This document discusses key considerations for companies selecting an outsourced technology solution for a direct sales or multi-level marketing business. It outlines important factors like time to market, cost to develop, compensation plan design, software features, client/provider relationship, scalability, ease of use, international expansion capabilities, and having a robust compensation plan system. Ensuring the solution can support growth, integrates with other systems, and provides real-time access to critical business data at all times is essential.

1. Outsourcing Technology
Solutions for the
emerging
Direct Sales Company

2. The “Gotchas and Whoops” (look out below)
Time to Market
•Don’t wait until the last minute
Cost to Develop
Compensation Plan
•No two are alike
MLM Software
•Should not a be painful experience
White
Elephants
• What’s your budget? RUN!!
• Setup – everything (no breadcrumbs)
• Monthly fees, distributor fees, renewals
• Programming – how much / how long?

3. Client / Provider Relationship (wedding bells)
The Marriage
You are each in it for the long haul and the long days (and nights)!
The Romance
Do you like each other? Is it a “Win / Win” Relationship? Can you count on each other?
The Divorce
If it happens, will it be a quickie or a costly one?
Age Does Matter
Are they “Old School” and stuck in their ways or “Young at Heart” and flexible?
Dependability

4. Will it support your growth? (or crash and burn)Scalability
Are they an all-in-one solution?
•Is it one or two people working from home or a global team?
•Is it a turn-key solution or can more benefits be added?
•Do they provide services such as site design or is it on you?
•Who is responsible for the servers, hardware, bandwidth?
Do they support and train?
•When you need help, and you will, how is it provided?
•Do you have to pay for ongoing support and training?
•Do they offer email support, live support, a help desk?
•Can you get someone on the phone? 24 hours a day?
Is it a scalable solution?
•Is it a single source application? Software as a Service?
•Can it handle your growth: Distributors, Sales, Traffic?
•Can the compensation plan be changed and how long?
•Can updates be made quickly (i.e. internet sale tax)?
Is the technology antiquated?
•Is EVERYTHING real time or updated daily or weekly?
•Can it quickly integrate to 3rd
Party systems (API’s)?
•Can you get data into and out of the system externally?
•Different languages and currencies (multiple)?
Are they vested in your success or in your failure?

5. Are you in control? (or are you being controlled?)Ease of Use
Do you have access to make updates 24x7x365?
Updating your website
•Is there a Content Management System (CMS)?
•Can you globally update company details?
•Can you add and edit menus, pages, and content?
•Can you edit ever single word in the system?
•Can you manage eMails and communications
•Can you setup SEO and manage analytics?
Working with your products
•Adding new products (physical vs. digital)
•Setting prices and commission values
•Adding, editing and updating inventory
•Setup distributor enrollment options
•Configure shippers and methods
Managing your orders
•View and manage (edit) all orders and AutoShips
•Administrator add orders (phone, fax, walk-in’s)
•Integration with fulfillment centers (API’s)
•Warehouse packing lists, shipping labels, etc.
•Download, shipping labels, track shipping
•Update all orders, mark as shipped, add tracking
Users, Permissions & Data
Add, edit, and manage users, distributors, customers
View order history, and AutoShip history
Manage communications and notes
Role management, set user permissions
Access to Business Critical Data

6. Benefits vs. Features (also known as needs vs. wants)
Needs vs.
Wants
Real-Time Everything
•Enrollment
•Downlines
•Sales and volumes
•Manage commissions
•Access to data / reports
•Communications
Must Have Features (Needs)
Shopping Cart / Purchasing
•Physical products
•Digital products
•AutoShip / recurring billing
•Shipping (FedEx, UPS, etc.)
•Sales tax calculation
•Order tracking
Distributor Back Office
•Ability to make updates
•Genealogies / Volume
•Manage downline
•Purchase product(s)
•Commission history
•Commission forecast
•Mange AutoShip(s)
•Manage orders
•Sponsor details
•Manage customers
•Manage distributors
•Communications
•Reports and data
•View analytics
•Company forms
Payment Methods
•Security / PCI
•Merchant accounts
•eCheck / offline ACH
•PayPal
•ePin / PrePaid code
•eWallet
Wants
The Very Basics
•100% uptime & control
•Replicated sites
•Sell products
•Enroll distributors
•Accept payments
•Pay commissions
Nice yet not Necessary
•Lead capture pages
•Mobile technology
•Social Media Systems
•Autoresponders
•SMS / texting
•Calendar system
•Newsletter system
•News system
•F.A.Q’s system
•Coupon system
•Gift certificates
•Banner system
•Trouble tickets

7. International Expansion (over 6 billion served)
International
Expansion
It’s not just a matter of languages and currencies!
Content: Country by Country
•Languages by country
•Site design layout by country
•Site content by country
•Menu’s by country
•Pages by country
•SEO (Search Engine Optimization) META data by country
•Business forms and agreements by country
Commerce: Country by Country
•Currencies by country
•Products and Services by country
•Pricing and Commission Values per country
•Tax ID management by country
•Invoice numbering per country
•AutoShips by country
•Enrollment options by country

8. This is “The Steak” (the other stuff is just sizzle)
Compensation
Plan System
Calculated on-time, every-time and all-the-time!
Compensation Plan, Genealogy, Commissions and History
•No second chances to make a first impression (to your distributor sales force)
•This is where your distributors expect you to shine – Real-Time EVERYTHING!!
•Can you run, view, adjust, close and pay your commissions on your own?
•How are you going to pay your commissions? Check / QuickBooks, eWallet, PayPal, Export register, etc.?
•Will your provider fit the key to the lock instead of the lock to the key? Every change is NOT a complete re-write!
•Are you going to be charged each time you want to review your plan?
•Are you going to be charged each time you want to make a minor change to your plan?
•How difficult is it to make changes to the compensation plan? New ranks, qualifications, bonuses, etc.
•How quickly can you implement promotions? Spotlight a new product?
•How readily accessible is your data? What about when you need specialized data?
•When new bonuses are added to the software do you get to take advantage of them?
•Do distributors have access to how and where they earned commissions (complete historical data)?