For some known reasons, it was agreed by scholars that the history of direct selling, multilevel or network marketing could be traced to the Yankee Peddlers in Connecticut USA as far back as in the late 1600s. It was recorded that at that time farmers who were mostly colonists had started producing beyond their personal and individuals consumption and sought to export their products to other colonies and territories. In the early 70s clock-making, silver smiting and shipbuilding had started becoming an industry in Connecticut with a lot of investment being pumped into these trades.
In the 1740s, however, Edward and Williams Pettison gained prominent as producers of tin ware in North America. These two brothers were noticed for their sales and marketing approach and in moving their goods on small carts going from house to house selling a variety of consumer product in New England. They became the first New England Yankee Paddlers known to have pioneered direct selling in North America.

REVEREND JAMES ROBINSON GRAVES SOUTHWESTERN PUBLISHING HOUSE AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

Reverend James Robinson was one of the greatest advocates of the cause of south America, his religious fervency and creativity contributed to the establishment of the Southwestern Publishing House which invented a unique way of publishing and selling of books during and after the American civil war that started on the 12th of April, 1861. Before the war the North had economic advantages over the South, it was not too long after the war started that the South realized the negative effects of economic dependence on the North. It got to a point following the blockade that the South recognizes the fragility of their economy and that they could not find publishing materials such as plates to produce the Bible to help the soldiers stayed closer to God in faith at the war front and families at home build their faiths on the word of God.
In the heat of the civil war, Reverend James Robinson was able to work through the blockade at the risk to his life to get printing materials to Nashville Tennessee and embarked on the printing of what later became the Little Bible or the pocket-sized friendly Bibles.

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION OF THIS TO DIRECT MARKETING AND SALES?

After the war, the South and its economy were destroyed extensively and it was realized that the youth could not go or return back to college. In order to keep them productive and get them back to school, Reverend James Robinson developed a unique selling method To meet the needs of their pockets and their soul a new sales concept was developed in which over 100,000 young men were engaged as sales agent to sell Southwesterns Bibles and other book materials from door-to-door instead of selling via mail order. Using this sales method the company prospered, the youth had a sense of pride in them and were able to go back to school.
As we speak today Southwestern Publishing Company founded in 1855 still exist and doing well as one of the leading publishing companies with a unique history and impact on the history of direct marketing and sales. (See www.southwesternmd.wordpress.com).
Linked to DIRECT SELLING AND MULTILEVEL MARKETING AN UNTAPPED GOLDMINE IN NIGERIA

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