THE SECRET

[TomS]

No one held a gun to your head. These were your choices.

And although I do not understand the complete situation - I have to wonder why a dying man would be buying a truck? Did you all hold him hostage in your office? Or was it HIS choice to be there?

[stumbler]

He wanted his granddaughter to have it.

In a way, I did indeed hold him hostage in my office.

When people want to signal that they are through negotiating, they usually stand up from the desk and make a beeline to the door.

He couldn't really do that, because he was tethered by his oxygen tank and had difficulty moving. Thus, every time he tried to get up and failed, I would use the standard "Wait just a minute - Let me check on one more thing" line to slow him down and get the chance to take another run at him.

In a sense, you are correct that it was my choice to get into the automobile industry. At the time I did it, the economy was very slow and I was offered 3 jobs: 2 selling cars, and one killing puppies and kittens at the pound.

What was not my choice was the state I found the industry in. I didn't invent hardcore sales - I just found it there. It was the antithesis of what I had been studying in college - namely, economics.

For capitalism to operate at maximum efficiency, one must have a good flow of information. In fact, it is one of the primary assumptions of economic theory: "Perfect information."

What I found was an industry based on keeping information from people. Nobody can know what they must pay for a car in real numbers until they have made a commitment to buy the car.

It's called, in car business slang, a "wouldyatake." The salesman, or the closer, asks the customer what it would take to send him/her home in that vehicle right now.

Without a commitment to buy the vehicle at a certain set of fictional numbers, negotiations do not even start.

Negotiations are all about giving and taking away mental ownership of a vehicle. It is a technique which is well-known and taught within the industry.

It is designed to test the buyer and to learn and calculate how much money can be had by the dealer in the transaction.

Reality never enters into it. Numbers are made up at the beginning of the transaction. It is all a carefully scripted performance.

As a closer and a sales trainer, I was able to walk into a transaction that had already been started by one of my salespeople and I knew EXACTLY what the customer had been told - because I wrote it - but to the customer, I seemed to be higher-ranking authority who reiterated the same ideas and arguments they had already heard from at least one, and sometimes two, other people.

And it's not that we were lying. We used a lot of doubletalk, and questions that started with "if" and numbers that were prefaced with phrases like "I think the banks would like to see" or " what you ought to be paying for this vehicle is." (Just think about President Bush denying that America uses torture, while carefully redefining "torture" into meaninglessness.)

It was an elegantly choreographed ballet of deception.

Even people who think they are skilled negotiators and leave happy have no idea what just happened to them. It is not that they are necessarily stupid or undereducated - many are in fact professionals. Even judges and lawyers who ought to know better succumb to the techniques of the industry. (A little flattery and false recognition of their intelligence and wisdom helps it along. "I know you're way to smart for me to play any car business games on, so let's just make this simple" - followed by the standard car business games.))

It's an evil game on so many levels.

Lots of people genuinely need transportation - to take their children to school, to take their parents to medical appointments and to get work, for example.

To a car dealership, they are grist for the mill. We chew them up, search the remains for credit and cash, take that, and get rid of them.

They are not people. They can't be, or the system doesn't work. And the system does work. Why do you think that the largest companies in the universe are automobile companies? Because they had a good idea and filled a need?

Not at all. I will tell you, as I told all my greenpea salesmen, that the car business is not about cars. It is about separating people from as much of their money, and future earnings, as is humanly possible.

"There are two words in the phrase 'car business'" I would tell them. "The long and the short of it is that we are about the long word and they are about the short word."

That's reality.

It's not pretty. You can tart it up by singing the praises of feral capitalism, appealing to people's desire to believe that being a good salesman is about "filling a need," and thinking like a Calvinist who believes that God showers money on His appointed and thus must approve - but in the end, sales is about separating not only a fool from his money, but a lot of needy and defenseless people from their money as well.

Am I glad I put my time into the car business and learned what I did? Absolutely. It was an education beyond compare and left with me a very sharp skill set that I can use for other, more productive things.

In that sense, I would do it again. On the other hand, I could not in good conscience stay in that field after I fully learned and understood what it was all about.

In that business, literally the largest in the universe and considered a "blue chip" industry, if you have pity, or compassion, or generosity, you are a failure. The guy down the street doesn't. Your business will fail, and you will fail your family who depend on you.

So - I am sure you see the dilemma. In order to be generous and compassionate to those you care most about, it is required that you show none of that to anyone else.

If a system like that is not a definition of evil, I don't know what is.

If a Christian can, in good conscience, survive that environment, I would like to know how.

Oh sure - we had a lot of Protestants who used their church affiliation to fleece their trusting fellow worshippers. We encouraged those salespeople who were so inclined to join the largest churches in the area for just such a purpose, and those who used the technique did very well for themselves financially.

And when the junk cars were towed in on the end of a hook, those people would say a prayer with the crying suckers who fell for the "flying the fish" ruthless salesman from their congregation.

And, with a pious look and a quite insincere "I'm sorry" - they were sent on their way while the "Christian" salesman bought a new set of golf clubs with his commission and asked the boss if he would get a bonus if they agreed to pay our shop to replace the engine.

I'm Sorry, Tom, that you don't see what sales is all about.

Maybe your industry is not real sales - but rather order-taking and supplying product information. That can be helpful and useful to people and is not something I consider to be in the same category as genuine sales.

Once you cross over into a world where it is required of you to maximize profits, which is the goal of all free-market economies, I am not sure it is possible to believe both in Orthodoxy and Zig Ziglar.

If anyone would like advice on the car buying process, please feel free to send me a private message and I will be happy to get you up to speed (pun intended) on what you are up against and offer a few helpful tips (or so others have said) as to how to make an end run around some of the games which are so well played in taht industry.

[TomS]

Stumbler,

The issue I see here is that we have always been in 2 different types of sales environments.

Being in Management/Strategy Consulting and prior to that Software Product Development and Project Assurance, my sales were always relationship based and a majority were strictly from referrals.

I could not afford to mess over a client - even if I could figure out a way to justify it - it just was not the way to build a base of committed and recurring sales with a client.

You worked in an industry based upon volume - I work in an industry that is concerned with the QUALITY of the client.

Since I work on a basis of repeat business, I can afford to take a little less once in a while because I am focused on the LONG TERM PROFIT - you were always focused on the SHORT TERM profit.

You simply do not understand my type of sales environment and seem to believe that your experiences reflect the sales industry as a whole.

[stumbler]

I think we understand each other better now.

I would consider your job as a customer service job though, whether others would call it sales or not.

When I say that, I don't mean to seem to lessen its importance - just to state that I think I understand the reason for our misunderstanding.

In the auto industry, 90% of the people who walk off of the lot never come back. Turnover in the sales force exceeds 100% annually at the majority of dealerships.

While it is true that we stressed long-term relationships with customers, we didn't stress it too much, as loyalty to a particular salesperson hurts the dealership he has left for seemingly better ground.

Part of my job as a closer was to send cards and small gifts to customers on behalf of the dealership and discourage the salespeople from getting too close to "our" customers.

I think this is an issue which is common in business. When I worked as an audio engineer and record producer, I was lucky enough to have a staff position at a very large world-class facility.

That client relationship is exceedingly personal. The question often came up about whether it was fair for a particular engineer or producer (who was salaried) to accompany a client and work for them at a different studio in those times when another facility, whether because of price, availability, or suitability to a particular project, should warrant it.

We came to the consensus that it was best to serve the client to the best of our abilities - even when it seemed counterintuitive.

It worked out well for us, because our clients trusted that we had their best interests at heart. We ended up increasing our bookings because a lot of us met new clients at the other studios, and the other studios would refer us work that was more suited to our level of equipment and expertise. (We had a lot of very expensive and specialized gear.)

I think it is quite admirable to serve clients and profit by genuinely assisting them.

It will never, ever happen in the car business. The culture is too entrenched and opposite of those ideals, though you will always hear the rhetoric.

The line I taught my crew, whenever anyone would say "You are just saying that because you want to sell me a car" was "I don't want to sell you a car. I want to sell you all the cars you will drive for the rest of your life, and take care of all your family and friends too."

Why is that part of the lexicon of car sales? Because we wanted to sell them a car.

I am just glad to be out of it and done with it.

I apologize for our misunderstanding Tom. I should have asked questions before I pointed fingers.

[joasia]

Stumbler,

I like your explanations. You touch on the businesses that deal with the motto: Sell, Sell, Sell! Salesmen that need to sell inventory are told to do a great job or else, plus your income came from commission. You have to be successful if you want a paycheck. That can blur the moral line.

Tom, you provide a service and expertise that people require and you have your knowledge and expertise to back you up. If you didn't, people would realize that you are not the person to consult.
But, since you are successful, then you must know what you're doing. You can't be immoral in your conduct or you will lose business...word will get around. It will blow up in your face.

There are different types of business out there. I think you two are both right on the points you made.

My question is, gentlemen, what does this have to do with my original question about using the forces of the universe to get what you want?

I enjoyed the thread, just the same, though. We might have to start a new one...morals and business.

[stumbler]

I would be happy to answer your question Joasia.

Books like "The Secret" espouse the philosophy that we alone control our destiny, by the power of our thoughts.

This is a common theme in sales meetings. Salesmen are badgered with questions about why they are scared to be rich or successful and about how their own thoughts are the only impediments to their own success.

One of my jobs as a closer/trainer was to write a new "inspirational" slogan along those lines at the top of the sheet where we logged customers each day.

One I used a lot was "Whether your sunglasses are off or on, you only see the world you make." This is a quote from the musician John Hiatt.

The idea of "The Secret," that we are in control and that misfortunes are all our fault and successes are all from the power of our own minds and attitudes, is one of the most fundamental points of sales training as exemplified by people like Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar and other masters of the field.

The idea is to keep a positive outlook, look hard for opportunities, try to take a half-empty glass and cut it down to size so it looks totally full, etc. Blame belongs solely to us, and success belongs solely to us.

It is an anti-religious philosophy.

I have a friend on another board who recommended the book, and I tease her relentlessly about it, because I find it so distasteful.

I think its great to pump people up a bit and ask them (and show them) how to take what responsibility they can for themselves, their choices, and their future. That is not anti-Christian.

But once the line is crossed into an almost talismanic belief in one's own powers, that becomes anti-Christian.

And it is a very popular philosophy today. There are seminars, DVDs, Oprah appearances, etc. You can bet that people aren't trying to bring about world peace with "The Secret." Most of them are visualizing material success.

It is just one step short of voodoo, and not far from "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

I myself was the "enforcer" of positivity when I was a closer.

One morning, my crew was particularly grumpy. I listened to a bunch of whining, and one older man (about 60) was particularly annoying and whiny.

Finally, I asked him "Is there anywhere you would rather be right now?"

He said "Yes - I'd rather be fishing. This (product training and the unveiling of a new vehicle at a nearby convention center) is a waste of time."

I said "Congratulations. You may go fishing. Now. Immediately."

He asked "Really?"

I said "Absolutely." I reached in my wallet and threw a $20 bill at him and said "Buy yourself some beer and go fishing. But first, take your sales license off of my wall where dedicated professionals display their licenses. Would you like me to mail your last check to you, or will you be by after 5:00 to pick it up?"

Then, I turned to the rest of them and asked "Anyone else want to be somewhere else?"

That's what "The Secret" is about. A subtle (or not so subtle) threat that everything that happens to you is caused solely by you.

The relationship between "The Secret" and the culture of hardcore sales is that denial of God - the self-deification.

Aleister Crowley has defined his form of "magick" as "the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will." As in "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

Is that much different than the process of visualization and "positive thinking" described in "The Secret?"

The Gospels tell us that even Jesus Himself said "Not my will, but Thine be done."

Who are we, mere humans, to demand that our own will be done?

This idea ventures past blasphemy into satanism. It was Lucifer who exercised his will in rebellion.

My belief, and I hope someone will correct me if I am mistaken, is that ritual and ceremony and prayer (which is perhaps a form of "positive thought") have power. The most important (and dangerous) question is "From whence does this power emanate?"

For the Orthodox, we trust in the power of God.

Thelema and "The Secret" seem far less concerned about the source of the power and much more concerned about the results of using that power.

To me, the issue is whether that power is from God, or from darkness.

Godly power comes from God, and all other power is dark power.

This is my issue with "The Secret."

Maybe in Russia there are car dealerships which begin the day with a moleben for higher gross profits, but I doubt it.

I bet they start with an "inspirational" sales meeting of the type we have here and which is based on the philosophy of "The Secret."

Hope that explains.

[joasia]

Stumbler,

Your explanation is very insightful. I think "The Secret" is an initiation into the darkness of worldly desires. It's sold as an ancient wisdom, but it's a modern paridym. A person puts his heart into it and pretty much sells his soul to the evil one. He gives his trust to the evil one because it's all about worldly aquisitons, but he doesn't know the force he's dealing with.

Now I understand why the evil one is referred to as the salesman. It's about the mentality, like your descriptions of your attitude, but to those who are buying, he looks like a decent, harmless man...a man with charm.

He makes the sale, but you pay with your soul.