A guide to Direct Sales for Men – (including companies)

Did you know that in 2019, there were over 119 million people involved in direct sales?

Holy cow.

That makes direct sales one of the absolute largest industries on the planet.

There’s something a bit different about it though, at least compared to the other top dogs.

While many/most other industries historically have been very male dominated, direct sales is not.

Far from it actually.

A very large majority of the industry is female, a whopping 74 % in 2019. And it has been so since the beginning.

There is something happening in the industry though, if we take a look at the gender ratios in the US(the most dominant DS country) over the last few years, we find something very interesting.

The % of men has increased from around 12% to 26%, more than doubling it’s share. And it isn’t because fewer women are getting involved.

It can still be difficult to navigate the industry as a man, a lot of content is still catered towards women, which is why we created this article.

In it, we want to guide you to what matters and most importantly, learn the most important skill for your success in the world of direct sales.

Do you know what it is?

Take a guess and I promise you’ll get the answer later in this article.

SO, WHY IS IT A FEMALE DOMINATED INDUSTRY?

The answer to this is two part, one has to do with the history of the industry and the other has to do with what industries companies have chosen to target.

We won’t get too deep into why it’s historically been a female dominated industry, this is after all an article about direct selling for guys.

In short, it’s because of 2 major reasons:

CONSUMABLE PRODUCTS:
Since women generally use more consumable products than men, there are a lot more profitable industries that target them in which direct sales companies can be launched.
THE PERFECT RECRUITS AT THE PERFECT TIME
In the infancy of the direct sales industry as we know it today, something interesting was discovered by the founders of one of the first “real” direct sales companies. They noticed that there were a lot of housewives without jobs and with loads of freetime. This therefore made them perfect targets for starting their own direct sales businesses. It benefited them after all, they were able to make some extra money and at the same time get out of the house, something quite unusual for the time being.

Though the industry historically has been very geared towards women, it does not by any stretch mean that the industry doesn’t work for men. There are loads of mlm millionaires that are men for example.

HOW DO YOU SUCCEED IN DIRECT SALES AS A MAN

We have a great guide that goes in-depth on this, no matter your gender, but below you’ll find the short and sweet version.

If we break it down, it really comes down to a few steps

Choosing a company that works for YOU
Learning the right skills
Using these skills to build your business

This is of course an oversimplification, but read on to get into the nitty gritty.

WHAT ARE THE BEST DIRECT SALES COMPANIES FOR MEN?

If you’re looking for direct sales companies for men, these might be worth looking into.

We’re not personally recommending any of the companies on the list but they are at the very least a good start, since they seem to have attracted more men than the rest of companies in the industry.

Are there really any “best” companies for men out there?

If you’re asking yourself this question, you might not want to hear the answer.

…….

There really isn’t.

…….

A big problem with the direct sales industry, at least for choosing a company, is that they’re all bundled together. Like they are all equal and fit everyone.

The thing is though, the world doesn’t work that way.

Just because Sally is making a ton of money selling fitness products and programs doesn’t mean that you will too.

Sally might be the biggest fitness buff around and have such an aura of expertise that helping people with fitness comes naturally to her.

The only thing that stands true, through all direct sales companies, is the sales part of the business. If you’re good at it, you can succeed in almost any company, though you might not do as good or enjoy it as much as Sally.

I don’t want you to leave this post empty handed if you came here looking for companies though, so therefore here is a list of direct sales companies for men, in no particular order.

SALES IS ABOUT CONTEXT.

Just like in the example of Sally, a person selling something has to feel natural for that product. That’s why a man selling makeup might not work too well(even if he might be very skilled) since people’s first reaction usually is that he doesn’t know what he is talking about.

Choosing a company that’s naturally works for you is therefore important.

It isn’t just about gender though. If you’re unhealthy or obese, you won’t make a good impression selling health/fitness products.

If you seem sloppy, you probably won’t be able to sell from a fashion company.

You can get around this by not selling things that are personal or depend as much on you as a person.

You still need a lot of knowledge and ability to be an authority though, but it has less to do with who you are/look like than what you know and can help your customer with.

LEARNING THE RIGHT SKILLS

To run a successful business there are loads of useful skills that propel you to success. There is one that rise above the rest though. Sales

It’s called Direct SALES for a reason.

Think about it, the goal of a business is to make money. Without it, you don’t have a business.

Sales is about making money by selling a product or service.

Therefore number one skill that will therefore help you to succeed is: sales

If you’re not IN business to make a sale, then you’ll soon be OUT of business

Props to art Jonak for this great quote in his Facebook group: Network Marketing revolution

We like to put this even more straight: SELL or DIE. It sounds harsh, but it’s the truth in any business, if you can’t make sales your business will die.

No matter what model of direct sales you work with:

Single level marketing
Multi-level marketing/network marketing
Party plan

They’re all about bringing money in.

And how does a company bring money in?

They sell products or services to people who need them.

It doesn’t matter what kind of compensation plan you have, or what kind of bonuses you can earn. All of those things are just optimizations of what you already earn. What matters is selling product and creating a solid customer base first and foremost. All else is secondary.

Think of yourself as a reseller, just like any store who would buy products from one company to sell on.

JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE PART OF A DIRECT SALES COMPANY DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU NEED TO RUN A DIRECT SALES BUSINESS.

You can offer the products just like any other business would where you do your own branding , even offering multiple other products and even services(just check if your ds company has rules regarding it). The key is creating a brand around your vertical, not the direct sales company.

USING THE SKILL(S) – A SALES PROCESS THAT WORKS FOR MEN

You’re not some shady con man that takes people’s money by “tricking” them.

You genuinely wanna help people.

But you also want to make money and succeed.

I have some news for you, the two go hand-in-hand.

The more people you help, the more money you’ll make.

Sales isn’t about using tricks and slick talking to get people to buy. It’s rather about really getting to know people so that you can then HELP them. A successful sales person is also the person who is able to help the most people.

And to help as many people you need a process to do so effectively. Sales can essentially be broken down to a process. No salesperson is better than their process and how well they perform each part.

Become sufficient enough in the area so that you can give out recommendations
Figure out who needs/wants what you sell.
Make a list of people who match this
Get in front of these people
Be geniuniely helpful to them and find out what they need
Only present your products if you notice that they have a need for them .
(Always follow up — even if it seems hopeless)
Make the sale if there’s a good fit.
Make them into satisfied and loyal long-term customers by continually providing value

If you’re still on board with helping people then I have a new mantra for you that’ll help put yourself in the customer’s shoes.

WOULD YOU BUY WHAT YOU’RE SELLING?

This simple question is probably the most important thing you can ask yourself as a salesperson.

It helps you determine whether you and your sales pitch are trustworthy enough.

Trust is the most valuable commodity of any salesperson, and understanding its value is what separates a shady salesman from a top seller.

Keep asking yourself this question and refining your process until your answer is a resounding “Yes!”

LAST THOUGHTS

Perhaps the most encouraging thing you’ll learn about sales is that Hollywood is just peddling bullshit when it comes to salespeople. In movies, like The wolf of wall street, they are portrayed as greedy con-men which has led to people imagining a spammy telemarketer or used-car salesman when they think of salespeople. Sure, there will always be Jordan Belfort types in the world, but in the end they all get caught and exposed. At the end of the day, the most consistently successful salespeople are actually honest, dependable and helpful to a fault.

Too many see sales as a way to enrich ourselves rather than a way to create win-win relationships with other people just like us. In reality, sales done right should be indistinguishable from effective networking.

By identifying problems and guiding people to the right solutions, you will not only become a better salesperson, you’ll also exponentially increase your business network, get more referrals and become a trusted authority in your industry.

Zinzino	Amway
Direct cellars	Nevetica
WOR(L)D GLOBAL NETWORK	Vorwerk
Herbalife	Telecom Plus
Primerica	Ambit Energy