Introduction
The World Federation of Direct Selling
Associations (WFDSA) published its annual report recently which showed that
more than 125.4 million people are involved in the direct selling industry in
over 170 countries worldwide. After more than two years of adapting to the
realities of the pandemic, direct selling has proven to be an agile and
resilient industry.
In the last two years, as the pandemic ravaged the
world, direct selling was a source of in-demand products such as health,
wellness, and personal care. The pandemic also created new consumer behaviours.
People have been forced to live differently, and as a result they are also
shopping differently and spending their time differently. Staying indoors has
naturally increased the need for online shopping, spending on self-care, mental
health and physical wellness, and learning new things. All this has resulted in
rapid changes in behavior that would have otherwise taken years. The
instability of jobs, combined with the fear and stress brought on by COVID-19
has also led many people to look for alternate sources of income.
This is
the need that direct selling companies like QNET have tapped into. With its
wide range of offerings in health, wellness, lifestyle, and education
categories, all conveniently available through an e-commerce platform which
also provides a micro-entrepreneurship opportunity through its direct selling
business, QNET has seen a significant uptake in its product and business
offerings in recent times, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa region.
QNET is one of the region’s fastest growing
e-commerce based direct selling companies which has a global footprint of
customers and distributors in nearly 100 countries. We spoke to Biram Fall, the
Regional General Manager of QNET for the Sub-Saharan Africa region to
understand why the Direct Selling industry is so attractive to
micro-entrepreneurs and the attributes one needs to make it in this business.
CAN YOU GIVE US AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT IS DIRECT
SELLING?
Direct selling is a
retail channel used by various businesses across the globe; top global brands
and smaller, entrepreneurial companies alike use direct selling as a method to
market products and services to consumers. These companies operate in a wide
array of industries including luxury goods, personal care, home and living,
energy, insurance, and much more. Direct selling as a sales channel differs
from traditional business-to-consumer (B2C) retail as it incorporates an
additional aspect to the sales experience – it is not solely focused on getting
great products and services into consumers’ hands, but an avenue where
entrepreneurial-minded people can work independently to build their own
business with relatively low barrier to entry.
Direct selling distributors work independently in affiliation with the company,
which gives them the opportunity to retain freedom in running a microenterprise
on their own terms while also cutting out the need to source and manage a
lengthy supply chain. Distributors forge strong personal relationships with
prospective customers, which is primarily through face-to-face discussions and
demonstrations.
In the digital age, social networking is easier and more effective than ever
before. Direct selling is quickly becoming a go-to market strategy that, for
many companies and product lines, may be more effective than traditional
advertising or securing premium shelf space. In fact, direct selling through
effective social networking is an ideal incubator platform to catalyze a go-to
market strategy for micro-entrepreneurs.
WHAT IS QNET ALL ABOUT?
QNET is a direct selling company that was started in 1998. While the company
has an Asian heritage, our business has a global footprint. Our wide range of
high quality and exclusive products are designed to help people live a
healthier, holistic lifestyle and our business opportunity helps aspiring
entrepreneurs improve their livelihood. In the last 24 years, hundreds of
thousands of customers in nearly 100 countries have benefited greatly from our
products and services, and the QNET business opportunity.
QNET is headquartered in Hong Kong and has offices and business agency
partnerships in more than 25 countries. In this region, our West Africa
regional office is in Cote d’Ivoire.
HOW DOES THE QNET BUSINESS WORK?
QNET’s direct selling business is straightforward. We reward our distributors
for selling the products they use and love. The more products they sell, the
more commissions they earn. The only way to earn an income with QNET is through
product sales. When someone purchases a product from QNET and decides that they
also want to take advantage of the business opportunity offered, they register
as an independent representative (IR) of QNET. This makes them a distributor of
our products. They then promote these products and their benefits to their
friends and family and if these people purchase the products using the referral
ID of the existing distributor the sale is attributed to them.
QNET uses a compensation plan that calculates commissions payable to the
IR based on the sales volume generated through these successful sales
referrals in our e-commerce portal. Many entrepreneurial people have taken
advantage of our business model to build a sales team and earn a supplemental
income.
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS ABOUT QNET AGENTS OFFERING JOBS AND CHEATING
PEOPLE OF THEIR MONEY. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT?
We condemn the actions of these unscrupulous individuals who are misusing
QNET’s name to promote illegal activities. We want to make it clear to everyone
that QNET does not offer any type of jobs that requires people to pay money
for. We do not have any such agents anywhere in the world who are authorised to
offer a job in exchange for money. What these people are doing is reprehensible
and criminal. If you are approached by any such individual, please immediately
report them to the authorities and inform us through our dedicated
email network.integrity@qnet.net
QNET will never ask for money from anyone to give them a job. As explained
earlier, QNET offers a direct selling business opportunity that requires the
person to register on our e-commerce platform as an independent representative
and then promote our products to others. If they are successful in generating
sales, they will get paid a commission. Many people have managed to build a
successful sales business using this business model.
HOW ARE YOU WORKING TOWARDS DISPELLING THE MISCONCEPTIONS SOME PEOPLE HAVE
ABOUT QNET?
Over the years, we have deployed many ways to communicate how the business
works. We regularly implement education and awareness campaigns by leveraging
the Internet via social media campaigns, information videos, conducting
stakeholder engagement sessions with authorities, government officials, media
publications, as well as through advertising in newspapers, radio, online and television.
We have collaborated with stakeholders including regulatory and security
agencies to provide in-depth awareness and education to the public to ensure
transparency. All the information about QNET is available on our website. We
urge anyone interested in QNET to go through our official website www.qnet.net
which provides extensive information about our products, our business, and the
company.
WHAT is the main thing you want the public to understand about QNET?
QNET has helped transform the lives of thousands of people around the world
over the years through our products and our business. But none of this was
overnight. QNET does not offer a get-rich-quick scheme or miracle products.
Our products are backed by years of research and testing and have proven
benefits that have helped our customers live better lives. Those who have built
a successful business with QNET have put in years of hard work and have
overcome a number of challenges in order to succeed. This is a entrepreneurial
opportunity just like any other. You must be prepared to put in the work, and
follow the rules of the business diligently in order to reap the rewards. The
best thing is that QNET provides you with a great support ecosystem. We provide
you with the marketing and business tools you need, the training programmes to
hone your skills, webinars for industry and product information, and so much
more. We even provide a mobile app to help you manage your business from
the palm of your hand from anywhere in the world.
When a person wishes to join the QNET business, it must be of their own free
will. No one should force them to sign up for the QNET business or buy products
if they are not ready or willing to do so.
HOW DOES QNET DEAL WITH DISTRIBUTORS WHO ARE FOUND ENGAGING IN ILLEGAL OR
UNETHICAL PRACTICES?
QNET has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of unethical behaviour that might
jeopardize its brand and business model. Thus, sanctions range from suspension
and/or termination of the distributor which incurs financial penalties to legal
proceedings, if needed.
QNET has a comprehensive set of policies and procedures that all our IRs must
follow while conducting their business. This includes a set of 10 Red Lines
that our Independent Representatives must never cross. For example, we do not
accept minors into any of QNET’s business activities. QNET distributors must be
of legal age to do business in their respective countries. We oppose any
misrepresentation, over-promise, or assertion that QNET or its products and
services can do impossible things.
We take these red lines very seriously and those who are found in violation
have been immediately suspended from our database cutting off their access to
their account in QNET.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT QNET?
QNET has been in business since 1998. In the last 24 years, thousands of people
around the world have benefited from our products and services and have been
empowered to become entrepreneurs using our direct selling business opportunity.
QNET is a member of the Direct Selling Association in several countries around
the world. Memberships into these industry organizations requires compliance to
the highest standards of ethics and practices mandated by industry peers and
regulators.
QNET is also active in sports sponsorships around the world. Some of the more
prominent partnerships include being the Direct Selling Partner of Manchester
City Football Club and the African Club League Championships of CAF
Source:
Peacefmonline.com/Ghana