Russ DeVan is a successful entrepreneur, coach, trainer, consultant, and accomplished sales leader. He was born and raised in Hanover, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976 from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, where he majored in, Business, English, and
Sociology.
Russ’ sales experience began in the summer of 1970 with the Hanover Shoe Company, where he continued in retail and direct sales through college. In 1977 he became a Territory Manager
with the Lees Carpet division of Burlington Industries. In 1979, 1980, and 1981, DeVan was named to the President’s Honor Club, a distinction awarded to Lees’ top 1% of sales performers; an achievement based on volume and increase in an assigned territory.
Russ left Burlington in 1982, and started his own sales training and marketing company. For the
next eight years, he assisted in the development of sales organizations for corporations in the
petroleum, home improvement, telecommunications, and nutritional supplements industries. He
is a published author on the subjects of networking, personal development, and sales training.
In January of 1991, Russ established the Success by Design Institute, Inc., a premier Sales Training & Marketing consulting firm and one of the pioneers in the development of network “Online” training. The Institute’s primary focus has been the building of sales organizations and enhancing clients’ marketing efforts through communication and development of personnel. Success by Design’s mission is to create a new “model” for how selling, recruiting, and training are done, which Russ refers to as “Un-training.” Specifically, Russ addresses the common dilemmas:” Where do I go;” “What do I do;” and “How do I do it?” One Success by Design client watched its sales explode from one million per year to nearly three million per month, in less than three years. Until 1993, SBDI was based in Chicago, Illinois. Then Russ moved to Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife Karen and daughter Brooke. He expanded his business horizons and pared the company’s name to Success by Design, Inc.
Russ was featured in the premier edition of Success Magazine’s “Working At Home” in 1995 as one of the ”top 25 “ home-based business entrepreneurs in America . His example has been honored by his peers in the form of training subject material through various media sources. A published author, DeVan’s articles were featured six times in the Direct and MLM Sales Industry publication: UPLINE. He was honored to be selected as one of the original five UPLINE “Masters” and has influenced tens of thousands of Independent distributors while on the Master’s Touring “circuit” from 1991-2000. Russ DeVan has shared the stage and program with such notable personalities as: Tom Hopkins, Bob Proctor, Les Brown, and Jim Rohn.
In 1996-97, Russ built a sales organization with a health supplement company that exceeded 25,000 distributors and $1.9M per month in sales in just 9 months and is known as one of the architects of the first “matching bonus” in a network marketing compensation plan, which he
dubbed “multi-match.”
Russ is proud to have worked with and personally sponsored the single most successful TV infomercial personality in history: Tony Little - “America’s Personal Trainer” who today, still remains a close personal friend. Russ is most often recognized for his dedication to professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to the service of others.
A gifted speaker, DeVan has conducted “Success by Design” seminars, since 1997, for the sales teams of many Corporations throughout the United States, Canada, and the UK.
