April 29, 2019
Legitimate direct selling and pyramid schemes have often been confused. While there are clear distinctions between the two, pyramid scheme promoters do everything possible to disguise what they really do and to represent themselves as legitimate network marketing activities. We will go over some of the most frequently asked questions on this topic: 1. What […]
Read MoreApril 8, 2019
Early this year, what the individual direct sellers had been earning abruptly made the headlines. There was a report from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in the U.S., according to the news. The US Direct Selling Association responded to this, saying there was no such report and there was “actually a comment submitted by a […]
Read MoreOctober 15, 2018
“Cost multiple” has been a very popular concept in direct selling. For those who are not that familiar with this concept, it is a numerical value showing how much retail sales is to be achieved with “one unit” of product cost. Direct selling consultant Dan Murphy says in his article The Implications of a Trade […]
Read MoreSeptember 17, 2018
This week’s article is a short compilation of questions that are frequently directed to those in the direct selling industry. These questions are asked either because of being less or misinformed or due purely to prejudices. I am sure many of you have come across some or all of these. Here are my usual answers […]
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2018
In 1975, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused Amway of operating as a pyramid scheme. Many people might think this case had lasted a few months at most but actually it took four years until 1979. As an introductory note, the Federal Trade Commission has the regulatory authority over direct selling businesses in the […]
Read MoreJanuary 22, 2018
Guest author Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the U.S. Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct selling […]
Read MoreDecember 11, 2017
Throughout my career within the direct selling industry, I have received many questions on one of the main components of any direct sales business: The Compensation Plan. Some of these questions aimed at understanding what this “mysterious plan” was all about. The intentions behind some others were to have a good, solid, competitive plan and […]
Read MoreDecember 4, 2017
Guest author Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the U.S. Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct selling […]
Read MoreOctober 9, 2017
Guest author Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the U.S. Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct […]
Read MoreDecember 12, 2016
Jeffrey A. Babener, of Portland, Oregon, is the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 30 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various major direct selling […]
Read MoreNovember 14, 2016
The participants at the U.S. Direct Selling Association’s Business & Policy Conference a few weeks ago listened to an important speech. The speech was given by the Federal Trade Commission’s Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. It was dedicated to the FTC vs Herbalife Settlement and more importantly, how the Commission would take it from there. Highlights From […]
Read MoreAugust 22, 2016
This guest post is from Jeffrey A. Babener, the principal attorney in the law firm of Babener & Associates. For more than 25 years, he has advised leading U.S. and foreign companies in the direct selling industry, including many members of the Direct Selling Association. He has served as legal advisor to various NYSE direct selling companies, including […]
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