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Introducing The New & Improved DirectScale Marketplace:

Brett Merritt - February 16, 2021

“Check Out All the Cool Things I Can Do”

Marketplace Banner

If you haven’t been on the DirectScale website lately, you should visit the new Marketplace they launched in mid-January (marketplace.directscale.com). It’s a single digital location that invites you to explore dozens of vetted DirectScale partners who are ready and able to help you extend the DirectScale platform and make it uniquely yours.

DirectScale Head of Partnerships Alex Horwood emphasizes that the purpose of the Marketplace is to better serve DirectScale clients. “ ‘Just look at all the cool things I can do!’ ” Horwood says, mimicking what a client might say upon visiting it. “That’s what we want.” He adds: “one convenient location where clients can find the applications, integrations, custom developers and expert consultants that can help customize the DirectScale platform to fit your exact needs.”

Marketplace categories for Apps

What Is the DirectScale Marketplace?

As a company, DirectScale has a singular vision: to enable clients to launch the most powerful and customizable direct selling platform as quickly and affordably as possible. To achieve that, DirectScale focuses on what it’s good at: perfecting its platform. “We’ve architected DirectScale to be very extensible but we’re focused on building the platform for everyone; that precludes us from custom developing for individual clients,” explains DirectScale Senior Product Manager Brett Merritt. “We do however, have a very strong consulting team and the Marketplace also enables clients to find knowledgeable expert partners to help them customize the platform. That’s one of the main functionalities we’ve built into the Marketplace: to lead clients to our expert partners who can customize our platform in exactly the way they want and need.”

3PL and BI, eCommerce and Fraud Prevention, Social Media and Payment Processing: the Marketplace identifies nearly 20 categories you can explore to find the partner you need, and there are plenty of partners to choose from. The Marketplace showcases only tried and tested partners so you know the solutions out there are solid, and they keep adding more all the time. (See This Ain’t No Country Club below.)

Marketplace Experts for Custom Development

Want to tweak the look and feel of your site? Select “Custom Development” on the “Find an Expert” page and learn about the partners that pop up.

Want help with commission plans specifically suited for your business? Select “Commissions Plans” on the “Find an Expert” page to learn about the vetted partners listed there.

Need to improve your business with better mobile apps for your field reps? Check out those by selecting “Communications/Mobile Apps” from the “Find an App or Integration” page.

Whatever help you need, odds are, you’ll find the right partner for the job in the Marketplace.

You’ve Found the Right Partner; Now What?

When you find a partner you want to use, click for their info and simply communicate with the partner right then.

Marketplace Partner Contact form

For example, suppose you narrow your partner search to ZipLingo. Clicking the partner name opens ZipLingo’s info screen. Here you’ll find more information about ZipLingo and a contact button, which opens up a message form.

Filling out that form sends three notifications: one alerts ZipLingo that you’re interested; another alerts DirectScale; and a third notifies you that your request was submitted. From this point forward, ZipLingo, you and DirectScale can work together to create the solution you need.

What Does the Future Hold for the Marketplace?

The future looks bright for the Marketplace, but how it specifically evolves depends on what DirectScale clients and partners say about it. “Of course we have ideas about where we want it to go,” Merritt explains, “but we’ll wait for feedback. We want to be sure we’re building what will benefit both clients and partners.”

Of the features being considered for future implementation, Merritt suspects that one of the first will enable in-app communications. Right now, once clients establish contact with a partner, communications proceed via disparate tools, but hopefully at some point it will be directly from within the application.

Depending on feedback, DirectScale might also work toward deploying a scheduling tool within the Marketplace. That would enable clients to “bypass the red tape and get right to solving their problems,” Merritt says.

The ultimate plan for the Marketplace is to one day offer a click-to-install option enabling clients to purchase a solution from directly within the app. In other words, the Marketplace would be the DirectScale version of Google Play or the App Store. “And it will be,” Horwood states matter-of-factly, quickly adding that for now, “it’s a long way from that.”


This Ain’t No Country Club

Who can be a Marketplace partner? DirectScale welcomes any new partners that use the DirectScale APIs—and that are willing to work. “This isn’t a VIP club for partners,” Horwood emphasizes. “And it’s not a country club either. You work with us, and you’ll get in there.”  

Interested? From Marketplace, click “Become a Valued Partner” to launch an email addressed to partners@directscale.com. Your message goes to Horwood and he’ll call you for the initial “discovery dive.”

During that discovery, you’ll both verify that what you offer meshes well with the DirectScale platform and vision. Horwood will also ensure that you’re willing and able to work with DirectScale APIs and to do the necessary work.

If everything’s in line, you’ll both schedule a second, more in-depth discovery dive with other members of the DirectScale partner team. Assuming it appears that the joint venture will be successful for all, then the integration work begins.

When the work is done and proven, you’ll fill out a form with the information you want showing in your new Marketplace listing such as short and long product descriptions, company name and logo, and a contact email and phone number.

It’s that simple. So if you provide a product or service that a DirectScale client could use, what are you waiting for? Click the button and you’ll be a Marketplace partner. [🠘back]


About DirectScale, Inc.

Based in Orem, Utah, DirectScale has been setting the standard for social and direct sales industry software platforms since 2013. DirectScale’s powerful SaaS platform boasts fully configurable management tools that are vital to not only running, but to efficiently tracking and growing a business.

With its focus on providing an intuitive and impactful customer experience to corporate clients, independent sellers and affiliates, DirectScale has revolutionized the way direct selling businesses can be launched and managed. Through the DirectScale Marketplace, customers are able to choose from multiple 3rd-party service providers or opt to integrate with their own preferred providers to extend the power of the platform and even override core processes to exactly fit their own needs.

The platform is fully extensible using REST APIs and therefore, able to meet the custom needs of corporate users and independent sellers. DirectScale is committed to helping both organizations and their distributors and affiliates plan for and drive growth. Its vast experience in the direct sales and software industries have proven time and again that the company truly understands how to help clients succeed. To learn more or request a demo, visit directscale.com.