June 18th, 2007
Connecting with Colleges Utah Valley State College and The Direct Selling Founders Group. Interview with Mark Rawlins and Steve Hall
In 1998, Utah Valley State College and InfoTrax Systems started discussions on building a program on direct selling. The partnership established the first for credit college level course on direct selling, Opportunities in Direct Sales. The course was taught two or three times a year for 2 years. A second course was accepted and in the works on Relationship Marketing. Currently the course is on the books at UVSC, however, funding the program was not successful. The following is an interview with Mark Rawlins of InfoTrax Systems, Chairman of the Founders Group, and Steve Hall, Business Relations for UVSC.
1. Why was the connection made with UVSC and local direct selling companies?
Mark Rawlins: Our idea from the beginning was to improve the quality of the industry by having a trained group of junior executives. One of the challenges of the industry is that so few people understand what makes us unique. Companies need executives, accountants, customer service people who understand the common problems and plusses of the industry. What happens is that corporations have to do on the job training for all levels of their company? This often leads to a feeling that the problems they face are unique, when in reality; we could avoid some of the common pitfalls by putting together best practices and sharing those.
Utah has a large number of corporate employees in direct selling companies. Within an hours drive of UVSC, companies employ 5000. Other companies in this area also supported the idea of connecting with the college. Top-level executives from NuSkin, Nature Sunshine, 4-Life, USANA, Unicity all shared their time and expertise to get the course going. Industry vendors, such as Doug Cloward and Kevin Grimes and Spencer Reese and Top Distributors from Rexall and Amway shared their knowledge as well.
There are lots of training places for distributors to learn the business, however, training for corporate jobs continues to be an issue.
Steve Hall: In response to expressed needs within the direct sales/network marketing industry of our region, the School of Business at Utah Valley State College (UVSC) encouraged the development of courses in network marketing and direct sales. The School of Business has an established history of supporting educational and entrepreneurial opportunities. As the outcome, teams of faculty from UVSC and practitioners from industry launched the first and only courses for credit of instruction in multi-level marketing/direct sales in higher education.
The network marketing industry in Utah and specifically in the service area of Utah Valley State College is among the top three for revenue and employment. It was our perception that attention should be paid to a significant driving force of our economy. We recognized also the opportunities for employment on the corporate level for our students and graduates. Executives from the local direct selling companies emphasized the unique challenges of working within the industry as compared to other corporate entities. It just seemed important to be responsive and serve the needs of the community as well as our students. Enrollees of the classes include both business students exploring career opportunities previously unknown to them and employees of the industry who want to expand their background and marketability.
2. What was the process to get the course at the college?
Mark: We started by looking at the options. We could have a not for credit training course similar to what Charles King does at the University of Chicago. Or we could connect with existing courses to have them add short sections on direct selling which is similar to what the Direct Selling Education Foundation has in place. Or we could create a for-credit college course. We felt that given our demographics it was important to do a full course.
We called a meeting of top executives and industry experts. As a group, we had to finance the development of the curriculum.
Steve: Administration at the college approved the development of credit courses in direct sales and network marketing. The Founders Council of executives from the major corporations and consultants organized and developed operating guidelines. The initial course Opportunities in Direct Sales was developed and the curriculum approved and listed in the UVSC course catalog. Because of a serious budget crunch for the college, finding for course development and start-up costs were generously contributed by Founders of Direct Sales (a term given to those who contributed $5,000 or more). Anywhere from thirty to fifty students a semester completed the initial class in network marketing and direct sales. Direct Sales Day on Campus was held for two years. This was a career fair for students to explore corporate employment opportunities within the industry and to hear a panel discussion from top executives and key consultants. Twelve companies participated in the event. Each company set up a display and provided resources for students to become better acquainted with the opportunities for employment within the industry. Two CEOs spoke at an Executive Lecture Program for the students at noon. In the afternoon, faculty and students were guests at a luncheon that featured a question and answer panel hosted by Doug Cloward and included executives such as Steve Lund, NuSkin Enterprises, Mark Rawlins, InfoTrax Systems, David Lisonbee, 4Life Research, Joseph Speirs, Nature Sunshine Products, and Bret Blake, USANA. A Professorship in Direct Sales and several scholarships were also funded by the Founders.
3. What were the benefits?
Mark: The first benefit was that local companies could send employees to the course to further their industry knowledge. We had company employees from NuSkin, Morinda, Nature Sunshine, 4-Life, InfoTrax and some distributors. We also had a chance each semester to have a group of students who gained knowledge of an industry that they knew very little about.
Steve: The success of the program is in the curriculum development that is in place as a result of Nancy Tobler who developed and refined the courses. Some of the students in the School of Business at Utah Valley State College have taken the class because they were encouraged at the workplace, some because they were curious, some because of perceived opportunities from employment in the corporate offices, and some took in because it was all they could work in their schedule and didnt have a clue what it was all about but knew there were scholarships available. No matter the reason, the results have been overwhelmingly similar perceptions and understanding of the industry have improved, students are more marketable, and industry had a qualified pool of employees.
4. What were the trails?
Mark: We saw two reasons companies wanted to help with the alliance with UVSC. First, they wanted to give back and help students. Second, they wanted to have a pool of potential employees who knew about the industry. We werent able to get those two make it to the top of the corporate priority lists to get the funding we needed. As an industry, we just werent ready to fund a day in day out program college level course on direct selling.
Steve: Higher education and academia have a tendency to move slowly. The development and implementation of these courses were an exception. We were able to get the program off the ground and running in a short period of time from idea to teaching the courses was about six months. Initial support was overwhelming from administration and industry executives. But as the program moved down the food chain it was a bit more difficult. Faculty members held on to the common perceptions of the industry that we had hoped to change. The economy prohibited the creation of new jobs we had hoped would be available for completers of the class. Continued funding from industry slowed to a trickle and the college had even more cuts in the budget from the state. Previous infusions from the School of Business supporting the program had to be reallocated.
Key to the success of this program and any program is a champion. Nancy Tobler was the champion and the college was unable to offer her a full-time position to continue the great work of the direct sales/network marketing classes. No other faculty member could add the load of this program to his or her current load. Lack of funding and lack of a champion has resulted in the program being put on hold for a time.
5. Where do you want to see the program go from here?
Mark: In the near future, we need to continue our connections with professors at UVSC and continue to guest lecture and provide general business knowledge and at the same time give some insights into our industry. We need to support programs the DSEF has. The DSEF funds research, helps develop materials for short sections of existing courses and brings executives to college campuses through Direct Selling Days on Campus.
In more long term, we need to provide educate on what are the best practices in this industry. Education is still needed. A web-based training approach may be what is needed. Companies seem to be facing many of the same issues they faced ten to fifteen years ago. The industry needs to grow. One way to do that is to benefit from research and training that colleges and universities have to offer.
Steve: Look at what we have learned, look at the curriculum that is developed, look at the degree program that is proposed, and look at the research and development opportunities for faculty that are available and we can see where so much has been done and much is in place for future implementation. However, several key components still need to be addressed, including continued focus on the curriculum and what is to be learned, the delivery and support systems, finding a seasoned, full-time faculty member who will assume the responsible role as academic leader of the direct sales program, how do we deliver a program that is actually a priority for industry who will then provide real jobs for our students and how do we best make our students aware of the program and potential opportunities.
The most desirable type of support for the entire program is a private endowment that provides the on-going financial assistance necessary. This would include an endowed chair that would result in the addition of a full-time faculty position. That faculty member would devote full-time to the direct sales program. In addition, an attractive possibility would be a faculty research partnership where a faculty member joins with a leader from industry in formulating a study outline. They could determine the specific business problem and include students. The findings and conclusions, including recommendations are published and presented to the industry.
Connections in both education and research to direct selling enrich both industry and students educational experience. There are no easy answers to how to build bridges between academia and industry. However, other organizations continue to try and build the needed bridges. Mark (Avon Products) has a connection it is working on with the University of Phoenix. The Direct Selling Education Foundation continues to be a support for university research and education. Hopefully in the near future UVSC or other institutions will find a way to expand their entrepreneurial programs by looking at the direct selling industry.
|
