My network marketing mentor is a master at edification. The dictionary definition of edification is instruction; especially moral or spiritual instruction or improvement. Edify means to build or construct, to build or establish. An edifice is a building, especially a large one of imposing appearance: often used figuratively.

In network marketing edification is used figuratively to highlight the skills and character of your team and company leaders. By telling someone what positive qualities your team members have you give a picture of the culture of your organization. You build the brand of your team and people can decide on their own if they want to be a part of your group.

Persuade on the other hand means to cause someone to do something, especially by reasoning, urging or inducement, prevail upon, to induce someone to believe something, to convince. I often find that when edification does not seem to be getting a person’s attention I revert to persuasion. My mentor has coached me many times not to do this and I feel getting this piece down is going to make a huge difference in my success. In network marketing to edify is to educate and to persuade is to convince.

I have often compared my promotion of holistic medicine with my promotion of network marketing. I believe in both but with holistic medicine I have focused on educating people and letting people decide what they wanted to do. I think the difference in my posture has to do with numbers. As a veterinarian, my client base gave me a large captive audience to hear my message about holistic medicine. As a network marketer I have fewer people in my circle of influence so I find myself being more attached to whether or not people hear my message.

I am coming to accept that my success comes not from improving my powers of persuasion but instead in taking my story of edification to a larger audience. When I changed my practice from conventional medicine to holistic many clients came with me but even more did not. Instead of courting those who did not want what I offered I expanded my client base through referrals and through the internet. As I edified holistic medicine people came to me who wanted the health model I was offering. I am now doing the same thing with my network marketing business model. As the old sayings goes, “a man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still”. Madalyn