Country Focus
March 2011
Letter from Direct Selling Association
Direct selling here in Bulgaria is a very small part of the economy and its benefits are still to be discovered. Less than 1 per cent of the population works full or part-time in direct sales and annual turnover is a tiny fraction of national sales figures, which shows this market has great potential.
As a member of the Federation of European Direct Selling Associations (FEDSA), one of the association’s main goals is to align ourselves with the rest of Europe. Until that time, our constant focus is to build confidence and reassure the public that this is a serious industry.
We know there have been some companies operating here without being correctly registered or meeting their statutory obligations, although the big challenge is that there is little or no specific legislation. Negative media stories can impact the whole industry, which of course makes people concerned, so our role is always to show the benefits and opportunities. Our other aim is to increase our membership so we can speak with one voice to the government and other professional organisations to protect and further our common interests.
As part of our focus on education, last year we held a two-day training seminar for member companies with guest speaker Tom Schreiter, known throughout the industry as ‘Big Al’. More than 1,500 distributors attended this major training event, a mix of all ages and more men than ever before. The calibre of those joining the industry is changing from the traditional image of middle-aged or older women and shows that it is being seen as an acceptable career choice.
Events of this kind encourage and inspire existing distributors to extend and enhance their recruitment capabilities through improved presentations and increased confidence. Combined with the product knowledge from their companies, this makes them better ambassadors for the entire industry and gives them the tools to develop their businesses.
Today’s serious economic conditions have seen job losses and falling consumption, a great opportunity for us to show that, in a crisis, direct sales is a real alternative for developing an independent business with little or no investment, where reward equals effort.
On the whole, Bulgarian people are said to be open-minded, clever and hard working, keen to use their own power, which was depressed during the Communist era. The gratitude of rewarding gives both sides possibilities for personal growth, freedom and satisfaction. They are enthusiastic about working for themselves as long as they can see the company respects and values their efforts. On the other hand, they don’t always value their own efforts, which can be a problem.
While the recession has hit traditional business sectors such as construction, trade, tourism, services and real estate, the direct selling industry has been less affected. People are looking more seriously at what we have to offer and our member companies are working hard to maximise this opportunity. While this situation is not unique to Bulgaria, we believe it will greatly help us here to accelerate both recruitment and sales as more people recognise the benefits—both of selling and of shopping this way.
