Worldwide there are over 100 million individuals involved in "Relationship Marketing" aka "Direct Selling" representing over $180 billion in annual revenue. Well known Fortune 500 companies that have offered products and services through networking include: Bausch & Lomb, Coca-Cola, General Electric, Motorola, AT&T, MCI and Xerox. Clearly, networking is the trend of the future .

Why, though is Relationship Marketing a good idea? The answers are simple. By building a business based on repeating sales, you are building residual income. That means that even if you don’t go to work on a given day, there are still people in your organization who are working and generating sales.

Many well known authors, including Richard Poe, Mark Victor Hansen, Bryan Tracy and Robert Kiyosaki, have extolled the virtues of Relationship Marketing.

Entrepreneurs such as Warren Buffet and companies like Virgin, Sara Lee and Time Warner are buying network marketing/direct selling companies. According to Buffet, “dollar for dollar, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.” Fortune Magazine called the industry, “the best kept secret in the business world.”

At age 50:

• 75% of the population has less than $5,000 in the bank for retirement.
  

At age 65:

• 45% of Americans depend on relatives
• 30% depend on charities
• 23% are still working (most can’t afford to quit and work until they are no longer physically capable)
• Only 2% are self-sustaining

At the current time:

• It is impossible to support a family of two working full time at minimum wage
  
• For the first time in history, the current generation is averaging a lower standard of living then their parents

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also states:

Out of 100 people that start working at the age of 25;

• by the age of 651 is wealthy
• 4 have enough money to retire
• 63 depend on social security or charity
• 29 are deceased.

One of the most disheartening statistics is this: 95% of people, age 65 and over cannot afford to retire and work until they die.

Direct Selling marketing statistics suggest that the industry is in its hyper growth stage; it's the perfect time to invest your time, effort, and money in this business. Take the time to consider the marketing statistics from the Direct Sellers Association:

According to their  marketing statistics, there are around 100 million people in the entire world engaging in the Direct Selling marketing business. Within the last few years, multilevel marketing statistics suggest that the industry has over a hundred and sixty eight billion dollars in terms of sale, with the actual amount of profits not falling far behind.

Direct Selling  marketing statistics also suggest that there are 100 countries all over the world doing Direct Selling marketing businesses. If you are afraid to invest your time and energy into a business that you fear is not doing well, then you can banish this irrational worry. Direct Selling  is as strong as ever in hundreds of countries, and if the industry is bound to go down, the others will have figured out if the trend is spiraling downwards. According to these marketing statistics from the Direct Sellers Association, the industry is as robust as ever.

Perhaps the most convincing  marketing statistics is the fact that the Direct Selling marketing industry has grown by ninety percent during the last ten years. There are very few global industries that have had the same growth over the same period of time. If you are curious about the nature of this kind of growth in the industry, the answer is quite simple: there are a growing number of people who are tired of working boring corporate jobs and there are more people who want to earn more than they currently do.

More and more people are getting tired of corporate jobs that take too much of their time, robbing them of much-deserved time with their families and loved ones. Quality time is fast becoming passé—more people want to have the quantity of time to spend with their families.