The Direct Seller's Podcast
The Direct Seller's Podcast
Why Direct Sales Is the Best Training Ground for Your Next Chapter
Think you’re “just” a direct seller? Think again. In this episode, Rachel is holding up a mirror to show you the massive skillset you’ve built—one that’s primed and ready for something more. If you’ve been wondering whether you’re qualified to build your own thing, this one’s going to hit you right in the gut (in the best way).
Key Points Covered:
- Your direct sales biz is actually your personal growth bootcamp
→ From learning how to lead, sell, market, and train—this business has stretched and grown you more than you think. - The transferable skills you’re not giving yourself credit for
→ Marketing, sales, leadership, resilience, conflict resolution, customer service, and more. Yes, you’ve done it all. - You already have the audience—now let’s create the offer
→ Rachel explains how your list, your connections, and your content experience set you up for a successful digital product. - The lie of “I need more credentials”
→ Why you don’t need another course or certificate to start building something of your own. - A personal story of rediscovering worth after believing she had “nothing marketable”
→ Rachel shares her own identity crisis and how it revealed just how prepared she already was.
Freebie Alert:
Want help figuring out what kind of digital product to create? DM 75 to @rachelaperry on Instagram or email rachel@rachelaperry.com and grab the Digital Product Idea Vault—75 plug-and-play product ideas to help you take the first step.
Closing Reminder:
Your direct sales company isn’t your end game—it’s your training ground. The tools, skills, and audience you’ve built are proof you’re ready for more. You don’t need permission. You just need to start.
Hang out with me more!
Send me the message PODCAST over on Instagram at @rachelaperry and I’ll send you my "Parties-Optional Profit Plan!"
For Additional Resources for Direct Sellers:
www.rachelaperry.com
Welcome to the Direct Sellers Podcast, the podcast for direct sellers who are ready to get uncomfortable, build their business and grow a team while changing the face of the direct sales industry. I'm your host, rachel Perry. Join me as we get real and talk about all the things you need to kick some serious direct sales booty From overcoming limiting beliefs to sharing the exact strategies you need to attract the right people who become customers and beg to join your team. I've got you covered, girl. I'm going to be your new BFF when it comes to balancing life and kids while building your direct sales business with poise, peace of mind and, of course, a good set of fake eyelashes. Let's get started. Hey guys, welcome back to the Direct Sellers Podcast. I'm your host, rachel Perry, and I am so pumped that you are here Today. We're gonna talk about something that I don't think is talked about enough I really don't and that is what a powerful tool your direct sales business has been for you and your personal growth.
Speaker 1:You know, I remember when I was building my direct sales business and it was before the tag team and I discovered how much I loved getting up in front of people and making them laugh while I was talking about jewelry. I loved it. I loved it so much and I don't think I realized how much I loved doing that. I don't think I'd ever realized that before. And building my direct sales business allowed me the opportunity to kind of step into my zone of genius, into who I really was. And I built my direct sales business for about nine years. I was in really solidly focused on that company for nine years and truly I think it completely changed me. I mean, that was almost a decade of my life, right Gosh, that's crazy. That's crazy. I can't believe that. I've never thought about it like that before. What that's amazing. But here's the thing as I grew up, I guess you know, building my direct sales business I started when I was 31. So I must have stayed until I was 41. Crazy.
Speaker 1:There was a lot of self discovery and personal growth that happened. It wasn't just figuring out what my zone of genius was. It was building a team, becoming a leader, hitting milestones, you know, getting recognition. That was amazing. But it was beyond that. It was learning how to keep track of people, customers. It was learning how to build those connections with customers. It was learning how to sell. It was learning how to sell without being salesy. It was about getting uncomfortable. How many times are you uncomfortable with your direct sales business Girl? I was uncomfortable a lot because I wanted to grow my team and so I would talk about my business and that was uncomfortable at the time. And I think there were just so many things that I did that expanded me so much that I was ready to start my own business. But I didn't realize it at the time.
Speaker 1:And I think the reason I wanted to do this episode today is because I just really want to encourage you to sort of reflect on how far you've come since joining your direct sales company, because there's so much hate and so much negativity in the network marketing industry and there is, I mean, yes, there are negatives, there are negatives in every industry, but I think this is one of those industries where you are learning as you go and you're expanding as you go. You're getting uncomfortable and the skills that you walk away with and not that you're walking away, but the skills that you have gained already from building your direct sales business, from working in direct sales is unparalleled. It's unparalleled. And so I share this with you, obviously because I have been really encouraging you guys to step into building your more, like creating your more, creating your backup plan and that being like a simple digital product. Now I really want you to understand that you have so many skills and assets already. You've been selling for however long you've been selling, you've built an audience. You've probably mentored people if you're a leader or have been a leader You've created content. You've gone live, you've posted in stories. You've probably answered a million customer questions. You've connected with people. You followed up with people. You've shown up again and again and again, even when it was hard.
Speaker 1:And I want to tell you that's not just working your direct sales business, that's actually being a legit business owner. And those skills that you've learned, that you have built up, they transfer y'all. They transfer okay, like this is not all those skills. They're not. They don't go away with your direct sales business. If your direct sales business were to close today, if your company were to close their doors or shift into a different model or whatever, you would lose none of that. You would lose none of that and this is just a plug, not for my products or anything, but y'all if you have not downloaded your email, your customer list, from the backend of your company's website from the back end of your company's website. This is your sign to do it now, because I have had clients who never did that and then they either left their company or their company closed and they lost their entire list.
Speaker 1:Hear me when I say you've got to download that list. If you don't know how to download that list, ask, get some help. There's probably an export option. That's what you want to do Export it into like an Excel document or whatever. Okay, I am not. That's not my, I can't. I don't know what the backend of your website looks like. But if you have not done that, please, please, please, for the love of God, do it today. Do it today. That is your list. You have built that, okay. You have connected with those people. You need that. That's your list, okay, all right. So back to what skills you have that you didn't know about.
Speaker 1:And, on another side, note the beauty of this, the beauty of the fact that you already have a list. Like when you create this digital product, you have an audience already. If you are creating something that solves a problem that they have, sister, you've got an audience. What that's amazing, okay, so let's break it down. Let's break it down to talk about the skills you didn't even know you had. I'm gonna break it down for you so that you're not like, because a lot of people will say yeah, but Rach, rach, like, no, I get this all the time. I don't have no, I don't have any gifts Like, I just don't. I just sell my product, nope. No, I don't have any gifts Like I just don't. I just sell my product, nope. We're going to. Let's talk about this for a second. All right, let's break it down.
Speaker 1:Sales Now, how many of you came into this business saying I am not a salesperson, I don't know how to sell? I'm raising my hand, y'all. I am raising my hand because I did the same thing. But here's the thing, and over the years, I've learned that sales is not a bad thing. It's not a bad thing, it's a great thing because you are helping someone solve a problem and you have probably closed more deals and I say deals in quotation marks with customers than a lot of online business owners do in a year, right, right, and I say online because I'm thinking like, if you've, if you've sold things through your DMs or through reels or through your Facebook group, I mean, that's quite potentially more than a lot of business owners do in a year.
Speaker 1:Let's talk marketing. You know how to create content. You know how to write captions. You know how to build the hype. You know how to share a product that people want to share, a product that people want Guess what, friend, that's marketing skills. Right there, what about the reels that you create? Or the stories or the lives that you do, or the posts that you share in your VIP group? Guess what? That's content creation. You've done it all.
Speaker 1:If you're a leader, you've led team members. You've handled conflict. You've encouraged people conflict. You've encouraged people. You've onboarded new team members. You've led a team. That is leadership. Those skills are unparalleled Unparalleled. What about if you've taught people how to use your products? Or you've taught people? Maybe you've taught your team members how to build their business or how to show up online? Guess what that's training. You have trained people.
Speaker 1:These are all skills that are massively marketable. All right, what about this? Here's one Resilience. How many no's have you had in your life? Oh, I've had so many no's, right? Did you quit? No, because you're listening right now. You obviously kept going. Maybe you've watched team members quit and you've still showed up. Maybe you've had no one show up for your team trainings and you still showed up. Maybe you felt stuck and didn't feel like working, but you still kept going. You didn't stay there. All of these are marketable skills. These are skills, and you know what? There are so many more skills I'm sure that I'm not even touching on, but the reason I want you to, I want to share this with you and I want to wanted to like lay it out for you, is because you don't think about the skills that you have.
Speaker 1:Chances are, if you're anything like me, you may find yourself thinking you don't have any marketable skills. So my husband is. Currently he works for a government contractor and, with all the federal government, whatever layoffs and things, his job is not super secure. The contract may be well, a couple of contracts that he's worked on have been dissolved and so he's sort of in a temporary position. And there was one point and I think I've shared this on the podcast before, but there was one point where I thought, okay, I need to find another job. I need to find a job Now.
Speaker 1:My background is that I taught for nine years. Then I had my son. Wow, nine years. I did direct sales for nine years and I taught for nine years Interesting, interesting, but anyway I. Then I had my son and that's when I started building my direct sales business. Then I built a tag team with Amanda and now I'm doing my own coaching business.
Speaker 1:But I felt and this has been going on for 18 years but I felt, when I thought about looking for a job, I was like, oh my gosh, I have nothing marketable. Hi, rachel, you've built two businesses to six figures. You have trained and coached thousands of women, you have created content. I mean, the list goes on right, just like your list will go on. But I didn't. I couldn't see it. I couldn't see it. I just thought, well, I don't, there's nothing that I can do, like, um, hi, lies, lies, I tell. So I just want to encourage you that you have so many skills, you have so much to offer beyond your direct sales business.
Speaker 1:Okay, so if you are like you know, I am sort of wondering, like I am wondering if there's more. I am wondering if this is it, this is it for me. I'm wondering, maybe you're getting that tug, or maybe you're a leader and you're just, you feel that push, but there's part of you that's holding back because you don't want to, like, let down your team somehow, which is a lie or maybe you don't have a team and maybe you're just really tired and you're like I just I've lost my passion, my excitement. I do feel like I want to do something more. All of these mores don't have it, doesn't have to be either, or right, it can be, and that's the first thing I want to tell you. But I just want you to also think your direct sales business isn't your end game. I'm sorry if you've been thinking that it is, but it's not your end game, right? I think it's your training ground. It's giving you everything you need to build something of your own. And if you, as I'm talking, are feeling like that little tug in your gut, you're like oh, like, ooh she's speaking to me. I'm feeling this little tug.
Speaker 1:Or you've often thought like is there more for me? Like, is this it? You're right, there is more. This is not it. You don't need another credential, my friends. You don't Okay.
Speaker 1:And I've had clients who have gone to get all these certifications and things like that, thinking that they need to do all of these things before they can actually create something of their own and guess what you don't. That's a distraction, that's procrastination. You do not. You don't need another credential, you don't need someone else's permission Guess what you need to do. You just need to start. You just need to start, friend, and guess what. It doesn't have to be hard. It doesn't have to be hard.
Speaker 1:In fact and this is what I coach and you guys have heard me talk about this so many times it can start with a simple digital product. If you're like I don't even know what I would create, just DM me the number 75 and I will send you my I'm calling it the digital product idea vault. It's basically 75 ideas of actual products that you could create right now, and it's going to get your mind thinking in the right direction. It's going to spark some creativity. So if you want that, it's totally free. Just DM me the word 75, email me, rachel, at rachelaperrycom 75, and I will send that to you.
Speaker 1:Seriously, I'm sharing this because I just feel like you don't realize how much potential you have, how many skills you have, and when I had that revelation about what I could offer, I realized like this industry has prepared you for so much more, so much more and all it needs to do. And I'm not saying go build a whole nother business, sister. I'm saying just let's create something. Let's just create a tiny stream of income. Let's start with something small so you can start bringing a little bit of income that's not connected to your direct sales business. Because here's what I anticipate You're going to get success from that. You're going to see that you can make some more money creating something of your own and selling it. And then you're going to get excited and you're going to realize, oh, I do have things to offer. And then it's going to snowball. It's going to get even more and more exciting and bigger. And you're going to have this passion that just ignites within you because you are building something of your own, because this is what you have been preparing for. You don't realize it, but this is preparing you for something. Now it's your choice whether or not you're going to step in to that. Are you going to take the leap or are you just going to stay and come up with excuses as to why you're not?
Speaker 1:Whoa, you guys, what Am I getting like? Like, am I calling you out? I hope so. I love it.
Speaker 1:When I'm called out, I mean I hate it, I hate it. I get really mad. I get really it when I'm called out. I mean, I hate it. I hate it, I get really mad. I get really mad when I'm called out. But then I'm like, hold on, why am I getting mad? I'm getting mad because it's uncomfortable and I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone and I don't like that, right. But then we know that when we step out of our comfort zone, amazing things happen. So if I made you mad, I'm not going to apologize. I'm not mad about it. I'm okay with that, because I want you to step out. I want you to get uncomfortable. It's time, my friend, it's time.
Speaker 1:Listen, if you want that list of digital product ideas, just DM me at Rachel A Perry on Instagram 75. And I got you, girl. I got you Okay. All right, I'll see you back here next week for another episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast. Until then, get uncomfortable, my friend. Get uncomfortable. All right, I'll see you on the other side. That's it for this episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast, but our fun doesn't have to end now. You'll catch me hanging out over on Instagram between episodes and I'd love for you to join me. So hop into my DMs. I promise you're not getting any hate girl messages and I promise I'm not going to be asking you to weirdly buy anything. Send me the message podcast so I can send you my free 90 day action planner because who doesn't love a good template?