It's Raining Cats and Dogs in MLM!

I am not sure where the phrase "raining cats and dogs" came from, but it generally means the rain is coming down pretty hard. There certainly are many MLM companies around these days, with new ones popping up all the time. But what do cats and dogs have to do with this?Let me start by saying that I LOVE both cats and dogs, so I am not trying to offend any dog lovers here! But I got some advice a while back about prospecting. I was told to "be the cat, not the dog." In general, dogs:Jump on people and lick their faces even when it is not welcome
Don't like to be left alone
Get their feelings hurt if you scold them
Tuck their tail and run away when rejected
Kill something they've caught immediately unless otherwise trainedCats, on the other hand:Rarely lick people, and it is reserved for those they love
Are not as likely to jump on you unless invited (except kittens)
Don't mind being left alone for a day and will amuse themselves
Either don't respond to scolding, or get even
Can be very persistent when they want something
Play with their catch and sometimes even release itSo, why would you want to be more like the cat in MLM?First, you should build relationships with people and find out what THEY want and need before you blast them with an opportunity. It should be all about serving them, not about getting what you want. Of course I realize dogs actually serve humans way more than cats, but I am speaking about the approach. Instead of jumping on someone and licking their face first thing, why not hang back and observe them first and find out what they're all about? There's plenty of time for affection later if you figure out this is someone you really want to connect with.One of the things often given as an advantage for being in MLM is that you get to pick who you work with. If you offer your opportunity to everyone (I especially see this happening in social media) without getting to know them, will you end up with only the type of people you really want? When it comes to contacting people you consider as prospects, some people will call every single day for a week trying to get a live conversation. They might send emails to their list every single day. I personally don't like to be hounded, so I give people a bit of space. Especially when you understand personality types, you come to know that some people will reject you if pushed too hard when they might have accepted if you gave them time.Now, I definitely believe in respecting the word "no" but I also believe it sometimes just means the time is not right for them. So if someone has opted in to a list, and they have the option to opt out at any time, you can continue to "drip" on them until they decide to join you, or they opt out. Persistence tempered with respect is a good thing. Persistence without respect is NOT. What about "going for the kill?" I personally don't believe in closing people. I believe in giving them information and treating them like an adult by letting them decide what is right for them. Some people think you'll never be successful without closing. I would argue that Tom "Big Al" Schreiter is quite successful, and he teaches that we should:Find out if the person is even interested
Tell them briefly what we have
Let them decide what to do nextThat approach is certainly more comfortable to me! So I respect my cats when they let the mouse go because it really didn't want to die today!