As regulatory scrutiny increases and digital marketing evolves, direct selling executives are seeing that strong compliance systems build confidence in the field. The DSCP certification program is helping leaders put those systems into practice.
For years, compliance inside many direct selling companies was viewed mainly as a defensive function, something designed to prevent misleading claims and respond when regulators raised questions.
That perception is changing.
As regulators examine marketing practices more closely and social media reshapes how independent sellers communicate, companies across the channel are investing more deliberately in compliance leadership.
Part of that shift reflects developments in Washington. In early 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced rulemaking initiatives examining earnings representations and marketing practices associated with distributed sales networks. The proposals remain under review, but the direction is clear: companies must be able to demonstrate that they actively oversee marketing claims in the marketplace.
At the same time, the way independent sellers communicate with customers has changed dramatically. Sellers who represent brands they believe in now share product experiences and personal stories across social platforms every day.
For companies operating in the channel, compliance programs must keep pace with that reality.
From Standards to Systems
The foundation for responsible conduct in the direct selling channel has long been the DSA Code of Ethics, which establishes standards for truthful marketing and transparent business practices.
“The DSA Code of Ethics lays out the standards the industry holds itself to,” said Dave Grimaldi, CEO of the Direct Selling Association. “The certification program shows executives how those standards work in practice: how companies train their teams, monitor marketing practices and address issues when they arise.”
To help companies translate those principles into operational systems, the association launched the Direct Selling Compliance Professional (DSCP) certification program in 2021.
More than 1,000 executives from direct selling companies and supplier organizations, both DSA members and non-members, have completed the certification since the program began.
Participants come from across company leadership, including legal, marketing, communications and government relations teams. Those roles increasingly intersect as companies guide marketing practices across large salesforces and explain the direct selling model to policymakers.
Executives from companies including Plexus, Southwestern Advantage, Mary Kay and 4Life are among those participating in the March 2026 cohort.
The New Complexity of Digital Communication
The basic principles of compliance remain straightforward: marketing claims must be truthful, accurate and supported.
Applying those standards in today’s digital environment is far more complex.
Donnelly McDowell, chair of Kelley Drye’s Advertising and Marketing practice, advises companies across consumer industries on advertising and consumer protection law. He said regulators increasingly focus on whether companies can show that their compliance programs operate actively, not simply exist on paper.
“Companies need to demonstrate that they are training their organizations, monitoring communications and responding when issues appear,” McDowell said. “Those elements together show regulators that a compliance program is working.”
One issue drawing growing attention is what compliance professionals sometimes call the “silent post.”
In the past, monitoring programs focused on posts that contained explicit product claims or earnings statements. Today, regulators often evaluate marketing through the broader net impression a message creates.
A post may not mention a product at all yet still raise questions if the author is publicly associated with a company and shares vague health or financial themes that suggest business success.
In response, many companies are updating distributor agreements, expanding monitoring systems and setting clearer expectations for social media conduct.
FieldWatch has worked with DSA for years on initiatives related to claims monitoring and compliance oversight. That collaboration now extends to the DSCP program, where FieldWatch and Kelley Drye lead the certification’s compliance function and claims module, giving participants a practical look at how companies monitor claims and manage communications across large sales networks.
Lauren Poel, General Manager of FieldWatch, says the pace of change in social selling has raised the stakes for compliance teams.
“With the exponential growth of social selling over the last five years and the ever-increasing scrutiny of regulators, it has never been more challenging to be a compliance professional in direct selling,” Poel said. “That is why the DSA’s DSCP Certification is so important for compliance teams. By providing comprehensive training that equips participants with industry-specific tools, best practices and up-to-date regulatory insights, the certification helps set up compliance professionals for success while demonstrating their commitment to regulatory compliance.”
Compliance Leadership Beyond Legal Teams
Another shift is who inside companies participates in compliance education. What was once concentrated within legal departments now extends to marketing, communications and government relations teams as well. For some companies, that reflects how closely compliance and policy discussions have become linked.
Plexus Worldwide, which has enrolled members of its government relations team in the March DSCP cohort, says the program helps policy leaders explain how companies guide marketing practices across large salesforces.
Solomon Cullum, Corporate Affairs Manager for Plexus, shared, “I believe DSCP continues to give government relations professionals a clear view of the role compliance plays in direct selling. From independent salesforce education to marketing oversight, that understanding strengthens our advocacy by equipping us with the knowledge to communicate accurately and effectively with policymakers. It helps us engage lawmakers with credibility and highlights the safeguards that protect consumers and build industry trust.”
Communications teams are seeing similar changes.
As independent sellers share product experiences and personal stories online, communications leaders increasingly play a role in shaping guidance around how those stories are told.
Southwestern Advantage, which is sending a senior communications executive to the March DSCP program, sees the certification as an opportunity to strengthen that understanding.
“When industry leaders take the time to understand the compliance framework around marketing practices, compliance stops being viewed as a limitation and becomes a strategic advantage,” according to the Vice President of Communications & Government Relations at Southwestern Advantage. “For communications teams, that understanding provides clarity and confidence. It allows messaging that is compelling while still aligned with industry standards. When communications leaders understand the boundaries around claims and marketing language, they can guide storytelling in ways that are persuasive, responsible and not misleading. That alignment strengthens trust, protects the brand and supports sustainable long-term growth.”
In organizations with large field networks, clarity and consistency around marketing standards can also influence how experienced sellers evaluate where to build their businesses.
Inside compliance departments, the challenge is keeping oversight systems aligned with how communication actually happens in the field.
4Life, which has enrolled members of its compliance team in the upcoming cohort, views DSCP as an opportunity to compare approaches with peers across the industry.
“In any direct selling company, compliance is everybody’s responsibility. If we intend to train compliant entrepreneurs in the field, we must also practice the discipline of compliance. For this reason, all corporate employees should take DSCP compliance training,” stated Yasmin Trujillo, 4Life Compliance Specialist.
As they have at previous DSCP events, Mary Kay has enrolled several compliance professionals in the March DSCP virtual event.
“Compliance at Mary Kay is not just about enforcing rules—it is about understanding how people communicate; how information spreads; and how trust is built in a digital world. Initiatives like the Direct Selling Compliance Professional Program (DSCP) allow leaders to step back from day-to-day operations; evaluate whether their monitoring and training systems truly reflect how communication happens today; and learn from peers across the industry,” said Jose Macias, Specialist, Sales Force Compliance at Mary Kay. “When leaders across legal, communications, marketing and government relations develop a shared understanding of modern compliance, it stops being a constraint and starts becoming a strategic advantage that strengthens both integrity and growth. In summary, compliance is about clarity and alignment.”
A Shift Companies Are Beginning to Notice
The primary goal of compliance programs is to protect consumers and ensure marketing claims remain accurate. But many executives say those investments are producing another effect. In a business model where individuals choose which brands they want to represent, leadership signals matter.
Independent sellers evaluating companies often look beyond products and compensation plans. They pay attention to how companies guide marketing practices and protect the field’s reputation. Companies known for clear standards around marketing practices increasingly signal stability. That perception can influence where experienced sellers decide to build their businesses on their own terms.
In a channel built on trust and personal relationships, companies investing seriously in compliance leadership may also be strengthening the long-term foundations of their sales organizations.
Compliance Leadership and the Policy Conversation
The growing emphasis on compliance leadership is also shaping conversations with policymakers.
During deliberations around Delaware House Bill 162, lawmakers engaged with industry leaders to better understand how direct selling companies oversee marketing practices and protect consumers.
The final legislation focused on transparency for prospective participants while preserving individuals’ ability to build businesses on their own terms through direct selling.
For industry leaders, the process demonstrated how credible compliance systems can support productive dialogue between policymakers and companies operating in the channel.
What Comes Next
As regulatory expectations evolve and digital communication continues to reshape how people share products and experiences, companies across the direct selling channel are placing greater emphasis on compliance leadership.
Programs like DSCP are becoming one place where that work comes together, bringing executives from legal, marketing, communications and government relations into the same room to examine how modern compliance systems operate in practice.
Strong compliance systems protect consumers.
They also help build the kind of organizations independent sellers trust when deciding where to invest their time, energy and entrepreneurial ambition.
An Online Exclusive from Direct Selling News magazine.
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