Tag Archive for Joseph Mariano

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LegalShield CEO Joins DSA Board

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • November 12, 2015 • 0 Comments

Jeff Bell, CEO of LegalShield, has joined the Direct Selling Association (DSA) board of directors.
Bell joined LegalShield in July 2014 as Chief Executive Officer and is recognized as a successful and passionate marketing visionary with an extraordinary corporate leadership portfolio. Throughout Bell’s 26-year career he has successfully built brands and grown sales in industries ranging from automotive to entertainment.

“My decision to join LegalShield as its CEO was based on the integrity of our products, LegalShield and IDShield,” said Bell. “Helping to build a positive reputation and integrity for the network marketing industry is why I joined the DSA board of directors. Our customers and associates are at the center of everything we do. I look forward to working with the DSA to help ensure our industry has the right measures in place to make both consumer

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New DSA Study Affirms Personal Product Purchase Acceptable

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • October 22, 2015 • 0 Comments

Direct Selling Association (DSA) today released a new economic analysis prepared by NERA Economic Consulting (NERA) that indicates flaws among often-used criteria to distinguish legitimate direct selling businesses from pyramid schemes.
The study disputes an assertion that internal consumption, where direct selling consultants purchase products or services for their own use, is illegitimate or sufficient to indicate a pyramid scheme.

“Everyone agrees that pyramid schemes should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Joseph N. Mariano, DSA President. “However, consumers lose when scarlet letters are placed on legitimate companies. The issue is not whether schemes should be put out of business, but how regulators and the courts determine what constitutes unlawful behavior. The NERA study calls into question a flawed conclusion that a key indicator of a scheme exists when direct

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Two US Congress Members Launch Direct Selling Caucus

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • October 5, 2015 • 0 Comments

At a Direct Selling Association (DSA) event on Capitol Hill, U.S. Representatives Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Marc Veasey (D-TX) today announced the creation of a new, bipartisan congressional caucus to build support for direct selling, a retail channel that contributes more than $34 billion to the U.S. economy annually by encouraging opportunities for independent work. The Direct Selling Caucus, which Reps. Blackburn and Veasey will co-chair, has already enlisted more than 30 members.

“I’ll never forget the business and intrapersonal skills direct selling taught me when I began my career, and I’m excited to continue to build support for the opportunity among my colleagues on Capitol Hill,” said Rep. Blackburn. “Running my own business on my own terms was an extremely rewarding experience and great preparation for my career in public service.”

Unlike traditional

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DSA President Responds To Seeking Alpha Post

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • September 28, 2015 • 0 Comments

American Direct Selling Association (DSA) President Joseph Mariano responds to a post by Bill Keep on stock market insights and analysis site Seeking Alpha.
As a platform for investment research, the opinions presented via Seeking Alpha inform countless decisions, large and small, taken by corporations, government and the public. It is therefore important that contributors act in good faith to get the facts right.
I am concerned that Bill Keep, one of your frequent contributors, has chosen to co-opt Seeking Alpha into a mouthpiece for attacks against direct selling, one of the oldest ways that Americans choose to work independently, typically on a part-time basis. By showing blatant disregard for the facts about DSA and direct selling with little to no accountability for his mis-statements, Keep diminishes Seeking Alpha’s credibility and jeopardizes the ability

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DSA President Joe Mariano Explains Pyramid Schemes

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • September 23, 2015 • 0 Comments

In a letter to the New York Times, in response to a column by Joe Nocera titled The Pyramid Scheme Problem, US Direct Selling Association president Joseph Mariano has written this explanation:
To understand what constitutes a pyramid scheme, Joe Nocera (column, Sept. 15) points to a recent United States Court of Appeals decision that correctly concludes that a scheme exists when recruitment of sales people is at the heart of a company’s business. But the column doesn’t mention that there are additional standards offering useful guidance.
In 2004, the Council of State Governments suggested that every state adopt its model legislation that defines and prosecutes against schemes. The model, or similar legislation, was enacted by 18 states and is notable for its specificity.
We have helped prosecute pyramid schemes over many years and work

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Six Questions To Ask Before Joining Direct Selling

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • August 25, 2015 • 0 Comments

American publisher US News & World Report known for its authoritative ranking reports has published an article to help people who are interested in the direct selling industry.
From wine to workouts, candles to cutlery, you’ve probably had a friend or co-worker (or perhaps been the friend or co-worker) invite you to an in-home party or post about their products on social media. Direct selling is on the rise, so that’s no coincidence. Over 18 million Americans were involved in direct selling and estimated retail sales reached $34.5 billion last year (an increase of 5.5 percent), according to the Direct Selling Association’s 2015 Growth & Outlook Report.
Joseph Mariano, president of the Direct Selling Association, a trade association for firms in this space, attributes this growth to several factors, including “the incorporation of social

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DSA’s Joe Mariano: Lessons Learned From the Old, New Economy

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • August 17, 2015 • 0 Comments

President of the US Direct Selling Association (DSA) Joseph Mariano writes in the Morning Consult about the role of innovation and technology in the rise of the sharing economy and draws a parallel with the thriving Direct Selling industry in America.
The recent debate swirling around the so-called “gig” economy has policymakers at all levels paying closer attention to – and even weighing in on – the status of independent workers and how they’re faring in today’s economy. And while many consider this a relatively nascent issue that has arisen alongside the advent of new ride- or real estate-sharing services, the fact is, independent workers have been an important part of our economy for years. In reality, what’s changed more recently is not the sudden emergence of this workforce, but rather the

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FTC Commissioner Praises Direct Sellers

by Ramya Chandrasekaran • April 21, 2015 • 0 Comments

The direct-selling industry on Tuesday earned praise from a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioner amid calls for greater regulation.
FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen praised the industry’s efforts to improve its self-regulation efforts during remarks at the National Press Club in Washington.

“I commend you for your partnership with [Council of Better Business Bureaus] that has increased awareness and understanding – and appreciation – of the importance that the direct selling industry places as an industry on ensuring it is an ethical and trustworthy marketplace,” she said.

The industry has come under fire from advocates who say more regulations are needed from FTC officials to protect consumers from pyramid schemes and faulty advertising.
But Ohlhausen said that sometimes self-regulation is “the only option for certain advertising practices where government intervention is limited by First Amendment concerns.”
Still, Ohlhausen

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DSA President Joseph Mariano’s New York Times Letter To The Editor

by Tina Williams • January 25, 2015 • 0 Comments

To the Editor:
Re “Riddle of the Pyramids,” by Joe Nocera (column, Jan. 10):
There is no riddle. Federal law and statutes in a majority of the states clearly define a pyramid as an operation that pays salespeople primarily for recruiting additional members into a network instead of selling products. The Federal Trade Commission further warns that pyramids may require members to buy large amounts of inventory, meaning you couldn’t consume it yourself, or unwanted items.
“Multilevel marketing” is not synonymous with pyramid scheme. The former is an accepted, lawful method of marketing consumer goods and services. The latter is an illegal business operation that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Hundreds of direct selling firms in the United States (sometimes referred to as multilevel marketers) that are members of the Direct Selling Association are progressive companies with sound business practices that provide opportunities to millions around the globe. These companies, including Herbalife, have committed themselves to the highest level of marketplace ethics and a rigorous self-regulatory code.
We should consider the consequences to the individuals who sell and consume their products — and the communities their parent companies serve — before placing scarlet letters upon their legitimate businesses.
JOSEPH N. MARIANO
President
Direct