As the name suggests, the Hybrid direct sales model is a combination, in both pay structure and business practices, of Network Marketing and Party Plan. In Hybrid companies, as in Party Plan companies, most product is sold through gatherings where hosts have invited their contacts, in-person or online, to learn more about a product and the income opportunity.
With its frequent focus on online demonstrations and how-to videos and a reliance on e-commerce and auto-ship, the Hybrid model is the most flexible of the models when it comes to schedule and structuring a business around other priorities, while still getting paid primarily for selling product through presentations to several people at once.
Hybrid recruiting methods rely on the party approach and on emphasizing the business opportunity as strongly as the products during these parties. The use of testimonials, tools, and systems is almost identical to the way things are done in Network Marketing.
Because the Hybrid model combines some of the best features of both Network Marketing and Party Plan, it seems to draw both men and women equally. It also appeals to couples who want to work a business together.
This model seems to attract all demographics. Baby Boomers usually aren't as familiar with this model as they are with the other two, so they tend to enthusiastically engage because it appears to be something different, about which they haven't already developed strong opinions. Generation X adults seem to appreciate the authenticity of the product emphasis that also allows for building a significant income fairly quickly. Millennials, also known as Gen Y, like the balance of product and opportunity, which seems realistic and exciting, as well as the reliance on new technologies.
If income is important to you, but you still want to be focused on and passionate about a product that meets a real need, you may prefer a Hybrid company. If you enjoy low-pressure gatherings, online and in-person, that can provide social proof that encourages purchases and presents the benefits of a new venture in a comfortable, casual environment, the Hybrid may be a better fit for you than straight Network Marketing, which relies more on one-on-one presentations. If you are readily able to connect with others through your passion for an interest or for a product you love or through the possibilities of a lucrative opportunity and the lifestyle that results, you may prefer the Hybrid model.
The Hybrid model is such a natural blending of the Network Marketing and Party Plan models, that if you suspect that you have some of the traits of success for either or both of those, a Hybrid company may also be a good fit for you.
Because things change so fast in direct sales companies, more and more companies are of a Hybrid nature. There are Party Plan companies who have developed auto-ship programs, and there are Network Marketing companies who have adopted the Party method, even though neither may refer to themselves as Hybrid.