Orrin, I do agree that it is time for a new association to represent those of us in the field (“distributors” to be used here forward) as a whole across network marketing as you have suggested based on a lack of a representation of us currently. From what I could find in the Direct Selling Association’s (DSA’s) website, they are mainly concerned with the member companies and for the protection of the consumers that purchase from them. Their mission and cornerstone are as follows:

“The Association's mission is ‘To protect, serve and promote the effectiveness of member companies and the independent business people they represent. To ensure that the marketing by member companies of products and/or the direct sales opportunity is conducted with the highest level of business ethics and service to consumers.’ The cornerstone of the Association's commitment to ethical business practices and consumer service is its Code of Ethics. Every member company pledges to abide by the Code's standards and procedures as a condition of admission and continuing membership in the Association”.

After reviewing the DSA’s Code of Ethics, which I urge you all to do for yourselves, there are no areas specifically written to “protect and serve” the distributors in networking marketing as a whole from the network marketing companies that set policies that directly harm the distributors. We need an organization that is created to initiate win/win policies between the distributors and the network marketing companies. As it has been said time and time again, “products don’t move people, people move products” and without the distributors, none of the networking marketing companies could exist. If totalitarian network marketing companies do not institute free enterprise principles, eventually, these companies will not exist (well not as network marketing companies anyway). No distributors = no sales = no income. These companies would have to convert to other sales methods, and why do that when so many companies already exist in that arena? For network marketing companies to transition out of network marketing is against Jim Collins “hedgehog concept”, but we’ll leave that for another time. I do not see these type of changes being made in the DSA’s Code of Ethics, especially with corporate officers/directors from totalitarian companies sitting on the DSA currently! We need an organization initially that is led by key distributors (not corporate officers/directors) from numerous direct selling agencies to represent distributors! This is going to take a “Stage 4 Tribe” as described in Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright, where we’re working against the totalitarian policies within the network marketing field. This would then be the creation of a truly free enterprise system in the network marketing field, which would be a “catalyst” to putting network marketing where it should be in the sales industry, at the top! This effort could and probably should over time be transitioned to a “Stage 5 Tribe” (Tribal Leadership) where this new organization (something possibly named the Network Marketing Field Association) would merge with the DSA to have the best of both worlds, an organization that truly is looking out for all aspects of the network marketing industry. That's going to take a leader who truly understands "Stage 5" leadership (hint, hint). It's going to take additional leaders from other organizations to buy in to the idea and step up as well. We should have an initiative – maybe something in the Network Marketing Times, starting the discussion of this type of organization. I think you would be great at leading the way Orrin (not that I'm trying to add anything else to your plate)? Anyone else have any ideas or suggestions? God Bless, Ben Zeier