Party Plan - the ups and downs of direct selling

Direct Selling, or party plan as it is more commonly known, is still frowned upon. Those selling the items can come across to friends and family as pushy or desperate, but providing you get the right product it doesn't have to be that way. There are many that offer the traditional home party approach, which may not suit everyone. Of course a lot of reps find that this is the best way to get sales, and they have the most fun organising games and nattering with the girls.

Luckily there are plenty of options for those who prefer not to go down this route, and you have the choice of booking into organised fairs or approaching local groups to have a small display on their premises for parents to buy.

So even if you are not a born sales person, direct selling, if you choose the right product, can work for you. I am not a sales person either, but I have chosen a product I feel confident selling, I know the quality is there and I can see the benefits. It all makes it so much easier to make money from and I have fun at the same time.

A good place to start when choosing your company, is www.dsa.org.uk Most of the reputable companies in direct selling are members of the DSA, and you can be sure that they are not going to run away with your money or leave you with customer orders!

Once you have chosen your company and product, it is usually a good idea to find a local rep. You can do this by contacting head office, maybe with the idea of holding your own party to get an idea of what is involved. After that you can speak to the rep that did your party, and if you like them sign up under them. There is a distinct advantage to doing this, not all party plan companies place recruits with someone local. I know Usborne don't always, so if you are sure you will need a lot of support then make sure your recruiter is local. I know it can work well from a distance too, I have one recruit in Scotland, a good 3 hours from me, but if you want someone to hold your hand as you get started then someone on your doorstep is much better.

Another thing I would like to point out, is that you may not see results straight away. Whether you are going into this for a bit of pocket money or to build a business, you will find it does take a while to build up the contacts and to get confident about what you are doing. A lot will also depend on your contacts and what area you are in, if you have another rep from the same company a few doors down you may find it a little more of a struggle to get customers. It is still acheivable though, so don't give up too quickly.

Oh, and good luck!