Whereas Amway Chief Gross sales Officer and Regional President West John Parker is a celebrated chief, he prefers to see himself as a part of a group, and never simply Staff Amway, however part of one thing even larger—the direct promoting neighborhood.
“Direct promoting is a group sport,” he shared. “We could have particular person roles, nevertheless it actually is a group sport. And I feel for me, that’s been a lot of what has formed how I method my profession and the position that I play as a teammate and being part of Amway as a company and the trade extra broadly.”
Destined for Direct Promoting
Parker started his profession with Amway in 1993, in an entry stage customer support position. This job was each his first publicity to company tradition and the direct gross sales trade, so he got here in with a clean slate.
“I really feel like direct gross sales selected me, not the opposite means round,” he joked. “And I think lots of us within the trade would have related experiences. I used to be actually younger after I began right here at Amway. And it was simply the expertise of coming in with no data of direct promoting and discovering myself at an organization the place the tradition was actually an excellent match for me. I didn’t have lots of perspective on what firms or company cultures have been like. And the deeper I obtained into direct promoting and the deeper I obtained into Amway, the extra I appreciated it. The extra I appreciated it, the extra I felt at residence. I felt there was an amazing alternative to be taught and develop and develop.”
Amway has been Parker’s residence for 3 many years, giving him the chance to develop his gross sales and advertising expertise from a small regional position to President of Amway Japan to his present place as Regional President West and Chief Gross sales Officer. He’s had a entrance row seat as each Amway and the broader direct gross sales trade have navigated the evolution of on-line gross sales, altering buyer expectations, completely different administration types and even a world pandemic. However he sees these shifts and adjustments because the rule reasonably than the exception.
“As I mirror again on the 30 years that I’ve been part of the trade, what’s most attention-grabbing to me is the way in which during which our companies and the person entrepreneurs that make up our companies have collectively tailored over time to adjustments within the market. Generally we now have this angle that our mannequin is so distinct that we’ve needed to change or adapt greater than different industries, however I imagine that want for change is true throughout lots of different industries as nicely.”
In Parker’s estimation, adapting is simply an integral a part of enterprise as traditional. He defined, “As an trade, we don’t view change as a periodic factor that we now have to implement when there’s some type of milestone or as a way to react to some sudden change within the market. Change is part of working a enterprise day-to-day. There are occasions we wish to be a step forward. However there are occasions we wish to be in line with what present expectations are.”
A Life-Lengthy Learner
Throughout his time in management at Amway, Parker has discovered from lots of of nice leaders from world wide however believes that the most effective leaders are merely the most effective listeners—and that they’ll be taught from anybody.
“As an Amway worker, I’ve discovered a lot from so many leaders and executives at Amway. However I’ve discovered simply as a lot from folks in any respect ranges within the group. Our greatest leaders are those that take a 360-degree view of studying. I really feel like I’m rising and studying as a lot at present as I did 25 years in the past.”
And that tradition of fixed studying gives Parker with the power and inspiration that’s nonetheless on the coronary heart of the work he’s performed for the previous three many years. “It’s been useful for me to be surrounded by such nice folks. I really feel constantly compelled to keep up the requirements of these I’m so privileged to work with. It’s an excellent push for me personally to acknowledge that I’ve as a lot to be taught at present as I did after I began at Amway 30-plus years in the past.”
The Bravo Excellence Award is a brand new award this yr, designed as a option to acknowledge executives with an extended historical past of management, excellence and integrity. We couldn’t consider anybody extra becoming to honor than John Parker.
DSN salutes and respects his years of trade management and uncompromising integrity and perception within the channel.
From the June 2023 challenge of Direct Promoting Information journal.
