Chapter 12

Direct Selling

Skipping the middleman

A truck labelled ‘parcels’ passing through a tunnel. A man is standing at the other end of the tunnel and a retail store is visible atop the tunnel.

The pattern

In the Direct Selling business model, a company’s products are made available directly by the manufacturer or service provider, rather than via an intermediary channel such as retail outlets (HOW?). This enables the company to eliminate retail profit margins and other costs. Savings can be passed on to the customer (VALUE?). The pattern also facilitates a more personal sales experience with customers and helps the company to better understand their needs, propelling new ideas for improving products and services (WHAT?).

Additionally, Direct Selling allows the company to keep more ...

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