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How Entrepreneurial Marketing Facilitates Direct Sellers’ Entrepreneurial Process: A Dynamic Adjustment
Perspective

approach. Through typical case sampling, we recruit 14 direct sellers from one domestic
and one foreign direct selling enterprise (i.e., PRO-PARTNER and Nu Skin) for semi-
structured interviews, which are audio recorded and transcribed verbatim for the content to
be checked and analyzed. Three researchers iteratively process and separately analyze the

data, and then engage in peer discussion to reach a consensus regarding the data. In short,
we analyze data, match patterns, and develop a model accordingly to examine the ever-
evolving EM constructs and the mechanisms for advancing the entrepreneurship.

3. Findings

This study identifies the three stages of an entrepreneurial process: the rudimentary,
growth expansion, and stable symbiosis phases. For direct sellers, the goal of each phase

may differ; herein this study, we find the goals in the three stages include the breakthrough
of status quo, team building, and team growth. Moreover, direct sellers adjust their
strategic actions regarding EM constructs on the basis of the goals in each stage. Once they
achieve these goals, they proceed to the next stage. Besides, we also find two relational

management mechanisms—optimizing customer relationships and inspiring partnership—
could facilitate direct sellers’ proceedings to subsequent phases.
Viewing from the EM perspective, we discover during the rudimentary phase,
direct sellers are more entrepreneurially oriented than customer or innovation oriented.

Consequently, they tend to take risks and make drastic changes. Despite the uncertainty
involved in starting a new business, most novices are willing to take risks contingent on
a commensurate reward and support from their uplines and the direct selling company.
Such novices seize opportunities, often leveraging their personal networks. However,

they often do not have an ability to adapt selling behavior to satisfy individual customer’s
needs. In other words, in this rudimentary stage of entrepreneurship, direct sellers often
leverage company resources to enhance their businesses and deepen their understanding of
institutions and products; however, value cocreation with customers is rare in this stage.

In the second phase, the growth expansion stage, direct sellers begin to engage in
team building and become more customer oriented to optimize their businesses. They
also dedicate more time and effort to customer relationships by improving services,
communicating efficiently, listening to customers, and interact with customers in a

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