Rational economic theory might have us believe that cash is the king of all motivators. More money equals more effort, right? A deeper understanding of human behavior, however, reveals surprising insights into what truly motivates us to unleash the potential of our sales network.

Join Charlotte Blank, chief behavioral officer of Maritz, for an exclusive first look at the results of a field study, which leveraged cutting-edge AI modeling techniques to analyze the incentive structure and performance of a large multinational direct selling organization. The results shed light on the optimal strategies for direct selling performance—and the surprising ways our brains can get in the way of our own success.

Grounded in social psychology and behavioral economics, this talk on behavior and motivation will help us shift our perception of direct selling incentives, from transactional to social, identifying actionable insights for ultimate agent motivation.

This session will examine the question, “What are sophisticated e-commerce and gig companies doing to get and keep people that DS companies are not?”  The answer is personalization.

Participants will learn:

• How Amazon, Uber, Netflix and others use the same type of data direct selling companies already have to drive sales from customers, engagement from independent reps and greater retention from both.  

• What top direct selling companies are doing to bring more personalized experiences to customers and distributors.

• The results of a behavioral analysis of 15 million distributors and customers in 85 countries.

• A deeper view into segmenting your field and customers. 

• How leveraging  these segments gives us the ability to create more personalized and effective:

  • Training

  •  Events

  • Communications

  • Promotions

  • Retention strategies

Discover the hidden competitive advantage direct selling companies have, but few are using—an advantage with the potential to make direct selling one of the most competitive and attractive models in the world. 

In today's world of two-way communications, technology has ignited stark changes in consumer preferences and behaviors. Gone are the Mad Men days when communicators had a captive audience of consumers eager to soak up our brand’s vision of the American Dream. 

Today’s consumer does not want to be sold to: they want to be engaged, educated and even entertained. To meet this new demand, brands are engaging with surrogates—third-party voices—to demonstrate that they are credible, respected, popular and worthy of consumers’ business.

This workshop will explore how to use third-party voices to enhance the trust and transparency that sharpen your competitive edge among consumers.  We will also delve into how to maximize the range of third-party voices—media coverage, endorsements and other recognition—can carry an enormous amount of clout and credibility.

• Dr. Anne Coughlan, Polk Bros. Chair in Retailing & Professor of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

• John Kloosterman, Manager, Amway Brand, Amway

• Scentsy, Inc. Senior Executive

This session will dive into key findings from DSA’s 2019 Growth & Outlook market-sizing survey. More specifically, this session will provide actionable insight into how we can better compete with ecommerce companies for sales and attract the new generations of direct sellers to the channel in an increasingly competitive labor market.

DSA Industry Research Committee members will bring the results to life by sharing insights and perspective on trends they’re seeing at their companies and in the industry.

In 2018, 18 percent of respondents to a Perkins Cole survey said they expect the retail sector to see the most investment in augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) technology in the next 12 months, compared to just 7 percent in 2014.

Augmented Reality (AR) has become a powerful marketing and customer engagement tool. Consumers’ real-world experiences are enhanced by integrating digital information with their environment by imposing a graphic on a background using a device application that is triggered by a marker.

Join us for this session as we explore the use of technology in creating immersive experiences to increase consumer engagement with your product and brand. Topics of the session will include:

• History of AR

• AR in everyday life

• AR, Quick Response (QR) and VR: What’s the difference?

• Different uses of AR: Promotional, Informational, 3D Viewers, Contextual Information, Gaming

• What does the future hold for AR?

When it comes to advancing your company’s business objectives, various communications disciplines—corporate communications, marketing communications, internal communications and more—could not be more different.

As we often experience, there’s a healthy tension between marketing to consumers and conveying a corporate image that the broadest range of influencers understand, appreciate and trust.  

This session will explore the unique management and structural approaches that leading direct selling companies have used to ensure that their corporate communications and marketing complement one another, and prevent potential conflict.

Presenters will explain how communications has been integrated across their organizations’ functional business areas, and attendees will gain the practical insights to help fine-tune marketing and corporate communications functions in ways that influence all stakeholders positively.

According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the market for hemp-derived food, supplements and personal care products containing CBD has exploded—surpassing $190 million. And it is expected to skyrocket to beyond $650 million in another five years.

However, the Food and Drug Administration has recently reminded stakeholders that it remains technically unlawful to market CBD as an ingredient because CBD is an active ingredient in an FDA-approved drug and was the subject of substantial clinical investigations prior to being marketed in foods or supplements. At the same time, the agency has noted that there are pathways available for those who seek to lawfully introduce hemp extracts with CBD into interstate commerce.

But these pathways must be lit by science—and the publicly available research on the many variations of hemp-derived CBD products reveals that the science behind this compound is still emerging.

Join this session to learn more about the science behind CBD and its role in regulatory compliance and market growth.

By 2020, Gen Z will make up 40 percent of consumers and 36 percent of the workforce, and significant differences between Gen Z and Millennials are emerging. Is your company ready?

Hear from direct selling execs who have already begun having success as well as outside experts who have done extensive research on this generation.

As the labor market nears full employment and there are an unprecedented part-time, flexible earnings opportunity, this panel will share actionable insights into appealing to Gen Z and setting your company up for long-term success.

Every attendee is unique. So why would you plan a cookie cutter event? Attendees crave personalization. They want events that allow them to hear content that resonates, network with others who share similar interests,and create experiences they’ll never forget. Luckily, personalization is easier than ever. With technology, you can gather data and automate tasks to treat attendees as individuals at every stage of your event.

In the world of hotels and conference centers, occupancy, revenue-per-available room, average daily rates and demand are exceeding the long-term average growth rate. While positive for conference centers and hotels, today’s meeting planner faces an increasingly competitive market climate. When coupled with a range of issues—room piracy, cyber security, green meetings and health and wellness—it is clear that the world of meetings has never been more complex. 

Join this session to:

• Identify ways to optimize your relationships with hotels as well as your key stakeholders

• Explore the internal and external forces that continue pressuring meeting design and meeting dissemination

• Discuss how we no longer have attendees, but rather meeting participants

• Gain a better understanding of the economic environment and how structural changes will have an impact in 2019 and beyond 

You’re doing everything right in social media marketing: you’ve got buy-in from bosses, a strategy for success and your ROI is all figured out.  But if you don’t have a brand voice, you’ll never get from mediocre to amazing. We all know that a social media voice gives a brand a chance to develop a personality and style all its own.  But what is your voice—is it hip, communal, playful, educational, sophisticated, fun, irreverent, inspirational, helpful or a million other adjectives? So how do you find your brand’s voice?

This session will explore:

• Culture – how your corporate culture’s hallmarks can be uniquely represented in social media

• Community – how your community communicates on social media and how to find the right social media tone

• Social Media Channel – how to change to a brand personality that is comfortable, conversational and relatable, and entices your audience to engage in a way that optimizes any social media platform