us his insights on current trends, common mistakes, and best practices. Listen in to learn: • What you can do to avoid the reputational harm of class action pyramid suits • Why it’s deadly to change terminology without changing practices • How to tackle pricing problems that drive bad behavior • Where you can find your real competitor (hint: it’s not an MLM) • What it means today to have an opportunity-driven or customer-driven MLM model…
Is Your China Strategy Too Reckless? Too Timid? Nonexistent? There’s good money in selling to Chinese consumers but the People’s Republic of China restricted direct sales to single-level sales commissions. The Chinese economy is growing. Consumerism is on the rise. Word of mouth marketing is king in China. Are you going after this market? Maybe you’re staying out of China entirely. Maybe you’re operating in China with a single-level compensation plan. Maybe you’ve been quietly selling your products into China with cross-border e-commerce—without making any changes to your compensation plan—and you’re looking the other way while distributors do whatever they do onshore. Is there a better way? We reached out to MLM.com contributor Mark Schaub to find out. Mark is a lawyer who lives and works in Shanghai. On this episode of the MLM.com Podcast, Mark discusses the strategies he’s used to successfully navigate PRC law for MLM clients. Listen in to learn: • Does the single-level route—used by Herbalife China and Amway China—make sense for smaller brands? • How safe is the popular offshore e-commerce strategy? • What were the real objectives behind Chinese MLM law? • Is there a way to navigate MLM Law and pay Chinese sales leaders for their work while operating onshore?…
Wouldn’t it be amazing to put an end to world hunger? Of course, it would. No one wants children to go hungry. Why do so few people try to make a change? We don’t do anything because deep down we know one person can’t do enough. Global problems can’t be solved at the level of the individual. Big change comes from the actions and policies of big organizations. Brian Paul, President of the Usana True Health Foundation, joins us on this episode of the MLM.com podcast to talk corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Usana True Health Foundation works to feed children around the world. They’ve distributed more than 25 million meals. And they work to create sustainable programs—programs with the objective of getting people out of dependency. Listen in to learn more about Usana’s philanthropic efforts and philosophy.…
Nancy and Kenny just wrapped up their series of podcasts about employee and distributor engagement. Those episodes detail evidence-based approaches you can use to make your company a great place to work. But we wanted to give you more than just the theories and strategies. We wanted to answer the question: What does it look like in practice? In this episode, Nancy sat down with Matt Layton—LegalShield’s Vice President of Network Strategy—to find out how they’ve made DSN’s list of great employers (not once, but twice). Matt talks us through the attitudes, values, history, and traditions that make LegalShield a wonderful place to work.…
Can you name the two types of leaders? Sorry for pulling a “there are only two types of people” on you. But, when it comes to leadership, there are two big umbrella categories that almost all good leaders fall under. Each type serves a different purpose. No doubt, you’ve met them both: There’s the flashy one up on the stage and the no-nonsense one behind the curtain. But who are they, and what real value do they bring to the table? Nancy Tobler PhD joins Kenny once again to discuss the historical theories that have shaped leadership strategies over time and the current theories that help our organizations stay organized. Listen in to learn: • How can you, as a leader, do better and get more out of your followers? • What kind of nice guys actually finish first? • How do some jerks get love and loyalty out of their followers? • What strategies are effective (and ineffective) when one of your followers is a jerk? • Which type of leader is more critical to organization survival? The answers might surprise you.…
Imagine living without electricity, all the way down at the end of the last road out into the country. In this imagined life, you occupy a part of the world that got cell phones before landlines, lightbulbs, and stoves. At night, you send text messages by candle light while your dinner cooks over an open flame. And it’s perfectly normal for you to walk for hours to reach the nearest person who can charge your cell phone—for a fee. You were raised by farmers. You are, yourself, a farmer. You expect your children will be farmers too. They’re going to school but, after sundown, they can’t study because it’s too dark to make out the words in their books. And then one day, your cousin shows up with a basket full of rugged little solar-powered gadgets—lamps, cellphone chargers, fans, radios. Little gadgets you can afford to buy. Little gadgets that can save your time and your money and the futures of your children. On this episode of The MLM.com Podcast, Solar Sister Founder, Katherine Lucey tells us about her experience using direct sales to spread clean energy to rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. In her words, “no country comes into the modern era if they don’t have access to electricity,” and “every family needs to have electricity in order to develop and to be able to live lives of prosperity and productivity.” Listen in for the full story.…
Do you suck at giving feedback? Are you hurting people’s feelings? Or, are you so afraid to hurt feelings that you never tell people what they’re doing wrong? Many of us make mistakes when we give feedback. The right way to do it is not obvious, yet even managers rarely get evidence-based training on how to give effective feedback. In other words, most of us are on our own to figure this out. That’s a huge problem—you can’t grow without feedback! If the people below you can’t grow they’ll stagnate, their job satisfaction will dwindle, and they’ll start looking for other opportunities. On this episode of The MLM.com Podcast (part two of our miniseries on employee and distributor engagement) Kenny Rawlins and Nancy Tobler, our resident PhD, tease apart the science-backed strategies that allow savvy managers, employers, uplines (and even software designers) to help their people grow. Listen in to learn how you can start driving greatness in your team.…
Why do company values matter? Why do so many companies write mission statements? What is company culture and why is it important? On this episode, Kenny Rawlins sits down with Nancy Tobler, PhD and MLM.com Editor-in-chief, to answer these questions and continue our conversation about what makes a company a great place to work. Corporate culture is more important than you think! Direct sales companies spend a lot of time thinking about how their culture impacts the distributors in their sales force. But the values you espouse and promote are just as important for the corporate employees who keep the lights on back at headquarters. Listen in to hear Nancy’s insights into how a company’s expressed values shape the behavior of the individuals it employs and vice versa—the ways that employee behaviors shape company values!…
What makes a company a great place to work? Every year, Direct Selling News runs a feature that asks this exact question to identify which direct sales companies score high among their employees. On this episode of the MLM.com Podcast, we invited Todd Eliason—DSN’s Editor-in-chief—to give us the inside scoop on their selection process. Along the way he let us know why having loyal employees matters to a company’s bottom line. Listen in to hear Todd’s insights into some of the ways that direct sales companies excel at keeping their employees happy and some of the areas we need to improve.…
Most companies today have philanthropic initiatives but they’re often superficial or even counterproductive. How can a company design a charity program that does real good in the world? We sat down with Russ Fletcher, CEO of Xyngular, to hear about how he and Xyngular have risen to the challenge. Russ tells us about how Xyngular has fostered a culture of giving, about the ways their distributors give to each other, and about the ways their distributors encourage each other to do good. He also gives us an inside perspective on their relief work in Puerto Rico during 2017’s hurricane season—how they matched distributor donations and then made sure, in-person, that those donations went to where they were most needed. We’re so grateful for Russ’s contribution to our show and we hope you’ll listen in!…
If you run a direct sales company, chances are you capture a lot of data. What are you doing with it? On today’s episode of the podcast, Moy Chambers joins us for a second time to talk about the value hiding in that sea of data points and how machine learning can help you access it. Listen in to hear about intelligent retention systems. Lower your churn ratio with predictive analytics that tell you who’s going to leave early—before they even know it. And you’ll hear more about one of our favorite topics lately: how you can use comparative analytics to identify successes in one branch and replicate them across the tree. All that and more on this episode of The MLM.com Podcast. Moy is CEO at Allspice Technologies and sits on the direct sales advisory board of Pure Predictive. Check out his previous guest spot on the podcast: Keeping MLM software simple in a sea of complications.…
What do makeup, skin care, supplements, essential oils, health products, diet products, clothing, home goods, and natural products have in common (besides being bestsellers in the MLM world)? On this episode of the MLM.com Podcast, Steve Hooper and Nancy Tobler join Kenny to discuss what makes a great product for the direct selling channel. Why do innovative products and niche products do so well? Why are MLM customers so passionate about the products? Listen in to learn about how direct sellers can strategically use consumer feedback, education, and quality assurance to enhance the market power of their products.…
On this episode of the MLM.com Podcast, Kenny takes us on a retrospective journey through the first year of the podcast. We hear from Spencer Reese, Moy Chambers, Lynn Bardowski, and more. Listen in for some of the best insights our gracious guests have shared with us so far.
Spencer Reese joins us again to talk about the current legal climate for MLM companies. He talks to us about the evolving definition of inventory loading, the dangers of illegal income claims, and the surprising absence of pyramid scheme allegations in recent FTC actions against direct sellers. Spencer advocates social media monitoring, transparency in income disclosures, and training for the sales force. He also discusses the legal differences between party plans and network marketing companies. Lots of great insights in this episode of the MLM.com Podcast.…
You need MLM software for commissions calculation, business processes, warehouse management, and much more. What do you need to automate right away? What can wait? David Judd, Principal Product Owner at InfoTrax Systems, joins Kenny to continue the conversation about integrated software solutions for direct sellers. Are you a startup company or is your company transitioning from one software provider to another? David has excellent insights about common needs and best practices for getting the most out of the software you buy.…
Your direct selling company needs an ecommerce solution, an enterprise system (ERP), distributor tools, a commission engine, and more. Thanks to the rise of integrated solutions, you can now get the best of everything! In this podcast, Sean Smith, Vice President of Business Development at our sponsor InfoTrax Systems, joins Kenny to talk tech trends—specifically, how integration is changing the way InfoTrax and other software providers do business. Sean discusses how InfoTrax has evolved to collaborate with other platforms (including direct competitors), various ways that MLMs can use this trend to their advantage, and growth strategy for companies who are currently considering vendors.…
Is the MLM industry on the decline in the US? Alan Pollard, president of PayQuicker, joins Kenny to discuss the state of the US market. He argues that the US isn’t in decline but is instead reaching maturity. The opportunity is still there for companies that are prepared to adapt. Alan and Kenny discuss the effects of technology and consumer protection efforts (it’s not bad news, folks!), and the need for a strong brand strategy, product focus, and improved customer experiences.…
What’s the difference between coaching and training? Why are coaching skills so valuable in MLM organizations? How can coaching empower your sales force and boost retention? What is a coaching culture and how can you create one at your network marketing company? Nicki Keohohou, founder of the Direct Selling World Alliance, joins guest host Nancy Tobler to answer these questions. Nicki has been teaching coaching skills to direct sales distributors, leaders, corporate employees, and executives for 17 years and we are proud to have her voice back on our show.…
Mark Rawlins, Founder and CEO of InfoTrax Systems, joins Kenny to talk about MLM compensation plans. What direction is the direct selling industry going on compensation? What’s the perfect compensation plan? How do you know if your direct sales commissions are working? How can you use data and analytics to assess your company’s health? How can focusing on distributor types (social enrollers, sales people, sales leaders, and dream builders) make your analytics more meaningful?…
Mitch Stowell, Vice President of Commission Consulting at InfoTrax Systems, joins us for this two part episode to discuss the process of fine tuning compensation plans over time. How do you know when it’s time to change your commissions? What do you change? Mitch and Kenny talk over these critical decisions, discussing hard data analysis, commission types, distributor retention, residual income, and build strategy.…
Mitch Stowell, Vice President of Commission Consulting at InfoTrax Systems, joins us for this two part episode to discuss the process of fine tuning compensation plans over time. How do you know when it’s time to change your commissions? What do you change? Mitch and Kenny talk over these critical decisions, discussing hard data analysis, commission types, distributor retention, residual income, and build strategy.…
Trent Spratling from Kount, an online fraud mitigation company, joins us to talk about the evolving landscape of fraud and the ways that fraudsters target MLMs specifically. If you’re not up with the times, you might be losing good customers and potential distributors in your attempts to block fraud. Trent tells us how Kount uses data points only available in the direct sales space to cut their merchant clients’ fraud rates and boost the capacity of their in-house fraud teams. Listen in to learn more.…
Sam Glanzer, Director of Rewards and Recognition at Younique, joins Kenny on this episode of the podcast to talk about promotions, incentives, contests, and rewards. He tells us the right way to design and promote an incentive and some of the wrong ways to do it. Together, Kenny and Sam discuss the need to create harmony between your incentives and their qualifications, between your incentives and your commissions, and between your incentives and your other incentives.…
Mindy Lin, co-founder of Damsel in Defense, joins us to talk about their mission to empower, educate, and equip women to protect themselves and their families against sexual assault. Mindy tells us about how Damsel in Defense is helping survivors heal through educating and protecting others, and helping women access the financial independence they need to get out of abusive situations. Mindy’s work shows how multilevel marketing companies can create real, life-changing opportunities and we’re honored that she joined us on the podcast.…
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