r/Devilcorp: Methodology

1. Direction

Defining Objectives and Priorities
The primary mission of r/devilcorp is to bring transparency to the direct sales industry by empowering former salespeople to share experiences in a field marked by high turnover and widespread censorship of former salespeople through review site manipulation and false defamation claims.

The forum’s key objectives include:

• Building a repository of firsthand experiences in sales offices across the globe by enabling users to quickly share their experiences with offices, often within days of their opening, re-branding, relocating, or launching a new recruitment drive.

• Assisting jobseekers in identifying and avoiding exploitative sales offices by appearing prominently in search results, providing real experiences and useful information, rather than the company’s jargon-filled pages that obscure the reality of door-to-door sales or charity collection.

• Equipping our members with actionable resources and strategies to tackle industry-specific challenges, such as identifying a sales office's parent company, navigating sales-related employment laws, or exiting the business after financial investment.

2. Collection

Gathering Data and Information
Our community-driven platform thrives on contributions from its members, whose diverse experiences and insights are organized into five primary categories:

• Information: Posts include office rebranding/relocation updates, regional office lists, and operational data.

  • Impact: Posts mentioning specific sales offices rank high in Google search results, providing jobseekers with information on an office's operations which may not have otherwise been accessible to the public.

• Experience: Personal accounts from former salespeople, team leaders, and recruiters.

  • Impact: These stories create a "Glassdoor-style" archive of transparent reviews.

• Questions: Community members ask for advice or clarification about companies, contracts, and legal rights.

  • Impact: Crowd-sourced responses are upvoted for accuracy, ensuring reliable and timely information.

• Guide: User-generated guides offering strategies to tackle challenges like unpaid earnings or how to leave a sales office.

  • Impact: Guides provide practical solutions enriched by comments from experienced members.

• News: Links to mainstream media coverage of direct sales offices.

  • Impact: Many articles are sourced from collaborations with r/devilcorp, amplifying the reach of investigations.

3. Processing and Exploitation

Organizing and Verifying Data
Contributions undergo a self-regulating process where Reddit’s voting system highlights the most relevant and credible insights. Additionally, comments from individuals with firsthand experience in the same sales office or parent company often independently verify posts, ensuring content is accurate, actionable, and reflective of community expertise.

4. Analysis

Identifying Patterns and Trends
Through the aggregation of stories, questions, and news coverage, the r/devilcorp community helps identify:

• Common tactics used by unethical sales offices, such as rebranding and online manipulation.

• Regional "hotspots" for exploitative practices or aggressive recruitment.

• Broader trends within the direct sales industry that may warrant further investigation.

This analysis forms the backbone of many investigative articles, assisting journalists and researchers in understanding the industry at scale.

5. Dissemination

Sharing Insights and Driving Impact
Insights generated within r/devilcorp reach far beyond the subreddit itself:

• Journalistic Collaboration: Research and contacts from the community have informed investigations by the BBC, Reach PLC, and The Times.

• Public Awareness: Reddit threads rank highly on search engines, ensuring that jobseekers researching specific offices can access vital information.

• Empowering Users: Members gain clarity and confidence to make informed decisions about job offers and working conditions.

Join the Conversation

Ready to share your story or seek advice? Become part of the r/devilcorp community today and help uncover the truth about the direct sales industry.

Visit r/devilcorp