What Is Relationship Marketing?

Relationship marketing is a method of distribution that involves an estimated 59 million people worldwide and is defined as the sale of a consumer product or service, person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location, marketed through independent sales representatives.  Often times the terms “relationship marketing,” “direct selling” and “network marketing” are used interchangeably.  FHTM prefers to utilize the term relationship marketing because we believe that to be successful in this industry a Representative must focus on building and maintaining relationships.  Relationship marketing places less focus on creating transactions, instead emphasizing the relationships the Representative builds, creating a more customer-centric business.

You may have also heard the term multilevel marketing (MLM).  MLM is not a type of company or industry.  Instead, MLM is a type of compensation plan found in the relationship marketing, direct selling and network marketing industries.  Instead of using a single-level compensation plan, FHTM utilizes a multilevel marketing compensation plan in order to compensate based on a Representative’s product and service sales, as well as the sales made by a Representative’s downline. 

Within the relationship marketing industry you will often hear the terms "downline" and "upline."  A downline is comprised of the people a Representative has enrolled in the business, as well as the Representatives they sponsor.  An upline is comprised of the Representatives who have enrolled prior to the new Representative’s enrollment, which includes a Representative’s sponsor.  At FHTM, the earning potential of a Representative is never dictated by who introduced the opportunity to them or by where that person falls in an upline or downline.  Instead, an FHTM Representative’s earning potential and success depends upon and requires successful sales efforts, hard work, leadership and teamwork.  To that end, by outperforming other Representatives, a new FHTM Representative has the opportunity to earn more than others who have been a part of FHTM longer.

To learn more about the industry in which FHTM operates please visit www.DSA.org for more information.