In late spring 2022, DSA released its Strategic Plan 2022. The plan is a direct result of months-long collaboration by members of the Strategic Planning Committee with DSA senior staff.
On behalf of the entire DSA team, I would like to especially thank Strategic Planning Committee Chair Chris Stubbs, Senior Vice President, Global Sales & Operations, Nu Skin Enterprises, for leading this effort. I also want to thank Cindy Monroe, Founder, Thirty-One Gifts, Asma Ishaq, CEO, Modere USA, Inc., and Mark Stastny, Chief Marketing Officer, Scentsy, Inc., for their leadership and partnership.
This strategic plan was unanimously approved on June 4, 2022 at the DSA Board of Directors annual meeting in Boca Raton. DSA, together with some of the channel’s leading thinkers, envision a future in which robust commercial, community, environmental and regulatory partnerships contribute to a healthy, vibrant and sustainable future for member companies.
Although the activities of the Association have supported and contributed to the growth of our business model, significant challenges and opportunities remain and are growing for direct sellers in a changing marketplace and regulatory environment.
Still, as a non-profit self-regulatory entity representing the interests of the entire business model and all of our member companies, the Association is well positioned to assist its members. Driving the plan are four key value propositions that DSA delivers to member companies:
- Stimulating vibrant commercial growth by positioning the channel to appeal to a younger salesforce and company audience, educating members on what is next for our digital transformation, convening discussions on the evolution of compensation plans and working to attract top talent with a broad range of life perspectives and diverse, cultural experience.
- Ensuring a supportive regulatory environment by advocating before the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Labor and elected officials while fighting to preserve the ability of independent contractors to build their businesses on their own terms.
- Continuing the Association’s efforts to build broader awareness of the direct selling channel’s self-regulatory entity, the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), while actively developing strategies for the next generation of self-regulation.
- Expanding the direct selling community and its collaboration with a range of technology media influencers by cultivating new relationships and partnerships that will help the channel grow.
DSA members are invited to visit the Membership tab on DSA.org to view the strategic plan in greater depth. On behalf of the entire DSA staff, Executive Committee and Board of Directors, I encourage executives from every DSA member company to engage in making this vision for direct sellers a reality.
Contact me at joseph.mariano@dsa.org—I’d be delighted to share the spark so that you may help shape what the channel is to become.
JOSEPH N. MARIANO is the President of the U.S. Direct Selling Association and the Direct Selling Education Foundation.
From the October 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
