Guides for consultants
Direct sales, explained and done well.
Practical, honest guides for every stage: picking a company, understanding the pay plan, booking parties, marketing, recruiting and keeping customers coming back.
24 free guides · updated October 2026
Start here
The essentials, in the order we'd read them.
New to direct sales or weighing up an offer? These five cover how the model works, what it pays, and how to tell a real opportunity from a scheme.
- What is Direct Sales?The model, the three ways people sell, and how consultants get paid.
- Direct Sales 101Your first 90 days: choosing a company, the kit, the first party, the numbers.
- Direct Sales vs Pyramid SchemesWhere the money comes from, the FTC's test and the red flags to check.
- Affiliate vs Direct SalesFlat commission or a team plan? Tiers, pros, cons and who each one suits.
- Industry StatisticsSales, sellers, categories and what participants really earn.
Getting started
How the business works and how to pick the right company.
Choosing a Direct Sales CompanyProduct, pay plan, costs and culture: a scorecard for picking the right company.Established vs New CompaniesThe trade-offs between joining a household name and getting in early.Multi-Level Marketing ExplainedHow MLM and network marketing pay, the words they use, and what to check.Party Plan CompaniesHow party plan businesses work and how to compare them.Party Plan SellingRunning a party from booking to follow-up, in person or online.Work-at-Home Jobs for ParentsDirect sales and other flexible work: what's real, what pays, what to avoid.
Tips by topic
Booking, parties, marketing, recruiting, selling and team training.
Booking
Fill your calendar and keep parties from cancelling.
Home parties
Ideas that turn one party into the next three.
Marketing
Reach customers in person and online without the hard sell.
- Methods of Direct Sales MarketingEvery way consultants reach customers, mapped on reach, trust and effort.
- 5 Offline Marketing TipsEvents, print and local tactics that still work face to face.
- Content Marketing for ConsultantsPosts, short videos and blogs that bring customers to you.
- Marketing in Online CommunitiesGroups and forums without being the spammy consultant.
- Use Customer TestimonialsCollect and share real customer stories, the compliant way.
Recruiting
Share the opportunity honestly and build a team that lasts.
Selling
Look after customers so they come back.
Team training
Train and work with your team.
Ready to compare companies?
Startup costs, commission ranges and real reviews for the direct sales companies in our directory, side by side.
Direct Sales Aid›Articles
