Jeff Stroud, former CEO at Private Quarters, Direct Selling Association (DSA) Board Member and Chairman of the DSA Strategic Planning Committee, has posted a fantastic feature article to his blog about the future of direct selling. His message of progressive and transparent thinking is spot on and should be required reading for any direct selling executive. According to his post …

“One of my favorite movie moments is a scene from the film Jerry Maguire. It’s where Jerry, a successful sports agent becomes inspired to write a critical “mission statement” for his industry. The business had been overrun by greedy agents and players who cared little about the game and mostly about making money (“Show me the money!”). Jerry stays up all night writing his statement, hands it out to his colleagues the next day and subsequently gets fired from his firm.

It is not easy to write down and share honest thoughts when something has gone very wrong, especially with so many entrenched interests at stake. Jerry’s mission statement is entitled “The Things We Think but Do Not Say”. I present here ideas that I know many in the direct selling industry are already thinking… but need to be said openly.

Direct selling is now at a decisive crossroads, and how we respond to the challenges facing us today will determine if the next decade is one of remarkable prosperity or one of yawning mediocrity for our industry.

With the ushering in of 2013, direct selling is being bullied by the greed of Wall Street hedge funds, accused of unethical and illegal pyramid schemes. We are challenged by the emerging social commerce, where companies outside our industry are incorporating elements of our business model and creating new and innovative hybrids. We are being accused of becoming stale and irrelevant to younger generations of prospects as fast-growing companies declare that the old-school direct sales business model is in musty and in need a “modern day makeover”.”

To continue reading Jeff’s article, click here.