Direct sales appeals to people interested in earning extra money outside of a traditional job. Some choose to work part-time with a direct sales company as a way to pay for the extras that challenge their budget, often in addition to a full-time job.
Others are looking for a way to make additional money while still attending to priorities in their lives like parenting, caregiving, school, or charitable work and appreciate that they can control their calendar and plan events, parties, and one-on-one appointments (where you meet with clients individually instead of in a group setting, like a home party) around their schedules.
According to the Direct Selling Association of the United States, 83 percent of representatives in direct selling are women. In the past, generally speaking, men tended to be drawn more to the Network Marketing model, with women feeling more comfortable focused on the Party Plan style of business.
Perhaps sharing products they are passionate about comes more easily to most women. In any case, there's no question that Party Plan selling is very popular among females. In general, women enjoy gathering with other women and tend look for reasons to do so. Having a Party Plan business or hosting a party provides an excellent excuse to get together.
In recent years, with the growth of the Internet, the increase in dual-income families, and product lines that are more appealing to modern women (weight loss, skincare, and energy products), there has been a noticeable increase in Hybrid and Network Marketing companies targeting a female salesforce.
In addition, busy people of both genders see the benefit of Network Marketing's reputation for ongoing automatic income (also known as residual income) from a business that can fit into the nooks and crannies of their schedule and be handled by phone and keyboard, instead of with a schedule of home parties. This could explain why many married couples choose to build a business together in the Network Marketing model.
Party Plan is still going strong and continues to be the top choice of people interested in earning profits and creating cash flow from even the early stages of their business. Quite often, representatives in Party Plan get paid for some or all of their sales the night of each party. For people looking to alleviate day-to-day budget shortfalls, the Party Plan model is especially attractive.
With the changes in the industry through the Internet and social media, as well the globalization of the industry, direct sales is growing. And with multiple ways to touch your business, all three models are becoming more appealing.
