Today, I want to teach you the ins and outs of MLM Edification. In case you aren’t familiar with the term, here are two definitions I found online.
What is Edification?
To instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge.
or
To edify is defined as to instruct someone in way that enlightens them or uplifts them morally, spiritually or intellectually.
I prefer the second definition best. In my own words, I would define edification as:
- Speaking well of someone else.
- Building up another person, giving them credibility.
- It is used to provide credibility for a person, event, or company.
- It’s a way to introduce someone and give them stature.
Why is MLM Edification Important?
MLM Edification is VERY important. Here are a few reasons why:
# 1: To influence your prospects. Most of the people we share the products and business opportunity with know us well. As a result, we do not have the level of credibility (business wise) with them that a stranger would have. Our friends and family have known us for years. They know ALL the dumb stuff we ever did. However, a third-party person our warm market does not know will have instant credibility with our prospects if we edify them properly.
# 2: You can’t give yourself credibility. You can talk good about yourself all you want, but you will only come across as egotistical if you do that. However, if someone else says those exact same things about you, you have added credibility and influence. Also, if you speak favorably of a third-party person, the people you know will be more likely to listen to them.
# 3: You can give anyone else instant credibility with ease. When you edify your upline or mentor to your prospect, you give them INSTANT credibility. This will allow them to educate and close your prospect for you. They could say the same things you might have said, but received a much better response from your prospect.
# 4: The people you know (and your team) won’t listen to you. If you have children you understand this lesson. You can tell your kids something and they don’t listen to you. Or, they think you don’t know what you’re talking about. But if someone else shares that exact same message your kids will listen to them. It’s the same in our business. Your prospects and team members will not listen to you (in most cases), or do what you teach, but they will listen to a stranger that you edify.
# 5: You keep the spotlight off of you. This is a good thing. Put the spotlight on others, not on yourself. You want to be the messenger not the message. You want to keep the business simple. If you are polished and talented, you might sound slick, but not many people will join you. Why? Because they think they must be like you and do what you do to build their business. And most people don’t see themselves as slick, smooth, or polished.
Who to Edify in Network Marketing
At this point, you might be wondering, who should I edify? My immediate response would be anyone and everyone.
- Your sponsor
- Your upline
- The company
- The industry
- The CEO
- Your downline
- Your prospect
- EVERYONE, before you introduce them to someone else!
As long as you are being SINCERE, HONEST and GENUINE, edifying others has a positive impact in your business. Plus, it makes you come across as a professional.
How to Edify Others in Your MLM Business
My main man, Mr. Brian Carruthers taught me this valuable formula to edify others. This is a summary of what he does. He focuses on: (1) money, (2) facts, (3) fun, and (4) help.
# 1: Money – She is successful in the business and knows how to make money in the business.
# 2: Facts – She knows the ins and outs of the business and can answer any questions you might have.
# 3: Fun – She loves to have fun building the business and she is fun to be around.
# 4: Help – She loves to help other people. She is a servant driven leader and is good at helping people reach their potential in the business.
This is what it might sound like when you use MLM Edification the right way. This is an example of you edifying your upline to your prospect.
Bob, I’m so glad you are exploring our business. I want to get you on the phone with Jane Smith. Jane knows how to build the business and make money. She currently has a team of more than 5,000 people. She knows the ins and outs of the business and can answer your questions. She is fun to be around and she loves helping other people succeed in the business. Most importantly, she is my friend. Just hold on one minute while I add her in to our conversation.
The Secret Sauce
The secret sauce happens after you edify your upline. Before they start talking with your prospect, if they are smart, they will edify you as well. For example, they might say.
Bob, you are lucky that Joe introduced you to the business. Even though Joe is new to the business, he is a real go-getter. He’s going to do great in this business and he will be a great coach to help you succeed.
This reverse edification is the glue that makes everything powerful. Why? Because you have edified your upline, and then they came back and edified YOU. BOOM!
Tips for Success
# 1: Edify others whenever you can. Use MLM Edification whenever you can. Keep it short and sweet, but whenever you are introducing someone to someone else, edify them first. It only takes a few seconds and is easy to do.
# 2: Teach your team to use edification. Incorporate this into your weekly and monthly training meetings. Ensure everyone on your team understands the importance of it and knows how to use edification the right way.
# 3: Use it in your day to day life, even outside of the business. Use edification at work, with your friends, with your spouse. Use it wherever you go so it becomes a HABIT. Plus, it makes you stand out and makes others feel good and appreciated.
# 4: Create a team culture where edification is encouraged and rewarded. It’s very important to do this. Always lead by example and edify others. When you see others doing it, provide them feedback and edify them.
# 5: Be genuine. Never use flattery. Just be honest, sincere, and genuine. Speak from the heart. If you think about it, you can always find at least one nice thing to say about someone else.
EDIFY all the time. Edify to build credibility and give influence. Your upline will use this influence to get your contacts to want to join your team and mission. And your upline expert will edify you back at the end of the call so that your prospect will now listen to you more attentively going forward as well. See that? You gave influence away, but then it was given right back to you in a way that works. Again, you can never edify yourself effectively. But you can give it away and have it given back to you. It’s the system that works in network marketing. Use it daily! ~ Brian Carruthers
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, these are my ins and outs of using MLM Edification the right way. Do you agree or disagree with me? Do you use edification in your own team? Why or why not?
Feel free to leave a comment below to share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for stopping by.
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Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
This should be common sense to anyone in MLM, but unfortunately, I’ve had more than a conversations with MLM folk who just do not know how to build up their team members in the eyes of other. I do not want to do business with someone who does not seem to be part of a strong team, and I would not expect anyone else to want to either. When you cannot speak highly of a team member, it sounds like you cannot speak highly of your product. The money/facts/fun/help formula is an excellent one to use.
Yes, edification is very important in network marketing. When done properly, I can’t think of anything more effective to build your business. Now, you might have to search upline to find someone you can work with and edify, because your sponsor might not be the right person to work with. That is perfectly fine. Just find someone you can leverage for three way calls and utilize their expertise whenever possible.