However, Dell as a company never had an original idea in its corporate life beyond the direct model that caused other companies to sit up and take notice.
With the Nexus One phone, Google also presented a direct sales model that revamped current distribution systems.
Salesforce.com has a large direct sales force and a direct marketing model.
The direct intervention model is not always the best method, experts say.
CNN: Intervening against an adult's will is complicated, painful
For more than a decade, Dell rode its direct sales model and surging demand from businesses for bland, affordable personal computers to industry dominance.
In early stages, it is much more beneficial to employ a direct revenue model as the market will be unfamiliar with you and your product.
FORBES: Choose Wisely: Selecting the Right Channel at the Right Time
Both should also benefit some from the recent problems that Dell is having with its direct sales model, once thought to be a bigger threat to retail store computer sales.
The direct sales model also lends itself to fostering personal relationships between sales associates and their clients, creating brand loyalty and opening up opportunities for expansion through networking and word of mouth.
FORBES: The Future Of E-Commerce: Bridging The Online/Offline Gap
Dell, long known for its direct-sales model, began selling computers through retail outlets last year.
The direct-pay model does force patients to shoulder more of the upfront cost of their care.
FORBES: Fed Up With Obamacare, Doctors Increasingly Prefer Cash For Care
Michael Dell and others strode in with their Web direct-sales model and changed the rules.
McCoy, who had never worked with a direct-selling model, had to get up to speed fast.
FORBES: New Avon CEO Vows To Restore The 126-Year-Old Beauty Company To Former Glory
An important part of Dell's success has been that along with its direct-sales model it offers a customisation service.
The snacks business, which will operate via a direct store delivery model, will be headed by current CEO Irene Rosenfeld.
FORBES: Kraft To Fire 1600 To Slim Down, Extend Reach Post-Split
It's also abandoning its direct-only model to sell its wares at Wal-Mart--where it can better show wares like PCs and printers to consumers.
The founders of aQuantive, Amazon, Dell and Expedia have backed Qliance, one of the pioneers of the direct primary care model.
FORBES: Solving Healthcare Requires Primary Care Renaissance
This strategy can be applied through in-store mobile points of sales, and also through a direct to consumer model that bypasses retail stores altogether.
FORBES: The Future Of E-Commerce: Bridging The Online/Offline Gap
Dell's biggest push, going forward, is an effort to move the company past the direct-sales model pioneered by its founder (see " The Second Coming").
In the 1990s, it was easy for Dell to use its direct-sales model to take share from companies like Compaq that were selling through higher cost retail stores.
It's also abandoning its direct-only model to sell its wares at Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people )--where it can better show wares like PCs and printers to consumers.
These were good years, during which Dell became the world's largest and most profitable computer-maker, with a supply chain that was easily the most efficient in the industry, if not the world, and a direct-sales model that seemed to keep Dell one step ahead of rival companies selling computers through old-fashioned stores.
ECONOMIST: Michael Dell returns to the helm of the company he founded
Overstock changed its business model in 2012 primarily in clothing and shoes, from a direct inventory-based model to a fulfillment partner-based model with the aim of reducing exposure to discounts and seasonal inventory risks.
And with Dell moving away from its direct-only sales model and pushing into Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, Dell can afford to take a chance on anything--except being bland.
Regardless of what you think about the history of direct sales, this model now has potential to tap into customer demand for alternative shopping channels and drive sales more efficiently than traditional retailers.
FORBES: The Future Of E-Commerce: Bridging The Online/Offline Gap
And with Dell moving away from its direct-only sales model and pushing into Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) and Sam's Club, Dell can afford to take a chance on anything--except being bland.
Later, Mr. Lauzon and his CEO concluded that the business would benefit by shifting to an online, direct-to-consumer model.
WSJ: When It's Time for a Small Business to Bring in a Professional CEO
That direct-from-manufacturer model allows the Warby crew to keep costs down and donate one pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair that it sells.
While competitors' pods are available on grocery-store shelves, the company says it won't budge from its direct-to-consumer model, selling coffee capsules online, in its boutiques and over the phone.
WSJ: Boss Talk: Nestl��'s Nespresso Sets Sights on U.S., China for Its Growth
Today more than 50 million players enjoy our games, a number that grows daily through a diverse business model that includes direct-to-consumer websites, social game development, and cross platform publishing, licensing, and technology.
应用推荐