Have we gotten what we asked for?
Direct Selling companies have spent years downplaying the business opportunity. So why are we surprised when our Distributors won’t talk about it?
For about a decade now, direct selling companies have collectively played a strange game of hide-and-seek with one of our greatest differentiators: the business opportunity.
We’ve downplayed it, danced around it, even apologized for it. We’ve spent countless hours rewording “join us” invitations so they sound less like joining and more like… well, something else.
And now, after years of presenting (or rather, NOT presenting) the business opportunity in this way, most companies find themselves struggling with a salesforce that simply won’t talk about it.
Why?
Have we forgotten how to talk about opportunity?
Part of it, of course, has been fear. Fear of the regulatory environment. Fear of saying too much, too boldly, and drawing unwanted attention. Part of it has been the shadow of the affiliate and influencer world. Direct selling companies watched others offer simple, transactional pathways for people to share and earn, and thought, “Maybe that’s the safer play.” And part of it was the rising focus on customer acquisition. If regulators were worried about recruitment-heavy cultures, we would show them just how serious we were about customers.
All good intentions. All understandable reactions.
But let’s be honest: the unintended consequence has been a decade of companies whispering, instead of shouting, about the opportunity that made this channel what it is.
And now? Now most companies are struggling to recruit. It’s harder than ever to find true business builders. Everyone wants more “leaders,” but fewer leaders seem to be showing up.
Should we really be surprised?
We Got What We Asked For
Think about it. If you spend ten years avoiding asking for something, should you be shocked when you don’t get it?
We’ve conditioned our own cultures to avoid the “ask.” We’ve trained the field to lead with product, product, product. We’ve built entire marketing funnels that minimize the earning side of the story. We’ve celebrated customer counts while neglecting builder pipelines.
So here we are. Companies everywhere are scratching their heads, wondering where the builders went. The truth? They didn’t disappear. We just stopped inviting them.
Meanwhile, Some Companies Have No Problem
Here’s what makes it all the more glaring: most of the companies that are succeeding today are the ones that never stopped talking about opportunity.
Take Bravenly Global. This relatively young company has seen steady growth, not because it ignored customers, but because it boldly promoted its opportunity story alongside its compelling product story.
Or Ellie MD, which has leaned into the professional credibility of its founders while not shying away from the fact that they are building a serious business model for serious business builders.
Or LifeWave. Love them or hate them, you can’t deny their growth. And you can’t deny that their opportunity messaging is front and center, and they’ve attracted plenty of people who are drawn to both the mission of their science and the possibilities of their opportunity.
None of these companies belittle the importance of customers. None of them downplay product quality. But they’re also unapologetic about the fact that they offer a legitimate business opportunity—and they aren’t afraid to say it.
The Data Speaks Loudly
Recent DSN data underscores this tension. Customer acquisition has been strong across the channel—in fact, stronger than ever in many cases. But recruiting numbers? That’s where the struggle shows. Many companies have seen recruiting shrink year-over-year, even while product sales hold steady.
The exception? Companies that put the opportunity front and center. The data shows they are more likely to sustain recruiting momentum—even through challenging markets.
And here’s another striking point: companies that have leaned into Hispanic markets have outpaced many of their peers over the last five years.
Why? Because the opportunity still resonates deeply in these communities. While much of the channel hesitated to talk about it, Hispanic markets embraced it, attracted by the promise of a better life and the empowerment that entrepreneurship brings. It’s proof that when you do talk about opportunity, people respond.
What are we so afraid of?
Let’s pause here and ask the question that should’ve been asked years ago: what are we so afraid of?
Yes, compliance matters. Yes, we should lead with products. Yes, we must ensure transparency. But none of that requires us to pretend the business opportunity doesn’t exist. None of it demands we whisper about earnings like they’re a dirty secret.
We’ve taken what should have been a course correction—balancing product and opportunity messaging—and turned it into a full-scale retreat. We’ve gone from responsible recalibration to self-inflicted silence.
The Opportunity Is Still a Major Differentiator
Here’s the reality: without the opportunity, we’re just another product company. And in a world of Amazon, Walmart and a million D2C startups, we will lose that fight every time almost every time.
The opportunity is what sets us apart. It’s the engine that drives word-of-mouth, creates loyalty and generates the leadership that builds lasting organizations. And that’s not just because it means someone makes money. It’s because the way they share, and the way they make connections is unique and impactful.
If we bury it, we bury ourselves.
Time to Start Asking Again
So what do we do? We start asking again.
We start talking—clearly, responsibly, but confidently—about the business opportunity. We stop treating it like an embarrassing cousin we only acknowledge at family reunions.
We stop coming up with creative names for who and what we are, and instead we embrace it. We can’t expect others to respect what we do if we don’t respect it ourselves.
We train our leaders to make the invitation again. Compliantly, of course, but we empower and educate them in ways we never have before. We build marketing funnels that don’t just sell products, but sell possibilities.
We don’t swing the pendulum back to opportunity-only—that was the mistake of years past. But we do reclaim our rightful balance. We recognize that opportunity is not the enemy of customer acquisition. In fact, it’s the amplifier of it.
A Challenge and an Invitation
Executives, this is on us. The silence started in the boardroom. It was our strategy decks and compliance reviews that muffled the message. It was our fear that dictated our field’s script.
But here’s the encouraging news: we can change it. Starting today, we can ask again. We can responsibly rebuild cultures that celebrate customers and business builders. We can reclaim the unapologetic clarity that fueled this channel for decades.
The question is: will we?
Because if we want builders, we have to start asking for builders. If we want leaders, we have to start inviting leaders. If we want opportunity to be alive in our companies, we have to start talking about it like it is.
We’ve gotten what we’ve been asking for. If we want something different, it’s time to start asking for it again.
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