Research is a primary vehicle through which DSEF builds relevance and credibility to advance understanding of the direct selling channel. The Foundation’s Research Priorities offers numerous opportunities for white papers and other research products, produced by members of the Academic Advisory Council, DSEF Fellows , via consulting firms or independent academics.

Professional and Personal Benefits of a Direct Selling Experience researches the impact of a direct selling experience on 14 business and professional skills as well as on 13 personal life skills. A substantial majority of the current direct sellers surveyed, more than three-fourths, agreed that they benefited from their direct selling experience in terms of improved business and professional skills, and that skills gleaned from a direct selling experience transferred to their personal lives. Moreover, there were significant and positive relationships between self-perceived skill levels and self-perceptions of direct selling success and performance in a non-direct selling job.