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The Architect is offered a narrative.
The Pretend Architect borrows a narrative.

The Architect determines the needs of the network and adjusts accordingly.
The Pretend Architect adjusts the network to fulfil his needs.

The Architect plays with the network.
The Pretend Architect works with the network.

The Architect uses release to gain influence.
The Pretend Architect uses abstinence to gain influence.

The Architect plays the queen.
The Pretend Architect plays the king.

The Architect uses multiple strategies.
The Pretend Architect uses a single strategy.

The Architect is governed by the id.
The Pretend Architect is governed by the super ego.

The Architect challenges consumer tribes.
The Pretend Architect uses consumer tribes.

The Architect underplays his hand.
The Pretend Architect overplays his hand.

The Architect practices.
The Pretend Architect presents.

The Architect learns from the nature.
The Pretend Architect learns from the in-group.

The Architect flies solo.
The Pretend architect flies with the ambassadors.

The Architect creates contemporary art.
The Pretend Architect creates archaic art.

The Architect needs music to become.
The Pretend Architect needs video to become.

The Architect realises that the narrative is dynamic.
The Pretend Architect thinks that the narrative is static.

The Architect is the solution.
The Pretend Architect is the problem.

The Architect finds the Oracle.
The Pretend Architect doesn’t know that the Oracle exists.

The Architect uses rhetoric.
The Pretend Architect uses theory.

The Architect channelizes rage.
The Pretend Architect controls anger.

The Architect uses crowd funding.
The Pretend Architect uses venture funding.

The Architect uses google scholar.
The Pretend Architect uses google.

The Architect is global.
The Pretend Architect is national.

The Architect gives the lens.
The Pretend Architect hides the lens.

The Architect keeps it subtle.
The Pretend Architect keeps it overt.

The Architect follows the bro split.
The Pretend Architect is fat.

The Architect owns the narrative.
The Pretend Architect is possessed by the narrative.

The Architect plays blind.
The Pretend Architect calculates the odds.

-#

Is never alone.
He belongs.
Likes inter species contact.
Was reverse engineered.

Has a poker face.
Enhances his performance.
Has imperfections.
Is hidden in plain sight.

Needs a heartbreak.
Has a mission.
Service is his purpose.
Finds meaning in dialogue.

Gains skill-set in isolation.
Requires liquid courage.
Uses symbols and memes.
Doesn’t repeat content.

But repeats dialogues.
Has a script.
Owns the narrative.
Does one thing at a time.


Uses Barnum statements.
Is open to interpretation.
Reserves access.
Occupies mind share.

Finds people like him.
Performs when needed.
Preserves the elements of style.
Doesn’t forget but forgives.

Attracts the narrative.
Closes the deal.
Dances for courtship.
Finishes what he starts.

Acknowledges the fear.
Dances with the fear.
Tries again despite the fear.
Wins against the fear?

Doesn’t question creativity.
Practices cultural jiu jitsu.
Realizes the importance of mood.
Simply writes and keeps the prompts to himself.

-#

A female tribal leader can some times pretend to be the Oracle.
But as mentioned in the previous post, the Oracle simply is.

The Oracle acts on intuition.
The pretend Oracle sees the benefits the oracle is getting and merely borrows her image.

The Oracle has a very few imprints because her moral compass is strong.
The Pretend Oracle has a lot of imprints, is unsatisfied, and becomes an architect’s widow.

The Oracle has no strategy, only tactics (she is a woman after all).
The Pretend Oracle has a strategy.

The Oracle gives when she can.
The Pretend Oracle takes when she can.

The Oracle has standards.
The Pretend Oracle doesn’t.

The Oracle forgives, but never forgets.
The Pretend Oracle plans revenge and forgets when she loses.

The Oracle needs the architect.
The Pretend Oracle wants the architect.

The Oracle can make do with the architect on the come-up.
The Pretend Oracle wants the finished product.

The Oracle consumes entertainment.
The Pretend Oracle analyses entertainment.

The Oracle adjusts when the going gets tough.
The Pretend Oracle leaves when the going gets tough.

The Oracle dives knowing there is no other option.
The Pretend Oracle opens all the options.

The Oracle is happy when the architect is happy.
The Pretend Oracle is in constant search of happiness.

The Oracle’s lingo is polished.
The Pretend Oracle’s lingo isn’t polished.

The Oracle doesn’t smoke (but she enjoys a drink or two).
The Pretend Oracle smokes and drinks heavily.

The Oracle throws tantrums.
The Pretend Oracle throws shit tests.

The Oracle acts from a position of innocence.
The Pretend Oracle preys on insecurity.

The Oracle surrenders to the frame.
The pretend Oracle controls the frame.

The Oracle thrives in sun shine.
The Pretend Oracle thrives in moon light.

The Oracle is oblivious.
The Pretend Oracle is intentious.

The Oracle lives the fantasy.
The Pretend Oracle wants the fantasy.

-#

Every tribal leader needs an oracle.
The oracle doesn’t want to become. She simply is.
She doesn’t have a lot of identity imprints.

The Oracle thrives in comfort and is governed by intuition.
You don’t need to worry about obesity, as an outcome while in comfort with The Oracle. Her intuition will handle that.

What the Oracle is looking for, is the architect.
And in search of the architect, she might make some mistakes.

Everyone makes mistakes, the oracle is no different.
But she learns from her mistakes.

I don’t know if every woman has the potential to be the oracle.
In fact, I certainly do not think so at the moment.

You just need to find your place in a homogenous whole. Which is fine.
If you are not the oracle, you can choose to be a tribal leader.

Contradiction:

Maybe when the time is right, you can become the oracle.
Because identity is after all, socially constructed.
Your identity imprints will certainly play a role.

-#

Confirmation bias is a common fallacy among retards.
But you are retarded as well.
Its better to consciously choose your sources.
Better education equates to better sources.
But sources get old with the passage of time.
Contradictory information shows up if you actively search for it.
I understand that in a sea of information, its getting harder to choose the right sources.
Hone your pattern recognition skills and look for a depth of character in your search.

Tips to judge character:

• Avoid gammas.
• Look for a proven track record of work.

-#

Executing frame control at scale is a double edged sword.
You will always be at a frame war with the out group.
Better let your absence do your bidding.
If you were careful at crafting the narrative, your supporters will work for you in your absence.
A polarised network is a natural outcome.
Equip the supporters with a closure so good, that winning for them becomes inevitable.

Questions for further research?
Define winning.

-#

S1 asks why should we have a slight fuck off attitude in our communications to the B2C players, and why should we lend a helping hand to our B2B players?

This is a good question and shows how innocent S1 is when it comes to interpersonal communications and reminds me of my time at Bath.

The assumption she has is that customers and clients are by default nice and will do what they say. By a slight fuck off attitude, I don’t mean saying fuck off to your clients. But rather, it means you need to be negotiating from a position of strength. When they see you need money, they will prey on this insecurity and ask for discounts or will delay payments. Ever seen Balenciaga offer a discount or sell on credit?

Now the question is how can you negotiate from a position of strength?

This cannot be faked; this will only come when the client knows you have options. For this you need two prerequisites, you actually need to have options and you need be actually good at what you do. This will give you confidence.

Next, you need to identify the bad clients from the good ones. This is an invaluable skill to have and comes with real world experience. For this, you need to talk to a lot of potential clients and choose to work only with the good ones.

Tips on identifying good and bad clients,

1. Usually if they are lean and not fat, that means they don’t hoard. They spend. The only rational explanation to this is they spend on what they eat because good health comes at a high price, and if they are willing to pay for good quality food and/or a gym membership, they are in a habit of spending money for a better standard of living. If they can spend on health, they can spend on other products and services as well.
   
   
2. Good clients and customers usually don’t haggle on price. If the person is price sensitive, he will prove to be a bad client in the long run. Steer clear from these sorts of people. They will extract value without paying for anything in return. They will switch the minute a cheaper option comes along. They don’t know the value of loyalty in business.
   
   
3. There is a term for bad clients, the gamma male. Gamma males also understand negotiation well, and they usually engage in power play or victim behaviour.
   
   Power play – The gamma’s power play comes from inherited wealth and often the appreciating prices of their land bank. Because of this frame of mind, they also engage in name dropping. They will wear a Rolex and have an expensive car, yet they rejoice when they get more out of a deal than what is justified.
   
   Victim Behaviour – When they know they are losing a negotiation; they will pull out the victim card. They will engage in storytelling saying, that how they lost a lot of money in the stock market, or maybe they just got divorced and have to pay alimony. Do not fall prey to this tac tic. If you do, they will simply laugh behind your back after leaving the room.
   
   
4. Gammas don’t have skin in the game.
   For example real estate brokers don’t have skin in the game. They trade property and bank on the inflation. They are not taking risks. Another way to identify gammas is, if what they are doing fails, are they willing to take the blame for the fall. Do they often take credit for other people’s work?

Nuance

Of course, there is some nuance to this. And it only comes with practice. What I have shared above is a lens to read people, and sometimes your predictions maybe off. You will get hints when engaging in conversation with them. Then you will have to be the judge. Sometimes, when you are learning and practicing, its okay to offer discounts some time to the needy or do some pro bono work.

What happens when you have a slight fuck off attitude and how to present that attitude?

When you have options, and you know you have more clients coming through your door anytime, you will have the confidence to say no to the bad ones. Thats where you need to be arrogant. Now the problem with Indians in general is, India has a somewhat patriarchal power structure in households, the people with inherited wealth are generally gamma men. And you need to extract money from them on time in return for the value you are offering.

You have to refine your sales script accordingly.

How to present a fuck off attitude?

This is somewhat ingrained in me, and hard to explain. So, I can give you some anecdotes –

Anecdote #1

I remember once, a potential client from Dehradoon came to me. He said we just wanted to trade plants, he wanted to buy at a very cheaper price from me in bulk and sell it at a premium to local farmers there and was basically low balling me. He also mentioned, we just wanted to sell plants, avocado farming isn’t profitable. I simply replied, then I can’t sell you my plants. And then I remained silent. I let him speak and break the silence, he had 2 options,

Had he apologised and increased his offer, that meant he was open to talk. But he chose to further act on his gamma impulse, and said we can’t do this deal. I simply said, correct. He sat for 2-3 minutes; there was pin drop silence in the room. And then he left.

The best part about this incident was, I knew a cab dropped him off at my farm and you can’t book one on your way back. I usually drop my customers in my car when they can’t book a cab. I knew with an attitude like that, he wouldn’t ask me for help, and he would have to walk back 2-3 km in full heat and no water. And he did, I simply chuckled knowing this would happen.

This can only come from a position of I don’t need you. You need me.

Anecdote #2

Another time, I was at my construction site. Back when I used to work there, a potential customer specifically asked my sales staff to speak to me. Again, he low balled and compared our project to our competitor next door. I simply said, not possible. Again, I get hints from the way people talk, to judge if they are legit or not. I knew he will buy, because if he was at our site and showed enough interest to talk about the price, that means he was interested. He knew he was low balling too much; I caught his bluff.

So, I simply left. This is called a hard neg. You can burn a deal with this move. But if this works, he will come back. You have to use this very selectively and you should actually be 100% willing to walk away.

Again, I was right, he did come back 1 month later. But by that time, the price had already been increased and I had also left the business.

The goal here is to get to a position where low balling actually feels like a massive sign of disrespect.

Nuance again

There is also some nuance here, I am generally very nice when I know the person is coming from a position of honesty and innocence. Still, I stick to my prices. But in return, I know that if I have charged them money, then my service has to be impeccable.

Why should we lend a helping hand to our B2B players?

Firstly, who are the B2B players. These are your

• Employees,
• Labours,
• Suppliers,
• Contractors
• Associates

If you keep them happy, they would want to bring you more clients. People talk, and when they do, they should be praising you. Once your customer hears about your work, and verifies your good will in the market and they get a positive feedback, they will buy from you. People pay more attention and trust their sources than what you say to them directly.

Hope this helps. I am willing to take any follow up questions. Text me if you have my contact.

-# & Harshit

You can run all the sensitivity analysis you want.
The exit will only be worthwhile when the work is done.
And that includes the unfinished E-Business.

You might not know all the steps yet, but trust the path.
You have the compass.

Pro tip: Sabbaticals are okay. And very much needed indeed.

-#

Meeting deadlines is necessary, but so is the quality.
The quality gets better when the mood is good.

You can delibrately improve your mood.

Recipe #1
Dialogue is great. 4-5 sets is enough.

Recipe #2
Make a cocktail of Endorphines, Dopamine & Sunshine if you prefer the healthier option.

Recipe #3
Sometimes, the healthier option is all sold out. In that case, a few cans of beer won’t hurt your health goals.

Pro tip – Top it off with ABBA.

Afterwards, work.

– #

Have a slight fuck off attitude in your B2C marketing communications but lend a helping hand to your B2B players, if they are playing fair.

Have elements of self-amusement in your marketing communications. If the marketing fails to amuse the marketer, its not good marketing. Focus then, should be on the self itself, not the copy.

Distribution of the advertising should be where the tribe is at. If the messaging amuses you, it will amuse the tribe as well. Have faith.

While its true, that hope is not a strategy, therefore, test & learn. That will help you decide the degree of risk needed when approaching the mass market.

There should be a 0 chance of error when approaching the masses. Experiment all you want in the trenches.

If you are unsure, reduce the risk, because sometimes the culture can’t keep up with the innovator. There is always another day, of course if you work out.

Its also true that marketing is giving taste. But timing matters. Not everything all at once. Drip.

Don’t send mixed signals. One message, one CTA.

When repositioning, don’t rush. Sit with the idea for some time, and meditate on it. Its important to flirt with the target market while meditating. The answer will reveal itself. (Hint: Some light hearted flirting elevates the mood, and make sure that there are a few witnesses.)

-#