Channel leaders share strategies for maximizing ROI while meeting modern distributor demands
By Jenna Lang Warford
“…Does it (virtual or in person) matter to the upcoming generations? Will it really matter 10 years from now…?” —Jodi Crater, Senior Vice President of Sales and Development, Lemongrass Spa
“Looking at the data, we didn’t see much bump in sales or recruiting from those that attended virtually.” —Brian Kaminski, Founder, L’Bri Pure n’ Natural
“While some companies may be shifting away from traditional recognition, we’ve chosen to double down on it. Our field thrives on being seen, celebrated, and valued, and we make it a priority every single day.” —Carla Hernandez, VP of Global Marketing, MONAT Global
“…It comes down to your call to action. What do you want your top people—those most engaged in your business—to walk away with?” —Tony Solis, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Jack Winn Pro
The direct selling channel is not the only market experiencing shifts due to changing consumer expectations. After a century as a household name, Del Monte Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Brad Henrickson, chief client officer of Magnetic Creative—a consumer goods branding and marketing agency—notes that while Del Monte faced inflationary pressures, its core product categories lost traction to fresh, organic, and ready-to-eat options.
“The real issue is lack of agility,” Henrickson says. “While newer brands flooded the market with innovation and direct-to-consumer strategies, Del Monte struggled to evolve.”
He added, “This signals yet another major inflection point in the CPG space: modernize or be left behind.”
For the direct selling channel, modernization isn’t necessarily related to products, as these are often cutting-edge. Instead, meeting consumer demand includes offering what today’s distributors and potential distributors value in a side gig.
Aside from straightforward, easy-to-explain compensation plans, remember that events, rewards, and recognition play a large role in distributor satisfaction—and they can be the easiest to shift to meet evolving expectations.
Evolving Events
In every category, direct selling companies are looking for efficacy and ROI, and events are no different.
Companies are experimenting with smaller regional events as opposed to larger national events. They are also making annual leader meetings virtual rather than in-person and combining incentive trips with exclusive training to allow distributors to buy in.
Jodi Crater, senior vice president of sales and development at Lemongrass Spa, notes that there are factors concerning annual conferences that should be regularly reviewed and addressed. “Events is an ongoing conversation that we’re having, especially as we start to look at 2026.”
Crater, who began her direct sales journey in the field, says, “Lemongrass Spa is primarily females that have families, making it harder for them to break away from the daily routine. Even for me, 20 some years ago (when I was in the field), planning to go to conference was a really big deal.”
The Conference Story We All Lean On
Crater acknowledges a key point regarding Gen Z. “Does it matter to the upcoming generations? Will it really matter 10 years from now, if everything becomes AI? It comes down to relationships. We keep saying we need relationships, we have to come back to the relationships because honestly, all voices are all going to sound very similar if we don’t continue to have personal interactions.”
She also addresses brand loyalty. “New generations coming up don’t have the same brand loyalty that our parents did or that we do. That can mean they’re representing more than one direct selling company or multiple brands, and they can’t attend all the conferences. So how do they pick and choose? It’ll be interesting to see, but I know for the next few years we’ll definitely be anchored with at least one solid in-person event where we really put our main product launch for people to really experience it.”
Brian Kaminski, who founded L’Bri Pure n’ Natural with his wife, Linda, after spending 20 years as field leaders, believes there’s a time and place for balancing in-person and virtual conferences. “After the pandemic, I think most of us went virtual-only for a year or two, then it turned into a hybrid, where part of the convention was streamed live. We did that for a couple years and that made sense. People didn’t have to travel, they didn’t have to spend any money.”
Like most successful founders, he balances passion with practicality, which impacts how L’Bri shapes its annual conferences. “Looking at the data, we didn’t see much bump in sales or recruiting from those that attended virtually. Maybe it helped the culture, but to turn it into numbers, I just didn’t see it. So we started weaning off virtual, and now we’re back to no virtual at all. Now, we know the difference. Being in person, being together, it’s so, so, so, powerful.”
No Formula Fits Every Company
Tony Solis, president and chief revenue officer of Jack Winn Pro, says, “When it comes to annual conferences, there can’t be a hard and fast rule of how to deliver, in person or virtual or both. But a great guideline is to look at return on investment. In some cases, business needs should dictate ‘does it make sense to put the company in a financial position of paying out large amounts of money?’
“But more importantly, it comes down to your call to action. What do you want your top people—those most engaged in your business—to walk away with? It’s not a good investment for the company or the distributor if it’s just a fun three days. There needs to be messaging and trainings, and then it should all lead to a call to action. I think those can be missed when the focus is product launches and face-to-face time.”
Erica Gonzalez, now serving as a fractional sales executive with Blue Atlas Strategic Group, tends to agree with Solis’ observations. Her practicality reflects her personal experience as a corporate executive as well as a field member—and both lead her to look at the bottom line.
“When it comes to events, it’s important to take into account the average commission of the (active) field. So when we present these conferences, yes, people will make it happen or not, and yes, they will have a huge opportunity to build something strong from that, but as corporate leaders it’s important that we don’t allow these conferences to simply be a ‘hurrah’ moment focused on the “feel goods” that—like drugs—require constant feeding to maintain.
Achieving the Desired Outcome
Both corporate and the field expect a return on their conference/event investments. “We have to ensure that they’re walking away with tangible action items, knowing what specific activities will produce the outcomes they’re looking for,” Gonzalez says.
“We’re all in the business of making money, but distributors are not employees selling products for us,” she adds. Her vision for generating results begins with creating enthusiasm to get the field to the conference.
“Imagine the narrative that is around conference when we say ‘We want to invest in you because you’re investing in us,’ then having a very affordable event. Because reality is people are going to be driving in, and if it’s during the week and people work, they’re going to take time off investing eight hours working somewhere that will give them that salary at the end of the week. We cannot guarantee that. So the highest priority is creating a really incredible FOMO experience.”
She reiterates, “We’re not throwing a party with this gathering. We’re throwing a high-level opportunity for them to walk away with incredible activities, notebooks, action items that are relevant to what they want to achieve.”
A Crucial Success Component for Events
Telling the story of an event isn’t just about generating enthusiasm for attendees, Gonzalez points out. “It’s important to set expectations for events,” she says. “There have been regional gatherings that would cost over $100,000 for 200–300 people (clearly a larger region). And if 90% of them were field, I would be livid because the point wasn’t to throw parties for distributors; the point was to throw parties so that distributors can bring prospects. The goal for a regional event would be somewhere in the neighborhood of having 50% of the distributors bringing a prospect. So it’s crucial to promote the event in a way that the expectation among the leaders is that their people can use the event to let corporate do the heavy lifting of recruiting for them.”
There are different priorities when it comes to national conferences, according to Gonzalez. “Now the priorities should be training distributors to become a top seller and a top recruiter. Too often, we’re using these expensive-to-us and expensive-to-the-field events to create feel good moments. There has to be a stronger strategy because the field is spending money and we’re spending money. We have to implement a strategy so that they walk away with how they can do it.”
Otherwise, the outlook is bleak, she says. “I’ve worked on the corporate side and the field side, and if the field walks away with nothing except for that event high, well, that only gets you so much.”
Focusing on Energy Rather Than Distractions
Carla Hernandez, vice president of global marketing at MONAT, also believes that when they’re done right, events are an excellent investment for both the field and the company. “We fully believe in the power of in-person events—the energy, the connection, the inspiration that happens when people come together simply can’t be replicated. We’ve seen firsthand how face-to-face experiences spark growth, deepen belief, and create lasting community.”
She continued, “While we absolutely see the value in virtual tools to expand access and complement our strategy, we are not stepping away from live events. In fact, we actively encourage our Market Partners to prioritize human connection—whether that’s through hosting local meetups, attending large-scale events like MONATions, or simply building relationships with their customers in real life.”
For Gonzalez, whether an event is live or virtual isn’t really the question. “For us, the future isn’t about choosing between formats—it’s about leading with purpose. We’ll continue to invest in in-person experiences and use virtual as a way to support, not replace, the impact of presence,” she says.
Recognition & Its Realities
It’s no secret that most people aren’t acutely or even actively aware of the impact that receiving recognition can create. Yet, it is undeniably one of the facets of the culture of direct selling that many field members say they cherish most.
With some companies reducing corporate sales teams and field development staff members, the tasks required for regular recognition can easily slip through the cracks and become less of a focus, to the detriment of the company.
Savvy executives are reviewing how, where and why to recognize to maximize impact.
Solis shifted Jack Winn Pro’s corporate recognition this year. When he started with the company, recognition had fun names and descriptions, but much didn’t correlate with KPIs or desired leadership behaviors.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that we should be recognizing the behaviors that we need from our leadership,” Solis says. “We need to recognize things like recruiting, and then also mentorship. I would actually put mentorship above recruiting because in the end, top recruiters aren’t necessarily top mentors.”
He emphasizes that top retailers also need recognition. “When you’ve got an incredible group of retailers, they drive a vast majority of a business, so they’ve got to have their name called, get a chance to stand up, have their moment of crossing the stage.”
The Crucial Element for Volunteer Armies
Solis practices what many on the corporate side agree with: “I ascribe to the value that the more recognition, the better. Of course, you need to have a story, you need to have great products, you need to have compensation nailed down, you definitely need education and field development.
“But statistics show that recognition is one of the biggest hot buttons for those who are actually doing the work our channel values: sales, sponsoring, and mentorship. Therefore, the key to creating and sustaining growth is prioritizing recognition and rewards.”
Hernandez, too, is emphatic about the topic of recognizing achievers. “While some companies may be shifting away from traditional recognition, we’ve chosen to double down on it. Our field thrives on being seen, celebrated, and valued, and we make it a priority every single day.”
MONAT has established clear shoot-for-the-stars as well as inspirational recognition categories, according to Hernandez. “From our Million Dollar Club with over 100 members, to the MONAT Motor Club, to our Visionary Founders Pool, recognition at MONAT is real-time, meaningful, and deeply integrated into our culture. These programs don’t just reward results—they inspire belief, create aspiration, and reinforce the impact our Market Partners are making.”
She is firm on mastering the basics, too. “Best practices in recognition come down to consistency, personalization and visibility. It’s about celebrating not just the big milestones but the everyday wins that drive momentum. At MONAT, recognition is not just a moment—it’s a movement.”
Learning What’s Important
Kaminski notes that L’Bri has a history of over a decade of making recognition a priority. “Maybe 10 years ago we didn’t do as much recognition, but it evolved as we learned that it’s so important. So we have made it a priority to recognize every step—even every baby step—in the compensation plan.
“I personally call each person that promotes up in the plan. It takes a while, and I probably end up talking to 35% of the people I call. But the field loves it. It sounds a little weird, but with the voicemail, they’re thrilled, they even say they save the recording.
“We do recognition on Facebook, in the newsletter, too. We’re also big on gifts. When they hit certain goals they’ll get flowers, or a nice purse and a letter from (Kaminski’s wife and L’Bri co-founder) Linda.”
Crater agrees that shifting how the corporate team prioritizes recognition can be crucial. “When it’s an existing company, how you’ve always done things isn’t necessarily how they should be done moving forward. I think there’s often a lot of opportunity to focus on the small wins—the kind that are frequently overlooked.”
Recognizing the reality of a volunteer sales force makes that even more important. “Most people are not going to immediately go to the top of a comp plan,” she says, “so recognize that first customer, that first time somebody sponsors someone—all those early wins. When you immediately receive recognition from the home office, you understand that activity is important. Companies that want longevity and are aiming for good retention can help lay the foundation for those by immediately recognizing those first wins.”
This is key, as Crater notes that within some brands downline relationships can lean more towards the tactical or transactional. “I think that if we can give the field the skills and methods on how to lead, they can help shift the culture in their own team, but that skill set will usually have to start with the company and the transition will be team by team.”
Recognition Creates Appeal
A Bankrate survey revealed that in 2024 more than a third of U.S. adults (approximately 94 million) had a side hustle. While some are earning cash through delivery, vacation rentals or reselling their used items, none of those models offer the component of events or peer recognition above and beyond the compensation model.
By optimizing these, direct selling companies can leverage what they’ve created a tradition of in order to appeal to and retain distributors.
