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How Do I Become a Direct Sales Representative?

Lainie Petersen
By Lainie Petersen
Updated May 17, 2024
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To become a direct sales representative, you must first approach a direct sales company or one of its representatives to inquire about the process of becoming a representative. Typically, you will be expected to pay a modest application fee and complete a product and sales training program. In addition, you may be required to purchase a sales or sample kit so that you can show or demonstrate your products and services to potential customers. Success as a direct sales representative is usually dependent on your ability to interest prospective customers in your line of products or services.

Direct selling is a marketing strategy in which a company relies on independent representatives rather than salaried employees to work as its sales force. The structure of a direct selling company can vary considerably. Some companies require their representatives to work directly under the company's supervision, while others use a network marketing, also known as multi-level marketing, approach in which the sales force is responsible for recruiting, training, and supervising other members of the sales force. As the approaches to operating a direct sales company vary so greatly, there is no one way to become a direct sales representative. Instead, you need to determine the representative approval process for the company for which you are interested in selling.

If the direct sales company in which you are interested is organized according to a network marketing structure, you will typically need to find a member of its sales force to approach with your desire to become a direct sales representative. In general, the person you approach will be happy to assist you, as there are strong financial incentives for sponsoring you into the organization. If you cannot find a representative, you can contact the direct sales company and ask them to put you in touch with one. In cases where the company does not utilize a network marketing approach, you may be required to ask the company correctly for application materials.

Working in direct sales can be very different than conventional jobs. While you will generally be able to set your own hours and sales goals, you will not receive the types of benefits that employees of conventional businesses usually expect. For example, you will be expected in many cases to schedule and even pay for your own training and sales materials. Laws in some areas restrict the amount that you can pay for this type of training as well as the amount of promotional material you can buy to get your business started. When you become a direct sales representative in these areas, you will typically be informed of these legal restrictions and be provided with alternatives for getting the training and marketing material that you need.

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Discussion Comments

By cafe41 — On Apr 23, 2011

@Cupcake15 - That is true. I think that when you look at the direct sales product website it will offer you an opportunity to join online and it will put you in touch with the representative of your geographic area.

This is nice because the closer you are to the representative that is helping you join the organization the better it is for you because you will be communicating a lot with this person and if you can attend meetings together it would be ideal to make the transition in to a direct sales business easier.

By cupcake15 — On Apr 21, 2011

@Sneakers41- I think that the biggest challenge in the direct sales business is dealing with rejection. In any sales profession you will deal with a certain amount of rejection which is part of the job.

The added challenge with the direct sales opportunity is that you are essentially starting from scratch like a start up business so it may take time to develop traction in your business.

If you are a sales representative in an established business you would probably be offered sales leads and have the potential to do warm calls from customers that have used a division within your company, but have not used your division.

Those kinds of calls are a little easier than the cold calling that you have to do for a direct sales business. If you love people and can deal with rejection than the direct sales business might be a good one to start because the initial expense of buying a kit is a lot less than starting a traditional business because you do not have a storefront location and a lot of these companies offer specials for signing on with them.

By sneakers41 — On Apr 20, 2011

@Moldova - I know that direct sales recruiting is a big part of the job, but I think it should not be too difficult especially if you enjoy what you do and want to share the news with others.

Sometimes when you are enthusiastic people see your energy and want to join you. I think that being an independent sales representative has its ups and downs but the nice thing is that most of these companies offer training support and many have frequent meetings to help motivate the sales representatives. The support of your network really helps when you have your down moments.

By Moldova — On Apr 18, 2011

I think that the reason why you won’t receive traditional benefits in direct sales jobs is due to the fact that they are considered business opportunities. Since you are an independent sales representative you are paid commissions on your sales and the sales of the people that you recruit to work under you. So in the beginning you are doing a lot of personal sales and later on your focus shifts to the recruiting aspects of the business.

Since you will get a percentage of what your team sells it is really important to develop the team to reach their potential and provide them with sufficient support.

The direct sales opportunity offers the potential of a full time income, but only after you have developed a productive team. These direct sales companies usually offer trips and even cars for their independent sales representatives that were able to reach certain sales goals. It really makes it fun to work in this industry.

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