The direct sales world has changed.
My thinking has too.
If you’re holding one of my signed books right now — thank you. That book was written in 2019. A lot has happened since then… a pandemic, the way people like to shop, and the way we now sell. And I’ve been thinking it’s time to write an updated edition based on modern direct selling today.
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A note from Becky
Here’s what I’ve been sitting with.
I wrote 52 Tips to Build a Thriving Direct Sales Business because I genuinely believed every tip in it — and it’s exactly how I built my own sales business. I still believe the fundamentals — passion matters, relationships matter, customer service matters. None of that has changed.
But the tactics have changed. The platforms have changed. The culture around direct sales has changed. And if I’m being honest, some of what I taught — the warm market lists, the Facebook VIP groups, the “two conversations a day” hustle math — feels like advice from a different era.
“The seller who keeps winning? She’s not hustling harder. She owns her platform, builds her audience, and runs her business like a system.”
Since this book was published, I’ve built a multi-million dollar training company, trained tens of thousands of direct sellers, and spoken on corporate stages for some of the biggest names in the industry — supporting everything from new consultant onboarding to leadership development and acquisitions. What that time has given me, more than anything, is a front-row seat to what’s actually working now — and what quietly stopped working.
That’s the book I want to write next. And I want to write it with you.
Before we talk about what’s different
Let’s talk about what hasn’t changed at all.
Because before I tell you what I’d do differently, I want to be really clear about something: I still believe in this industry. Deeply. Here’s what’s just as true today as the day I wrote that first book.
People still buy from people they trust
The relationship is still the product. Your customers aren’t just buying what you sell — they’re buying you. Your recommendation, your enthusiasm, your “I thought of you when I saw this.” No algorithm replaces that. No big box store can replicate it. That human connection is your superpower and always will be.
People love to shop together and share what they love
Nobody had to invent social commerce — it’s just human nature. People have always gathered around things they love, told their friends, brought their sister along, and asked “where did you get that?” The impulse to share a great find hasn’t changed. Direct sellers are just really, really good at being that great find.
Serving your customers well is still everything
The follow-up. The handwritten note. Remembering someone’s birthday or that they mentioned their daughter’s wedding. Going above and beyond because you genuinely care — not because a script told you to. That level of service is rare, it’s memorable, and it builds the kind of loyalty that no ad budget can buy.
Repeat customers and a team are still the path to real income
The math hasn’t changed. A loyal customer who reorders is worth ten one-time buyers. A team of motivated sellers multiplies what you can do alone. Building repeat business and growing a team as an income stream — that’s still the engine. We’re just going to talk about how to build it in a way that feels sustainable and good.
This is still one of the best ways to step into entrepreneurship
Low startup cost. A proven product. Built-in community. Training and support from day one. For a woman who wants to build something of her own — with flexibility, real income potential, and a network of people cheering her on — direct sales is still one of the most accessible on-ramps to owning a business that exists. I believe that as much as I ever did. (And I’m proof!)
So if all of that is still true — and it is — then what has changed?
The tactics. The tools. The platforms. The playbook we were all handed when we started. Some of it still works. Some of it quietly stopped working years ago and nobody told us. And some of it — the cold DMs, the copy-paste messages, the hustle-until-you-drop energy — was never really working the way we thought it was.
Here’s what I’ve learned. ⬇️
What I know now
Five things that have genuinely shifted in direct sales
These aren’t small updates. These are fundamental changes to how the most successful direct sellers are building their businesses today — and they deserve their own chapter.
1. From your warm market to a brand that attracts the right people
THEN
Make your FRANKS list. Work your warm market. Keep them coming back for more.
NOW
Start with your warm market, then get out of it as fast as you can. Build a brand that attracts new followers, customers, hosts, and teammates you met because they wanted to learn more about you.
Your warm market is still a real and valid starting point — I’m not throwing that out. But it was never meant to be your whole business. The sellers who build something sustainable are the ones who use their warm market to get momentum, then invest in a brand and content strategy that keeps bringing new people in long after the launch energy fades.
2. From private Facebook groups to public content that gets discovered
THEN
Build your Facebook VIP Group. Post games, memes, and deals in a closed, secret, exclusive group. Post, post, post. That’s your business hub.
NOW
Post publicly so strangers can find you, follow you, and share you. Discoverability is the whole game.
A private group is a dead end — nobody outside it can find you. Public content compounds. Someone shares your reel, a stranger finds your page, becomes a follower, becomes a customer. That can’t happen inside a closed group. Show up across all the platforms, but start where your biggest audience already lives and build out from there.
3. From hustling harder to building systems that work without you
THEN
Remember when “boss babe” was a personality? When hustle was the whole strategy and burning out just meant you weren’t working hard enough? Yeah. We’ve all grown since then.
NOW
Lean into automation for follow-up. Set up sequences that run in the background. Stop being the bottleneck in your own business.
Systems and automation can still be personal. They also mean you can serve more people, more consistently, without being chained to your phone 24/7. These systems will keep your business going when life happens — and they’ll help you build without burning out.
4. From rented space to a platform you actually own
THEN
Your company’s replicated website and your social profiles are your online presence. That’s enough.
NOW
Social is rented land. Your website and email list are the assets you own — and the only ones that survive an algorithm change.
Every platform you build on but don’t own can change the rules on you overnight — and they will. An algorithm update, a policy change, a platform that falls out of favor. The sellers building long-term businesses have an email list they control and a website that works for them 24/7. That’s not optional anymore. It’s the foundation.
5. AI and automation — a brand new chapter
THEN
Not mentioned once in the original book. It simply didn’t exist as a tool for regular business owners yet.
NOW
AI can write your emails, caption your posts, help you brainstorm offers, and support your follow-up — in a fraction of the time.
This is probably the biggest opportunity most direct sellers aren’t using yet. The new book will have a full chapter on AI as a business tool — not scary, not complicated, just genuinely useful for the kind of work you do every day.
You’re invited!
I’m looking for direct sellers to help shape this book.
Not just to read it — to actually influence it. What resonates? What’s missing? What do you wish someone had told you years ago? Beta readers get early access to chapters as they’re written, and their feedback gets woven into the final book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hey, I’m Becky.
I’m the CEO and co-founder of Modern Direct Seller, a podcast host, keynote speaker, and trainer for some of the biggest direct sales companies in the country. I’ve been in this industry for over a decade — as a seller, a leader, a coach, and a very loud advocate for doing this differently.
My original book was written in 2019. I’m proud of it. And I also know it’s time for an updated version that reflects what I’ve actually learned since then — and what’s actually working now.
If you’ve been in direct sales for more than five minutes, you know the playbook has changed. This book is the one I wish existed right now.
