Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. Seldom have three words been packed with so much potential, yet also mired in controversy. They can be bounced around like political footballs; serve as HR “to-do” boxes aimed at maintaining a status quo; or be harbingers of real change that accelerate the success of the people, companies and industries who understand that there’s a business case to be made for DEI and widen their strategic planning accordingly.

For the purposes of this study, recognition was really explored under the umbrella of “Motivations.” Meaning, we examined all the programs, communication, celebration and incentives that would most likely resonate for direct sellers to join, stay and thrive with direct selling companies. Interestingly, the differences between men and women were just as stark as the differences between generations.

As always, DSU was jam-packed with amazing content from amazing speakers. My notebook was crammed with all kinds of great ideas, helpful stats and interesting approaches worth considering for my own business. I learned something new from every single presenter.

Direct selling is prone to corruption within a pyramid scheme because the number of MLMs, or businesses that operate with a multi-level component, make it easy to “hide” the fraudulent element of the business long enough for those at the top to take significant profit before it collapses. How to tell the good from the bad.

As we shared consistently throughout this series, the news surrounding all generations is that EACH is radically different in how they want to be prospected, talked to and approached about direct selling opportunities. We have highlighted that a “One-Size-Fits-All” approach simply doesn’t work anymore, and that insight continues when it comes to compensation plans and the overall value proposition that each generation sees in direct selling.

Direct selling executives from all over the world gathered in Irving, Texas to learn from two days’ worth of keynotes, case studies and actionable insights delivered by 35 presenters and enjoyed networking and connecting with C-Suite leaders from the industry’s top powerhouse brands at the fall Direct Selling University 2023 event.