The Southwestern Company Difference Blog
So, about an hour ago, my phone rang. The young man on the other end politely asked a question: “Are the students independent contactors?”
To this I confirmed that, yes, the students who participate in Southwestern Company’s summer sales program are independent contractors who run their own independent businesses.
He then said, “So, your company does not share if there is a loss financially?”
I then answered by saying no, further explaining how the students purchase products at wholesale (not upfront, by the way…) and sell them at retail utilizing the direct selling business model where they make a profit over the original wholesale price.
The formerly polite young man then said: “Nice scam!”
Two things you need to know about me: (1) I love a challenge; and (2) I love to educate people about the benefits of direct selling and, specifically, the Southwestern Company summer sales program. It’s something I believe in because I’ve experienced it.
I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to enlighten a young person who was under a few misconceptions about our program, and from the sound of it, direct selling in general. Why did he have the opinion he did? He simply did not have the facts.
I attempted to explain the program in simple terms. If the student dealers apply the training they receive in the week-long “Sales School” and are actively demonstrating products to families – Southwestern Company recommends 30 demos/day – thus generating a customer base, there should be no financial loss, but a gain. (I actually went into a little more detail, but you get the picture…). I then continued to explain how it is a simple matter of math: you sell more then you spend.
I was wasting by breath. You see, it took me a while to realize he had hung up shortly after he yelled out, “Nice scam!”
I guess those not willing to learn, are harder to teach. This person was not the first and certainly will not be the last to characterize something they do not understand as a scam, pyramid scheme or even cult – especially in the direct selling arena. Those are often terms used by people who just do not know any better. More so, they are not willing to learn or be told any different.
I hope the young man got a laugh out of hanging up on me, but what’s sad is he won’t be laughing when he is close-minded to understanding something later in his life that may be much more important in business or even his personal life.
