Category Archives: Direct Selling Association

Most Requested Video of the Month – How Many Levels Deep is it Legal to Go?

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Charity

MLMLegal.com’s most requested FAQ this month answered in a video by MLM expert Attorney, Jeff Babener: How Many Level Deep (in the compensation plan) is it Legal to Go? The issue of depth of levels seemed to be a major … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Commission, Compensation Plan, Consultants, Consulting, Consumer Protection, Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education | Tagged compensation plan, levels deep, mlm, network marketing | Comments Off

What does “opportunity” mean in the context of network marketing? Video

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Charity

You hear it all the time from distributors. “Opportunity.” What opportunity? What are consultants referring to specifically? Watch the video to see what expert MLM Attorney Jeff Babener has to say. The word “opportunity” is a generic term for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, Distributors, Earnings Calculators, Earnings Claims, For MLM Executives | Tagged mlm, network marketing, opportunity, video | Comments Off

FTC vs. AdvoCare: A Teachable Moment for Direct Selling

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Charity

FTC vs. AdvoCare: A Teachable Moment for Direct Selling By Jeffrey A. Babener © 2019 (First Published in World of Direct Selling) History is Written by the Victor Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering … Continue reading →

Posted in Compliance Guidelines, Consulting, Consumer Protection, Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, Earnings Claims, For MLM Executives, FTC, Headlines, MLM, MLM Companies, MLM in the News, Network Marketing, Press Releases, Pyramid, Recruiting | Tagged Advocare, direct selling, ftc, mlm, network marketing, news, settlement | Comments Off

Direct Selling: The Negatives are Drowned Out by the Positives

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charity

Vocal critics are abundant in the direct selling industry, but the positives drown out the negatives. It’s not hard to find a loud voice criticizing the direct selling industry through a quick Google search. And it is true… there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Commission, Compensation Plan, Compliance Guidelines, Conference, Consultants, Consulting, Consumer Protection, Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, Earnings Claims, Legal, MLM Articles, MLM Startup, Network Marketing, Party Plan, Pyramid, Raiding | Tagged direct selling, law, legal, mlm, Multilevel marketing, negatives, network marketing, positives | Comments Off

Where Do You Go? Reporting an Illegal Pyramid Scheme – New Video!

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Charity

Where Do You Go? Reporting an Illegal Pyramid Scheme A Conversation with Jeff Babener Video Series: Know of an illegal pyramid scheme operating as a legitimate/legal MLM? Where do you go to report it? Are there regulatory agencies that accept … Continue reading →

Posted in Compensation Plan, Consulting, Consumer Protection, Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, For MLM Executives, Home-Based Business, MLM, MLM Startup, Party Plan, Pyramid, Recruiting, Startup, Training, Videos | Tagged direct selling, DSA, illegal mlm, legal, mlm, network marketing, party plan, Pyramid, Pyramid Scheme, reporting, video | Comments Off

New Video! Know the Signs: Pyramid or Legal MLM Company

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charity

Conversations with Jeff Babener: Know the Signs: Pyramid or Legal MLM Company A Conversation with Jeff Babener Video Series: Educate yourself on the difference between a legal MLM company and a pyramid scheme. Learn the keywords, such as front-end loading. Distributors … Continue reading →

Posted in Compensation Plan, Consulting, Consumer Protection, Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, Earnings Claims, For MLM Executives, Home-Based Business, Legal, MLM, MLM Startup, Network Marketing, Party Plan, Pyramid, Startup, Success, Videos | Tagged direct selling, earnings hype, front loading, legal, mlm, network marketing, Pyramid, pyramid schemes, video | Comments Off

The New FTC Direct Selling Guidance… Imperfect, But a Good Start – New Article

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Charity

by Jeffrey A Babener (First Published in World of Direct Selling) Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in Leonard Cohen… Anthem The new FTC Direct Selling … Continue reading →

Posted in Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, For MLM Executives, FTC, Headlines, Home-Based Business, Internal Consumption, Legal, MLM, MLM Articles, MLM Attorney, MLM in the News, Network Marketing, Party Plan, Personal Use, Pyramid, Recruiting | Tagged direct selling, Federal Trade Commission, ftc, HR 3409, law, legal, mlm, network marketing, new article, Pyramid, Pyramid Scheme | Comments Off

FTC and Direct Selling Come to the Table as Stakeholders: H.R. 3409

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Charity

by Jeffrey A Babener (First Published in World of Direct Selling) Everything dies baby, that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back. Bruce Springsteen, Atlantic City By Jeff Babener, Copyright 2017 What a difference a year makes. In a well-received … Continue reading →

Posted in Consulting, Consumer Protection, Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, For MLM Executives, FTC, Headlines, Home-Based Business, Law Cases, Legal, MLM, MLM Articles, MLM Attorney, MLM in the News, Network Marketing, Party Plan, Raiding, Recruiting, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Software/Technology, Startup | Tagged direct selling, Federal Trade Commission, ftc, law, Legal Cases, mlm, Multilevel marketing, network marketing | Comments Off

The Thorny Issues of “Personal Use” in Direct Selling

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Charity

There exists tension between the direct sales industry and industry regulators as to the role of “personal use” of products and services by distributors of MLM companies. The broad and ambiguous language in pyramid legislation has contributed to the problem. … Continue reading →

Posted in Commission, Compliance Guidelines, Consumer Protection, Direct Selling, Direct Selling Association, Distributor Education, Distributors, Earnings Claims, For MLM Executives, Law Cases, Legal, MLM, MLM Articles, MLM Companies, MLM History, Network Marketing, Party Plan, Personal Use, Pyramid, Sales/Selling, Videos | Tagged consumers, direct sales, direct selling, distributors, DSA, law, legal, legitimate, mlm, multilevel marekting, network marketing, personal use, Personal use regulations, Pyramid Scheme, regulators, videos | Comments Off

Check to See if a MLM Company is Legal or a Pyramid Scheme

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Charity

Prospective distributors often ask how they can find out if a MLM, network marketing, or direct selling company is legal or if it’s a pyramid scheme. There are a number of ways to research the company yourself; to be sure … Continue reading →