Facts about Direct Selling | Thriving Candle Business

Those on my team know I am a numbers junkie. I’ve always enjoyed analyzing data. I firmly believe that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. It’s been said before that “In God we trust, all others bring data!”

The information contained below was snagged from DSA’s Direct Selling 411 Website. I found some of these statistics interesting – and hope you do too.

77% of sellers have been with their company 1+ years
80% of sellers say direct selling meets or exceeds their expectations
85% of sellers report a good, very good or excellent experience with direct selling
74% of US adults have purchased products from a direct seller
15.1 million people in the U.S. are involved in direct selling
$29.6 billion in total US sales
$114 billion sales worldwide

What is the primary reason you became a direct seller?

To earn supplemental income (51%, 4,231 Votes)
To earn full-time income (34%, 2,768 Votes)
To buy the products at a discount (9%, 729 Votes)
I like to be recognized for my accomplishments (4%, 292 Votes)
I like to meet other people (2%, 208 Votes)

Direct sellers report a positive experience with direct selling:

82% of direct sellers have been with their current direct selling company for one year or more, and 34% for five years or more.
88% of direct sellers rate their personal experience in direct selling as excellent, very good, or good.
85% of direct sellers say that direct selling meets or exceeds their expectations as a good way to supplement their income or as a way to make a little extra money for themselves.
91% of direct sellers say that direct selling meets or exceeds their expectations as a business where the harder they work the more money they can make.

The average annual turnover rate of direct sellers was 56%, compared to 53% for the retail industry.

If I become a direct sales representative, how much money will I make?

The earnings one can expect to make in direct selling are different for each individual based on a number of factors, including your personal goals and the amount of time you plan to dedicate to your business. The median gross income for a direct seller is about $2400 per year, or $200 a month. This figure is consistent with one of the major motivations for getting involved in direct selling – supplemental income. About 8% of direct sellers earn more than $50,000 per year.

What do you think about these numbers? Did anything surprise you? Or did you have a different view of direct selling before reading this?