Should You Join Direct Sales Company? 8 Questions to Ask

Have you been thinking about joining a company like Mary Kay, Avon, Mona Vie, Pampered Chef, etc?  Been wondering if direct sales are all they’re cracked up to be for full time or part-time side hustle income?

As a footnote, I have been involved in a Direct Sales company (you can find out which one on my blog) and have had many friends try different companies. Please know I post this not to persuade you to do anything, but to make informed decisions for yourself!

Here are my 8 questions:

1. What does your recruiter stand to gain by recruiting you and do they really have your best interests at heart?

2. How much does it cost you to start the business? How much does it cost to maintain each month? How much profit do you make from each sale?

3. What’s the risk involved?

4. What happens if you hate the company and want to quit? Are you stuck with inventory or have to pay fees?

5. How do you service your customers- do you have to carry inventory or can you ship directly from the company? (Figure out which method works best for you in terms of your personal selling style, budget and available space for storage).

6. How easy is it to advertise and does the company have easy/affordable services for you to do so? (Business cards, websites, product samplers, brochures, etc.)

7. How saturated is the market, how many people are selling your product in your area? (Your recruiter should know this).

8. Are you joining for the right reasons, are you committed to the good times and bad or are you just buying on emotion because you got a good sales pitch to join?

I feel that there is great potential in direct sales as long as you pick the right company for you and know the requirements involved to succeed in that particular company. You don’t have to start out as a great salesperson, but you DO have be willing to learn and put the time in.

They say “good product sells itself,” but it doesn’t magically disappear from your inventory and end up in your bank account- you have to do the work!

…so have you done anything like this before? Do you have any tips or tricks?  Anything you wish you would have considered before starting?  Please share your experiences with us!