Make Age Your Asset:
Communications Master:
Online, Offline and Conversations
That Intrigue and Attract
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Getting Her Phone Number
Chapter 2: How To Meet A Younger Woman Online
Chapter 3: How To Take A Young Woman Out on a Date That’ll Knock
Her Socks Off!
Chapter 4: How To Flirt, Lead and Create Conversational Intrigue
INTRO:
Listen…
Not every younger woman will want you.
Not every younger woman wants to date or sleep with an older man.
But statistics show that at least 25% of younger women fantasize about,
and love to date older guys.
From my experience – about another 20% will date an older dude –
once they FEEL how good that feels. Once they FEEL that it represents a
confirmation of her status, her value and her worth.
Notice that I emphasize the word: FEEL.
That is because you can’t “argue” a woman into wanting you.
But when she FEELS your natural confidence, the sexiness of your
knowledge, the masculine pull of your “battle-‐tested” knowledge, and
wisdom of the world…
When she FEELS that you know how to get things done in ways that she
doesn’t (and that feels sexy and reassuring to her)…
When she FEELS that you will be a man who will INTRODUCE her to
areas of life that are still a mystery to her…
… she may likely suddenly, be open to dating you when she didn’t
realize that before.
Which means that your job, if you want to date younger women, is to
make her feel all those above things!
Your Experience is an Asset.
Your Friends are an Asset.
Your Wisdom is an Asset.
Your Resources – who you know, what you know, how do get things
done are an asset.
And they are assets that often are a mystery to younger women. Do not
underestimate the power and value of who you are as a man, and what
you know.
You do not have to prove yourself to seem “young.”
You do need to be youthful in demeanor – but knowledgeable and
experienced as a man.
That combination is your golden ticket.
Now, lets get the field tactics of being an effective man when you meet
women online or anywhere in the real world.
Take notes and remember what you read.
These techniques and tactics work. They are proven.
And they will work for you.
To Your Best Life,
Adam
Chapter 1: How Do I Get Her Phone Number?
Don’t request it.
Just as you do not “ask” for a date when you are a man of authority, you
do not “ask” for a phone number.
Just as you “state the date,” so too you will state that she give you her
number or punch in her Facebook name.
That’s principle number one.
Principle number two is: STRIKE WHILE THE IRON’S HOT! Get her
number, or Facebook name, or card while she is laughing or enjoying
you, and clearly enjoying herself. Don’t wake for the awkward moment
or for a lull in the conversation when the energy is not in your favor.
Principle number three is that the confident man sometimes gives a
REASON for getting her number. Remember always – a man with a plan
is sexy…
In his definitive book, Influence, Robert Cialdini tells the story of
“because” – and how adding that word increases people’s compliance
multifold.
They did an experiment at a copy machine and had people say, “may I
cut in” and then “may I cut in because I have a deadline” and even with
the amazingly empty “may I cut in because I have to make a copy.”
Using the word “because” increased compliance. As you hand her your
phone with the “name” box open and ready for her…
“Here, give me your number because I like you.”
“Here give me your number because there is a party on Saturday
night and if you’re good, I’d like to bring you.”
“Here, give me your number. There’s an X concert in a couple
of weeks, I think you’d enjoy it, I’m going to call you tomorrow after
I see if I can get an extra ticket for you.”
“Give me your number. Before we go on our second and third
date, we’re going out on a proper date next Friday.”
NEVER say, “May I have your number.” You’re not asking, you’re telling.
And NEVER say, “May I have your number, we should hang out
sometime.”
It’s a mantra: a confident man is a man with a plan. Having a plan, or a
special place, or evening in mind is a way of awakening her imagination
to the future.
In these days of namby-‐pamby guys who are afraid to take a stand for
anything, it will make you stand out all the more as a man of authority.
Here’s a fun one to say within a minute or two of opening a
conversation. If said with charm and humor and utter confidence, she
will comply happily.
“Hey, listen, we already like each other -‐-‐ and you know
I’m gonna ask you for your number later so lets just get it over with
now and save the awkwardness. What’s your number?”
**
Chapter 2: How To Attract A Younger Woman
Online
I can tell you that when you go on to the most popular dating sites
like
Match.com
, a man up to about 45 can get dates with women in
their early 30s. Sometimes in their 20s.
Because in this kind of environment, women generally seek their
own age range, or close – unless they specifically say that they are
looking for an older man.
Once you pass 45 or so, it gets more difficult and if you are serious
about dating seriously younger women, you have some better
options, which I’ve mentioned above.
Use dating sites that favor older, more established guys and that attract
younger women looking for more established guys. That would include,
in English:
MillionaireMatch.com
WhatsYourPrice.com
BeautifulWomen.com
And then, moving into a grayer area, where money tends to come into
the picture… there is:
SeekingArrangement.com
SugarDaddyforMe.com
I want to stress that these “sugar daddy” sites are not what they seem at
first. Yes, there are escorts and girls who will give you their bodies and
company for a monthly stipend.
BUT…
There are so many women on these sites who
1. … want to meet men who are smarter or more accomplished
than their deadbeat 20 something friends.
2. … find accomplished men sexy.
3. …don’t know anyone in their world who can get them out of
their worlds – and they are ambitious.
4. … want the experience of having a nice, romantic dinner or
weekend getaway, and find that sexy and a turn-‐on.
Now, this is not a book on how to hire an escort; rather, this is about
how to leverage your assets (experience, resources, wisdom,
groundedness, patience etc.).
So here are some guidelines on how to construct a profile and how to
lead a conversation that EMPHASIZES your life assets, without making a
show of your financial assets…
And I want you to think of these guidelines from HER point of view –
which means, from her FEELINGS.
Her Feeling #1: “My life is going to be more exciting with this
guy.”
I start with the truth that most people are bored. Everybody
knows that there is so much excitement and so much more out
there than they own, enjoy or experience.
You will notice that many women write in their profiles that, “I’m
up for anything” or “I’ll do anything once.”
Of course that’s not really true. But what they are saying is that
they are more than open to new adventure and spark, in their
otherwise pretty boring lives.
So what you need to do is offer the promise of cool new
experiences. You don’t want to boast, but you do want to drop
images and hints of what dating you would feel like.
I use online profiles because they are good written examples, but
you can use them in conversation as well…
“I love the outdoors, hiking, biking, skiing. But my favorite thing is
running along the waves in the morning at my beach house.”
Nice how he dropped in the beach house, right?
“I love to experiment with new foods. This city has so many great
new hole-‐in-‐the-‐wall restaurants, as good as anything I see in
Madrid, Paris, Beijing or Sydney.”
Clever boy – he dropped those cities in there, that he’s been there
-‐ and he wrote in the present tense – so he still goes.
Her Feeling #2: “Wow, I will feel respected by this guy…”
One way to immediately distinguish yourself from creepy older
guys is to remark on her mind, her ambition, her talents and her
soul at 70% -‐ compared to 30% frequency about her looks.
Ask her about who she is, how she became who she is. Ask her
about the greatest gifts each of her parents gave her – what she
learned from them. Ask her happiest memories from childhood
(which brings her into her most youthful, sweet and innocent and
trusting self).
Ask her about her ambitions, what her dreams are. Ask her what
countries she wants to visit. Ask her about what her fantasy
vacation is.
Of course, if you’ve visited any of those places, you can add some
color and details to her mind’s picture of them. And you can add,
“Maybe we’ll get there one day…”
You might be tempted to comment continually over her “beautiful
skin,” but hold back. Let her know that her sexuality is not merely
youthful, but “womanly.”
So use words like “you look so graceful tonight.” “Mmmmm – you
look so sophisticated….”
Women don’t need older men to be horny for them. They look to
older men so they can feel appreciated by somebody who
actually knows something about the world.
Be that man.
In fact, if you don’t believe me – let me tell you a powerful story…
In 1886, two men were running for the most powerful position in
the world – Prime Minister of the British Empire. It happens that
both bachelors, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, each
took out the same attractive young lady during the week before
the election.
When the press asked her impressions, she said… “After dining
with Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest person in the
England. But after dining with Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the
cleverest person in England.”
Disraeli won the election. When you can make the other person
feel great, you will exert a far more magnetic pull.
I’ll give you another great story – this one from Churchill, I think it
was, or George Bernard Shaw. Seems he (whichever one) was at a
party and some knucklehead was showing off his knowledge,
talking his ear off. Finally, our hero interjected and said, “Well
between you and me, it seems we know everything!” “Yes!”
exclaimed the other dude, proud of himself. “You know
everything in the world except that you’re a bore,” replied our
hero, Shaw/Churchill, “And I know that!”
The mistake so many men make when encountering a beautiful
woman is to try to “impress them.” Instead – APPRECIATE them!
Be curious. Amused. Give little rewards for clever remarks or
insights (I like to quote Harry Potter, with a “Three Points for
Griffindor” – which is a youthful reference if ever there was one!).
Her Feeling #3: “What a relief. I feel really safe around this guy.”
Women don’t feel safe. They don’t feel physically safe and they
are correct for feeling this way.
If she’s attractive, then ever since she’s been 12 years old, guys
have been trying to get into her pants. The best expression of this
EVER is Chris Rock’s comedy bit, which you can find on YouTube
[search for “Want some dick?”]. On one level, it’s very funny. On
another level, it’s actually kind of sad.
In its DEEPEST level, it’s tragic – and if you really want to
understand what happens to women when they turn 12 and 14,
and what happens to their idea of self-‐worth as it goes from
accomplishment-‐based to sexually-‐based – read the book,
“Reviving Ophelia” by my friend, Mary Pipher.
So you can be a standout man by taking women’s safety with the
utmost seriously.
Online, in your photos, in your self-‐description, show that you
have friends, that you are vital, that you are a guy in the full bloom
of life.
So many men show photos only of themselves alone. You don’t
want to come off like a lone wolf.
If you have photos of you on a charity run -‐ that demonstrates
that you do charity stuff – that’s great because younger women
tend to me much more idealistic.
Remember: evolutionarily, younger women are programmed to
want to nurture babies. So photos with puppies, kittens
demonstrate that you have a heart and, you too, are a caretaker
and can give her the opportunity to caretake – that’s a good thing.
The Invitation To A Better Life
Remember, most younger women look to older guys because they
offer more knowledge, fun, freedom, experiences and adventure.
If that is the case for you, make sure your profile FEELS like an
invitation into that life.
I am healthy, fun-‐loving, athletic, intelligent, compassionate, and
gregarious. People seem to like me (or perhaps I'm just completely
ignorant of own unattractiveness). I believe that travel is one of the
few forms of true adventure left to us in the modern era. I am
passionate about music and play guitar in a classic rock and blues
band. I love my friends and family, my job as an ER doctor and my
interests outside of medicine. I feel fortunate to have such a have a
great life, and my goal on this site is to find someone special to
share it with me.
What’s great about this short profile is that he is obviously
accomplished but mentions he’s compassionate (i.e. safe). He
plays in a band so he’s got that cool factor, loves his family and is a
doctor. So in many ways, sounds very solid. And his goal is to find
someone to share it all with. He might have talked more
specifically about where he wants to go and what kind of
adventures he wants to go on. Trekking Nepal is very different
from staying at the Ritz in Paris and shopping. You want to attract
the kind of girl where you make each other happy. So be more
specific -‐ paint a great tactile picture of the kinds of adventures
you want to take.
The Romantic
If you are searching for a moony, romantic girl, look at the
signaling in this profile. He is very straightforward, smart,
educated but not too overconfident (semi-‐witty – it’s a good
touch!) But more important, he loves children, has a good heart,
mentions holding hands, cuddling and then, well for my taste,
goes way over the top at the end by giving them exactly what
romance novel readers want…
Hello, my name is Richard and I am a 51 year-‐ old male living in
Charleston. I consider myself classy, a good dresser, semi-‐witty,
genuine, well educated and cultured. I love to travel, read, dine out
but I can be a lot of fun in the kitchen with the right lady. I ski and
play tennis. Love to go to the movies. I love children. Financially and
emotionally secure. I am retired and own my home. I am
spontaneous, monogamous, sincere and with a good heart. I love to
dance, hold hands and I'm one of the world's great cuddlers. I value
my family and my friends. I am a spiritual person. I enjoy long walks
in the moonlight and fireplaces on a rainy night.
On the whole it is a very solid profile – I would have added some
details at the end so that it doesn’t sound so cliché – moonlight
where? The beach? Favorite hike? Coastline? And the fireplace –
throw in some favorite foods and wine types – create a REAL
picture with specifics so she can hear, feel, see and taste it. This
guy is a romantic and will attract one – especially because his
profile was called “Looking for an Angel.”
Strong Dominance: High Moral Values
It is important, if you have them, to be very firm in the values you
stand for, because when you lead, you will get the kind of woman
who wants a man like you. In this passage, this guy not only states
very clearly who he is, but qualifies the woman reading it, putting
her on stage to see if she’s got the values he wants:
I am very honest, open, loyal, generous, socially dominant, clear and
direct, yet very caring and compassionate man. I expect my gf to
appreciate those qualities and have many of the same herself.
Strong Dominance: I’m Not 22
Some older guys like to play in the youthful world – go hear their
music, see their movies, smoke dope and go to their parties.
Others don’t want that at all. If you don’t, be clear about it, as this
guy did:
I am not looking for someone who wants to 'text' back and forth
nonstop or trade endless emails. I am also very reliable and
dependable, keep my promises, and 'do what I say I'm going to do.' I
tend to not have a lot of respect or patience with flaky people.
A younger woman who wants a guy who is dependable, and NOT
like the flaky younger men she knows, will find this attractive.
I am a young hard working professional who knows how to have a
good time and I am looking to find someone to join me. I am not
looking to get married but I am open to having a serious
relationship if the connection is there.
Be Trustable
A lot of younger women had crappy fathers or distant fathers and
are searching to have the experience of a “good father” with a man
– and to tell you the truth, that can be healing for everyone.
Also, there are lots of younger women who had GREAT dads and
can’t find younger men to supply that warm feeling of safety, and
compassion, and nurturance – and find it instead with older guys.
If nurturance is a strong point with you, you should certainly
stress it. Here is a great profile by a guy who just beams trust – in
his later 50s, so he wisely starts out with his physical strength and
history. Note how he remains humble and puts morals and
reputation first. Feel free to use this profile as a guide for these
principles…
I am a self-‐made man who grew up in the Midwest, healthy as a
horse, and puts family values first. I was a major college athlete.
Starting with nothing but my talents, I have always been ambitious,
hardworking, and driven proving that with perseverance goals can
be achieved. I am a successful surgeon who is known as kindhearted,
caring, empathetic, and compassionate. Thankful for my talents,
gifts, and achievements, I remain humble. Integrity, good moral
character, and my reputation are of foremost importance to me. I
am optimistic with a positive attitude, but at the same time being
practical and pragmatic. I am honest, genuine, and real. I am a
rational thinker with good common sense; down-‐to-‐earth; a
problem solver, but I can also think from the heart. Emotional
strength and balance allows me to remain stable and calm. I don't
sweat the small stuff. Listening is one of my virtues as I find I can
learn more that way. Intuition and a good judge of character have
come with experience. I lived in Europe for nine months (Sweden,
Switzerland, France)which enhanced my appreciation of other
cultures. I have traveled to other continents as well. I try to not take
life too seriously, laugh often, and have a somewhat dry, tongue-‐in-‐
cheek sense of humor combined with playfulness... Naturally
affectionate and sincere, I am a responsible provider and expect a
monogamous, committed relationship-‐-‐a partner for life. Women
tell me I am a big teddy bear. I have come to realize: all that
matters in the end is people-‐-‐family and friends
Honestly – this guy sounds like a great guy! I would trust him,
wouldn’t you? What’s important for you to see is how he
balances strength and hard work with compassion and kindness.
Sounds like a great dad – what a coincidence!
Further Detail on Attracting Younger Women
Online
Match is perfect up till about 45. If you are over 45 and want to
date 40 and up – Match is FULL of great women, as is EHarmony.
But if you specifically want to date younger women, I would try
the following with the following caveat.
Yes, in a tough economy especially, there are more and more gold
diggers. But on the other hand, there are also many, many
younger women who go on the following sites looking for a man
who has stability but also experience, age, wisdom and
accomplishments, which legitimately turn them on. It is up to
you to distinguish between the gold diggers and the women who
genuinely like older men. The clues are almost always in their
profiles and their early communications. If they talk about
“shopping” as a favorite activity, for example – be cautious.
MillionaireMatch.com
Yes it helps to be a millionaire, and they even vet the true
millionaires. But it is also a place where you can just be STABLE
financially and put a profile there, and there are plenty of women
who will find being with you feels like being with a millionaire.
Remember – everything is relative. A clean newer car and a real
house can feel like luxury to a young woman in college, or just out,
or having never been, or stuck with roommates in a loud
apartment.
The rule on a site like MillioniareMatch is – the more you talk
about money and material things, the more of a gold digger you
will attract. The more you talk about your values, and the fun, and
experience and excitement in your life, the less of a gold digger
you will attract.
SugarDaddy4Me.com
Pay attention: you do NOT have to be a sugardaddy to be on this
site. Yes, there is plenty of pay and play, as the name indicates.
But what I discovered (it took me a year of prodding from a friend
to do my usual online dating experiments here) is that this site is
full of beautiful young women who like older men, who are in
college, who are stuck in small towns, who have ambitions – and
just don’t know anybody in the world who can advise or guide
them!
They are sweethearts. They are for real. They want to do
something more exciting in the world, and they see it on TV and in
magazines, but everyone they know is either: stoned, poor,
unemployed, struggling, uneducated or busy.
So a man who comes along and says CLEARLY that he does not
pay for sex, but being a generous guy, likes to go to dinners and/
or travel and, especially, who has experience and friends and
resources to share and loves to encourage smart ambitious people
– that guy will attract women by the droves.
How do I know? I put up a test profile up for 6 months and got –
ready? -‐2500 emails from women. I ignored most, but there were
great and beautiful girls writing me – and I dated many of them,
from 19-‐39 and everything in-‐ between.
The younger ones 19, 20, 22, 23 – that range where whip-‐smart –
with business plans and college degrees, often, who were WAY
ahead of their years and would have felt foolish on a date with a
guy their age.
I don’t know, maybe it’s the internet or genetically modified foods
(probably not) – but people in their 20s today are amazing. They
are knowledgeable, funny, wise, informed and worldly. As it turns
out, some of my best guy friends are also in their 20s. But I work
in the entrepreneurial world, so maybe that’s an unusual control
group.
Let me show you how I warded off escorts or gold diggers. I really
did want to meet cool ambitious women. So I said:
I am a man at the height of his powers and you are a young beauty
on the threshold of your possibilities.
“What turns me on are people whose hearts are deep and loving,
and who dream big -‐-‐ and will do anything to see their visions come
to life. Nurturing talent and ambition, finding the glowing gem at
the core of a graceful ambitious goddess and helping her warm it
into life -‐-‐ this is one of my great passions.”
Now, this happens to be true of me. I really do live to help people
self-‐ express, men in business and dating, and women as well.
Notice I talk about “people” rather than women only, and I use
words like nurture and warm, goddess and passion – to create a
warm feeling. I don’t use business language.
Then what I do next is to create an equality between us, a “we,” so
that they feel that we are on the same side of the fence. That it’s
not all just me-‐ me-‐ me and you-‐ you-‐ you. The quickest way to do
that is to create a “ you and me against the world” vibe which I do
here, while underlining what I have to offer:
Too many people are jaded or negative, but you aren't and neither
am I. We will dream together, but with me, you'll get mentorship,
creativity, strength and the wisdom of the battle won.
Then I invite them into my fun, and exciting and warm life, again,
which is all true…
I am passionate, athletic, respectful, kind, firmly supportive, truthful
and fun, and I live for experiencing life in all its beauty and gifts. I
am looking for you if you are an elegant beauty who can bring your
unique spark of life to exotic travel, to the warmth of home. If
something grows deeper over time, I welcome that.
And finally, I ward off anyone who thinks I pay for sex or anything
like that. That’s just not my world.
Please, no "professionals" and no form letters and no expectations of
a stipend or payments. I’m looking for a real woman with personal
power. If you write me, have something to say. Show me that you've
read my profile. This is quality real estate here. I am an authentic
man who has real and warm gifts to share with a passionate,
ambitious young beauty who wants to take on the world -‐ with a
strong, guiding hand from her friend.
Notice how I take the upper hand by qualifying them strongly. I
make them prove they read my profile because 1: I only want
women who are actually interested in the kind of person I am and
2: it keeps the power dynamic in my favor. It’s called qualifying
and I double dose it here, just so everyone gets that I’m neither
needy nor desperate.
VERY IMPORTANT: I travel a lot and don't check in that often -‐ so
PLEASE -‐ if you would like to meet, please feel free to write me or
bother me at least 2x.
Chapter 3: How To Take A Young Woman Out on a
Date She’ll Always Remember
How Do I Handle The First Date?
Let’s face it. The more established you are in the world, the more a
dinner-‐date is expected of you.
However, I love confounding expectations. I have found some women
are offended if I invite them to meet for post dinner wine on the first
date – and guess what – BUH BYE.
I want to underline this: there are MILLIONS of women to date, and
when you get your online dating and offline game habits honed
skillfully, you’ll never let yourself be bullied into spending a Franklin
just to see if you like somebody.
On the other hand, when I meet a girl I ALREADY have a connection
with – from online, and texting and phone – I’ll happily spring for a full,
sexy dinner – because I’m building on something good.
Choose a cozy place with ambiance. -‐Fireplace, deep booths. Try not to
sit opposite her, but corner-‐to-‐corner in a nice dark corner. This way,
your legs and arms can touch “mistakenly” and you can get a read on
how she is warming to you or not.
Do not meet for lunch. Too sterile.
Do not meet for coffee. -‐Too unromantic. You want to CREATE energy.
Therefore…
My strongest recommendation is to meet at a sexy, warm wine bar or
hotel bar – or any bar where you may be well known and liked.
On the other hand – I also strongly recommend a carnival or amusement
park, a beach ride or canoeing, mountain biking or anything physical –
to avoid the awkward staring-‐ across-‐ the-‐ table-‐ at-‐ each-‐ other-‐ thing.
Get her blood flowing and her body happy through movement, and you
are already ahead of the game.
Come in with happy energy. Lift her up. Make her laugh. Delight her in
those first few seconds – because first impressions count… a LOT.
If you joked about anything online or when you first met, show up with
what she loves: animal crackers, jelly beans, a lollipop – something
small and fun, and funny and sweet – that she has mentioned and shows
that you’ve been listening. And no, condoms do not fall into this
category.
**
Who Pays For The Date?
You do.
**
How Do I Transition Her From First Date Into
Future Plans or Future Dates If I Choose To?
This is how you plan future dates: you don’t ask. You tell.
And you tell by letting her know that you’ve paid attention to her
favorite things. If she loves hiking and cheesecake…..
“I am going to take you to the most beautiful lookout in X
county next Saturday afternoon. We’re gonna have a great
hike then I’m taking you to a secret little café where they
serve the best blackberry cheesecake you’ve every tasted.”
The point is, you have a plan and you have a detailed plan. You’ve
thought ahead which shows that you care, and that you’re not a slacker
or a flake.
**
How Do I Know if She Really is Interested in Me?
How Do I Touch Her and Gauge her Reactions?
The primary rule on touch is that you must touch naturally and
demonstrate that is no big deal.
This is why I advise men, especially newly single men, to practice
talking and joking with EVERYONE they meet, so its no big deal to flirt
and talk to pretty women when you meet them.
Similarly, a hand on the upper arm or back, a big shoulder hug, high
fives – whatever – should be part of your daily diet – so that it never
feels strange touching a woman.
Women feel awkward when you DON’T touch them for a while and then
suddenly start touching them. (If you have Netflix, check out the pilot
episode of the painfully funny show, Louie, by Louis CK – where he
awkwardly and suddenly tries to kiss his first date. It is beyond a
disaster!)
So touch her right away, on the upper arm. Pinky-‐ swear with her, high
five, or low five, or slow five. Have fun in all kinds of ways when you
touch. If you want to see her ring, hold her hand firmly and delicately in
yours, appreciatively. Comment on her nimble fingers if they are not fat
sausages. Feel her hair, if you comment on how great it looks – run
your fingers through it, or lift it slightly in appreciation.
If you pass her a bottle or anything, allow your skin to touch. Take her
hand with your other to assure she doesn’t drop it. Give her a hand
when she gets out of a car or up from her seat.
Then, see how she reacts. If she touches you back in any of those ways,
that’s a “go” signal saying that she likes you and is enjoying you. That
does NOT mean go grab her breasts! But it can mean that you can pull
her aside, look her deeply in the eyes, and kiss her – and see how that
goes!
Seek opportunities to touch in all the different ways – flirtatiously,
helpfully, sensually, playfully. It should be no big deal to you and it will
make her feel physically comfortable with you – assuming you’re not
“all over her.”
That’s the caution, the throwing your arms all over her and over-‐doing it
thing. That is creepy.
Chapter 4: Guidelines for Intriguing Conversation
As you now know, from the above section, younger women like you
often because they want to impress you. They figure if someone likes
them for more than just their looks, it proves to them (and everyone
else) that they have intrinsic value.
Use this.
Guideline #1: Speak to Her Mind Not Her Chest.
If she’s a young hottie, every guy in the world is telling her how hot she
is. Every guy in the world admires her breasts, her smile, her eyes – you
name it.
You stand out by praising her taste, her ideas, her thoughts, her
ambition, her wisdom (“you are so beyond your years! How do you stand
it”.) You tell her that she’s older than her years, she loves it – and it also
makes her feel “recognized,” and that she belongs with you.
In other words, not only does this make her feel more adult (allowing
for more “adult” activities), but, it takes away any creepiness factor of
old guy/ young girl dynamics. It closes the age gap.
Guideline #2: Be Captivated When She Talks
When she’s reading you her poetry (gak!), sketching out her business
idea (egads), giving you insights about her friends and her romantic ups
and downs, issues with her mom, college courses, how much she hates
work – listen. Listen closely. Even if you are not listening, keep your
eyes on her, nod now and then, and show that you are 100% paying
attention to her.
Most women complain that men don’t listen when they speak. Most
men make these mistakes.
1. They try to fix the problem – which actually makes women feel
you don’t care – they want you stay in the problem with them a
bit.
2. Guys think about what they are going to say next, so don’t really
listen.
3. Guys look at a great ass when it passes by.
4. Guys play “comparative story” – which means every time a girl
tells a story, instead of taking them deeper into the feelings in
their story, men tell a “better” story that happened to them.
Instead of doing these things, you will win her devotion by asking these
questions and giving these responses.
Why does that suck?
That must feel awful to you.
Wow, that must have been a surprise!
Did that ever happen to you?
That’s amazing! You deserve that!
That’s amazing – you always make life a party!
Lucky them for having you around.
You ARE the party.
There is a foolproof conversational tactic you can use to not only show
her that you are really “in” conversation (i.e. her thoughts are
important), but also forces you to stay in the conversation, and not start
thinking about more interesting things (business, golf, astronomy, the
periodic table or taking a dump). Here it is, with some variations:
“Listening to you, it strikes me that you…
(Hey! It has the word “you” in it twice!)
“I’m looking at you, and I’m thinking (I’ll bet no one’s ever
understood you, how you take care of everyone around you but no
one ever has taken care of you before…”)
“I’m hearing what you’re saying, and I can’t help thinking there’s
even more beneath it…” (then take a stab at it or ask her)
“Wow, that’s really insightful, I never thought of it like that.”
Sometimes The Best Conversation Involves No Words
And if she’s venting, sometimes you don’t have to say anything at all. A
simple… “Come here” and taking her in your arms and softly stroking
her hair can be the greatest feeling in the world for her. It is tender and
nurturing, and if she had a great dad or an absent/bad dad, it will mean
so much to her.
Guideline #4: Make Her Feel Unique
Younger women are into you often because they want to feel smarter,
older and appreciated by someone other than a zit-‐covered, burger-‐
flipping, lost puppy.
“I would only tell this story to someone like you…”
“I’ve never told anyone this before, but there something about
you…”
“I feel so natural with you…”
“It’s crazy, I feel so at ease with you…”
“I feel like we’ve been friends forever…”
“I’ve never met anybody like you.”
“Most girls run out of things to say after 10 minutes, but you…”
“Most girls bore me on our first date, but you’re different”
And without putting her friends down (ever!), let her know she belongs
with you and is beyond her years.
“I’ll bet you get bored with guys your age…”
“I’ll bet you run circles around guys your age….”
“I’ll bet guys your age bore the hell out of you…”
To quote Rihanna: make her feel like she’s the “only girl in the world.”
Show vulnerability and how she can step into an important role with
you...
“I gotta say, my ex never really listened to me. Talking to you is like
a whole new experience…”
“My last girlfriend had no ambition, it’s so refreshing listening to
you…”
“My last girlfriend never wanted to do anything fun. You wanna get
out and see the world, have fun, try new things, travel…”
Note: This is maybe the most important one because it sets
her up to live up to your agreed-‐upon definition of who she is. It
creates expectations. -‐Especially the “try new things” part. You
could take her to all kinds of exciting and romantic events –
referring back to your mutual agreement that she is
“adventurous.”
Guideline #5: How You Can Establish Trust
Because you are older, and presumably smarter and more canny,
younger women will need to trust you before they surrender
themselves to you.
The most important way of seeming trustworthy is actually being
trustworthy. You’ll be amazed how appreciative women are when you
actually tell the truth – whether it’s about being nervous…
“I have to tell you, I was really nervous tonight. I didn’t really know
that much about you before, but it’s so cool now…”
Gaining a woman’s trust is like peeling an onion. You have to pull back
layer after layer to get to the tender part inside. Any pretty young
woman is being hit on all the time. The more you can stand out from
being just another guy hitting on her in an obvious way, the better off
you are.
A) Telling A Trust Story
1. The Bandwagon Story
At the core of the bandwagon story is the idea that everybody
likes me, everyone wants me.
If you are telling a story that involves your beautiful ex or many
beautiful exes, you end with…
“It was all great, but they’re not you.”
Your fundamental attitude that she should feel all the time is:
“I am choosy and I choose you.”
B) Making her Feel Like Family
Remember – you are a lone wolf until they know the context of
you. Work is not that important as a way of establishing trust –
and we’ll talk about how to frame it so it does make you
trustworthy.
Friends are the next level up of establishing trust. Talk openly
about how cool your friends are and how close you all are, how
much you love them etc.
Most importantly, talk about your family. Your brothers and
sisters – (that makes you sound like a kid, not a parent or
grandpa) – and always think about how to make yourself sound
like the cooler one, or the more adventurous, daring one by
comparison (without putting them down too much). You’re
better off shaking your head and wondering how they could have
settled for an average life when life is actually so exciting, and full
of adventures, and travel and discovery. That is the language that
excites a young woman. You are her ticket to a more
adventurous life.
Remember, especially as the economy has gotten worse, many
young women have not traveled abroad, nor even out of their
state! Many have not been taken to a wonderful dinner with
wine and dessert. And many have not even ridden in a nice car
before! So don’t underestimate what you have to offer.
The other thing you can do is to “welcome” her into your world.
Remember, many young people are still busy individuating from
their families – striking out and trying to establish a new “family”
in the world – so you inviting her into yours is very appealing.
That could mean your actual family or your “family” of friends.
3: Social Proof Story
Other beautiful woman stories:
One of the biggest mistakes men make is to put down their exes.
Don’t. Ever. They are young. They are insecure on some level
because they are unproven. When you speak badly about any ex,
they are thinking – oh great, this is how he’s going to talk about
me one day.
So do the exact opposite. No matter what happened between you
and an ex, you only say nice things about them. If you are
friends, say you are still friends. -‐That you still support them
(emotionally). That they were great, but it just didn’t work out.
Now, if you want to move your new young lady in the direction
you suspect she wants to go and toward which you’d like to take
her, you can add...
“…but she was just a little too timid in the bedroom. She
couldn’t open up.”
“but she was just too uptight. Uptight upbringing, and could
never really just let loose and be free.”
#4 Powerful Work Stories
A story that shows how you are a decision maker, that you have
life under controlled. If you have a story about a woman at work
whom you work so well with, or who admires you – and can drop
in how chummy you are, how she always says you’re the best man
to talk to – “don’t worry, she’s married”…
One of my younger girlfriends told me that one of the best stories
a guy ever told her was how the girls in his office thought he was
the best catch they knew – “so they put me up as a bachelor at a
charity auction – they auctioned me off. They raised 700 dollars to
build wells in Africa – but the best part was the woman who bought
me. She was 75 and adorable. I took her out to a great little cafe –
you’d love it by the way – I know the chef I’ll take you sometime –we
treated her like a princess, and when I took her home, I even fixed
her screen door before I left.”
This not only establishes his social proof as a desirable man, but
its humble, it’s human, it’s not overtly sexual and it makes him
sweet and lovable.
Guideline #6: Never Reprimand or Pull Rank
When you feel threatened, that is when you are most likely to shoot
yourself in the foot by sounding like an asshole, crotchety old man!
Avoid phrases like…
“Well the thing you’ll learn in life soon is…”
“You haven’t suffered enough.”
“You haven’t lived enough, you’ll see.”
“You’re so wrong. It’s because you’re young.”
Any of those will put a bullet in the heart of any healthy relationship.
Guideline #7: Flirt Well
a) Be Her “Employer”
“Fire” her or hire her. It’s a great way to flirt, and it also establishes you
as the authority figure. If she says something cute and funny on the
first night…
“I am so hiring you as my girlfriend…”
If she screws up directions…
“You are so fired as my tour guide.”
“You are so fired as my bartender.”
b) Promise But Qualify.
If you mention a place you love or have taken other women, you can add
this, with a smile…
“I’ll take you if you behave…. or better, if you don’t.”
“Well go there sometime if you’re good – or bad.”
21 Confident Conversation Tactics
… Commitments That Will
Make You A Conversation Commando!
As a man of greater life experience, you will benefit with women when
you display greater confidence. Many men betray themselves with false
humility, actual insecurity and otherwise breaking the spell that
younger women want to feel when they are with you. They want to look
up to you. Here are 21 specific tactics to help you shore up your
confidence as well as your appearance of confidence:
Confident Conversation Tactic #1:
“I Own My Will, And Do Not Apologize”
For now on, when I assert myself, your thoughts, feelings and will, as
long as they are not grounded in hate or fear, but rather in beneficence,
boldness and love, protectiveness and care, I will own my actions and
my speech – without fail, without hesitancy, without apology.
Look, if you have hurt someone because you were acting out of ego or
fear, apologize!
But you do not apologize for “yourself” and you do not explain your
choices or behavior.
Following are three ways in which men subconsciously communicate
their lack of self-‐confidence. Remove all three from your speech
patterns right away!
1. Using diminishment words. It’s in the culture, so it’s not your
fault. A confident man uses words carefully and each as a tool to
communicate his meaning. He doesn’t diminish his will, intent
and power by using words like “kind of,” “sort of,” and “a little.”
Also avoid “like: as in “like, I was all at this bar.” Speak with
direct language. If you choose your words carefully and without
filler words, you will come across as valuing your communication.
You will be perceived more as a man worth listening to.
2. Don’t change your mind instantly to please another. If you
state an opinion, stay with it for the moment. If someone offers an
interesting counter argument, you can absolutely say, “that’s very
well said, I’m going to think that over.” If they just offer a counter-‐
taste, as around some kind of music or food, don’t change. If you
REALLY don’t like something, stay with it.
3. The interrogative voice-‐lift. It’s amazing. It’s a feminine trait
that has found its way into men’s speech patterns. When you ask
a question, you will find that your voice tone naturally rises. You
can hear it in the classic, “Once… I went to band camp…?” The
voice raise at the end of your sentence is a way of “asking” a
person to stay involved – rather than stating something with
masculine firmness. So, watch the tone of your voice at the end of
your sentences. Try to end with a downward rather than an
upward intonation.
For me, there is an iconic moment in Get Shorty, where Travolta asserts
his totem line, “Look at me,” and Hackman asks, “Why should I look at
you?” Travolta simply answers, “Because I want you to.”
“Because I want you to.”
This clean assertion of will, by a man who has a plan, confidence and
just plain balls in the face of the unknown, gathers everyone he meets
into his orbit. He doesn’t explain his behavior. He doesn’t boast or try to
prove anything – in his case, because he knows his internal abilities. He
doesn’t really show a lot of violence, even when confronted.
His strength is in his confidence and his confidence is in his skill in
knowing others. His assumption is that you will either play his game, or
you will, in some way, eventually, lose and he can very quickly tell which
way you will go.
The important part for you is that you genuinely have to not care if a
woman likes you or not. Your job is to be your best self, the self you are
most proud of, most comfortable being. -‐Asserting your needs and
wants, and following up on them no matter what others do. You do not
shift course to suit others.
“I Shall Hereby Remove the Term ‘sorry’ or ‘I’m
sorry’ From my Speech (unless I am Actually
Apologizing).”
You’d be amazed how often men and women subconsciously apologize
for themselves – you can hear it in their speech. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean
to interrupt.” “Sorry, but you do you have a match?” “Sorry, can I ask you
a question?”
Take out all language that diminishes you, that makes you small,
apologetic or “less than.” -‐Any words that make you tentative and make
yourself now a powerful, direct speaker. Here are some words to
ACTIVELY remove from your conversations…
Maybe, might, somehow, hope, no offense but, just saying, a bit, kind
of, sort of, probably…
Confident Conversation Tactic #2:
“I Claim the Center of Some Social Circles”
I want you to talk from the social center.
Remember, everyone you meet is like a pebble dropped in water, with
many ripples around them of other people – namely, women. Actively
friend your friends on Facebook and stay active in their lives – then
throw your own party – at a bar, or beach, or lake, or whatever, with all
your new peeps. And tell them to invite their friends.
Two things happen. Suddenly, your life will be full of women. And you
will feel less “clingy” and “needy,” if that has hounded you.
Second, you will take on more personal power because you will be the
“hub” of power rather than merely a spoke on other men’s wheels.
There is so much more natural authority when you are the one creating
action. When it is your will that is being acted out upon by other men.
An Action Note On Abundance Mentality and “Not Caring.”
Brent Smith, my friend and well-‐known dating guru, is famous for
his phrase, “the difference is indifference.” What this means is not
that you don’t care about people, but that their opinion doesn’t
upset your cart – it doesn’t change how you feel about yourself. This
is why you MUST have multiple women in your life, you must build
yourself overlapping social circles and stay active within them.
Whether it’s a few meetup groups (
www.meetup.com
), eating
groups, church groups, singles groups, co-‐ed athletic groups
(
www.athleticsingles.com
) – and of course, best of all, forming and
hosting your own social group that gets together once a month
(which makes you the center and the authority) . The key is that
your self-‐regard will never change suddenly because of one random
girl’s “rejection.” This is one of the most important things you can
do to improve your life with women, because you will, by default,
begin to possess the all-‐important abundance mentality you need to
have with women. There are virtually infinite attractive women
available for you, waiting for you, just waiting to meet a guy who
approaches her with confidence and a sense of fun. Remember –
they are sexual beings too. They don’t want to go to sleep with their
vibrator – again! They want to go home with you.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 3:
“I Speak Slowly and Surely”
You can see it at work and you can see it at bars. Whenever a “lower
status” individual talks to a “higher status,” one -‐ gender doesn’t matter
here – the lower status one speeds up – as if working over-‐hard to be
noticed and get validated. It is a signal that the lower status person is
afraid that the higher status person will stop listening or simply lose
interest. There are three ways you can slow your speech: when you
have something worthy to say, when you can tell a story well, and when
you stay attentive to your listener; you will have the natural confidence
to speak slowly and with sureness.
Some linguistic or physical tricks you can use to slow your speech
include...
A: Take a deep breath before responding, especially if she says
something that has some kind of impact. Really let her feel that
you are taking in what she said, that you’re giving it gravity.
B: Offer a vocalized “hmmmm” – if you do this correctly, in the
depth of your throat so that it rumbles, that can have a sexually
polarizing effect on her. You’d be amazed at the impact of a deep
growl in a man’s throat – it’s the equivalent of a woman’s seductive
purr.
C: Mirror back her key words. Not only does this give you time
to think, but also creates rapport by demonstrating that you not
only heard her words but find them important enough to repeat
back to her – and then augment them with an observation of your
own. Here’s an example from a conversation I had just this
morning…
Her: “I love taking walks in the morning when the air is really
fresh and wet with dew…”
You: “You love the morning because the air is fresh and wet
with dew… that’s awesome. I love how sensitive you are to
pleasure…”
You can see how I use language here to open the door to sexuality.
Sometimes women will take up the sexual undertones and amp it
up for you. But if you don’t open the door – she can’t step
through.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 4:
“I Keep Steady Eyes”
In conversation, you are not looking around for the locus of fun and
power. You ARE the locus of fun and power!
Your concern with what others are doing is a side-‐interest. You
naturally consider yourself the focus of attention and you hold that
intention with full power. You are positioned not on the edge of a
crowd but unafraid, in the center. You expect others to look at you,
rather than you scanning everyone else for approval. This is the
commanding position. Your eyes are not downcast, but outward, calm
and level -‐-‐ and you take in everyone you meet directly, relaxedly
(tranquilly?), with your eyes meeting theirs, warmly, and staying with
their eyes until they are the first to break the tension.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 5:
“I Am a Scarce and Valuable Asset”
This is a mindset you must communicate. You must say it to yourself
and you must believe it.
One way that you can make it real in your life is to convey it gently, but
forcefully in your communications. Here’s what you don’t want to do:
you don’t want to be perceived as chasing after women. Rather, you
arrange it so they chase after you. You don’t buy drinks or buy gifts
before you are sleeping with her. You don’t let her set the time and
place to meet for a date. If she suggests a time and place – change one
aspect or the other. Do this! Make it a little later or another night, or
suggest a different place. It is essential that you are the one setting
the agenda of your life – even in little ways. You have to be the product
that is perceived as scarce and valuable – you cannot be available to
serve at someone else’s whim.
You are not available for a new woman’s company at any time.
Changing the time or place, even slightly, establishes that in a subtle
way.
There are other ways of establishing, from the first moment, that you
are not of such low value that you are simply available whenever….
In my online profiles, I will often embed messages like this:
“I am not on this site often, so please
don’t hesitate to bother me twice if you
think we’re a match…”
“Please be sure to read my whole profile
and let me know what it is you read
that caught your attention. I don’t
answer the emails that are generic, or
offer no personality or insight. Bring
your best!”
“This is valuable real estate here, so if
you write me, please have something
powerful and unique to say…”
I’ve experimented with all kinds of variations on this and I can
guarantee you it brings not only respect, but a kind of delight into
women’s experience of you – before you even meet. They will write
things like:
“Tee hee – okay, I’m bothering you. I liked your profile.”
“So, I read your whole profile and…”
If they begin with a sentence like that, you’ve already established your
authority. You are in the command position and she is within your
framework. The masculine-‐feminine dynamic is already at work…
and….. this is a great example of why I say when you do it right, you
never end up in the Friend Zone because you never allowed one to form!
Now, how can you bring this attitude to your daily encounters?
Remember, as you lead, people will follow. You always train others
how to treat you by how you communicate with them.
A Special Note on Beautiful Women: Most of what you know will
spiral into mush when you encounter a truly beautiful woman. Here’s a
practice you can employ to prevent that when it comes to maintaining
your sense of high value. If she says something warm or smart:
“You know, gotta say... Most beautiful women rely on their looks.
It’s refreshing to find someone who puts in the time to be thoughtful
and informed. “
Then clink her glass. Of course, now she will feel compelled to keep up
the estimation you’ve allowed her. And the power situation has flipped
from the realm of beauty to brains, in this case – and you can make it go
in any direction you choose. Could be her warmth you comment on, for
example, or her social grace. I never ever, ever compliment beautiful
women on their looks in the beginning of an encounter or relationship.
Of course, once you are in relationship, sing to her beauty as well.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 6
“I Don’t Overreact, I Approve”
This is a key mindshift. Most men, when talking to a really beautiful
woman, will be effusive in their hand and facial expressions, and will
speak quickly and in a high voice. You are not showing your eagerness
to be part of her parade.
Instead, you are standing above and apart slightly, and you are showing
your approval of her accomplishments. One way to quickly start
enacting this is to dole out points or prizes.
“Nice, you get five points for that one.”
“You get a gold star.”
“I like you a whole lot better now.”
“Nice. You just advanced five spaces in my estimation of you.”
Now, these can be delivered playfully, especially as the women you are
talking to rise in accomplishment. With young women, they will
appreciate the gold star. But with older or more accomplished women,
it’s meant to be obviously funny, and flirty and cute. But the message is
clear – you are the one giving approval. You are in the teacher or leader
role.
Beyond these flirtatious approvals, you can of course give genuine
approval:
“That is beautifully stated. You’re an unusual girl.”
“That’s a great insight. You’re more than meets the eye, aren’t you?
I’ll bet most people think you’re just another pretty face.”
Confident Conversation Tactic # 7:
“I Welcome, in Fact, LOVE Being Challenged”
This tactic is perhaps the sexiest thing a man can do with a woman.
It may also be the hardest behavior to embody, especially because so
many men have been put down by other men, by other women, by their
parents – well, by everyone. And chances are you’ve seen most men
react to this, from boyhood, by getting defensive or putting up a false
mask of bravado – which is equally inauthentic and distasteful. So
what’s a dude to do?
If a woman challenges you, relish her challenge, rise to it, play with it,
exceed it!
Challenging you, giving you a shit-‐test – that’s her job – to see if you’re
trustable. It’s what she’s supposed to do! So expect it, welcome it,
enjoy it and turn it to your advantage.
There are always two ways to go with a woman’s challenge. One is to
play with it and flip over the challenge onto her. When she says, “Why
are you talking to me? I’m way too young for you.” “Yeah, maybe,” you
reply, ”but you seem like you might be interesting enough to make up
for it.”
Another way of playing with it is to employ insouciant “absurdification”
(coined by dating coach Brad P). If she says, “you’re pretty damned sure
of yourself,” you can reply with, “I’m the surest person that ever lived,”
and just go on with conversation like you didn’t even hear her. The way
it then plays out is that her challenge was a fun moment, but it does not
interrupt your flow of attention or intention. The other way you can
react is to take the moment seriously. When she says, “you’re pretty
cocky,” you reply simply and groundedly, “I know myself.”
And then go on with the discussion. You don’t have to explain it.
If you joke and bomb, and she says something like, “You think you’re
funny?” You, without getting defensive at all, respond with -‐-‐ “I like to
bring a smile to people’s faces, sure. People have tough lives. They need
a laugh. Sometimes I miss, but that’s okay,” and again – move ON with
the conversation on to the next point or whatever was going on before.
The point is that a challenge never collapses you, rocks you,
disturbsyou.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 8:
“I Don’t Fill Out Their Questionnaires”
This is a tricky one because you don’t want to seem like a jerk. But a
woman who fires one question at you after another is controlling the
frame of the conversation, which puts you in an automatic beta role
with her.
So you can give playful answers (“How many girls have slept in this
bed?” “I lost count at 8, 562,” and move the discussion where you want
it to go as if it were a silly question asked for a silly reason. Or, turn it
around immediately, “why, what’s been your limit so far on the number
of women your lovers have slept with?” Or, “(remain capital)h, there
have been hundreds, but none has actually ‘slept.’”
If she persists, you can ask her sincerely, why she wants to know. Or
you can get assertive. Does she make judgments around people that
way? What are her assumptions? Is she afraid of men who are
experienced lovers? (like that one? You shift the frame from “volume of
sex” to “experience.” I think that one came to me from reframing age
from “older” to “experienced,” “seasoned,” even “battle-‐hardened” when
I’m dating younger women).
Or, you can give playful answers that have a direct and seductive edge,
“so, how many internet dates have you been on this week?” -‐is one I
always got. My answer, “this is the only one that matters to me, right
now.” And then move the conversation along – usually back to her.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 9:
“I Speak As If I am The King of My Domain –
And My Domain is Wherever I Find Myself”
The king bestows benefits in the world. He does it without needing
adulation or a response. He just sees it as a natural role for him, since
he has the wealth and power.
Think of yourself as the King of your Realm. You do nice things for
people without thinking. You open doors for ladies. You hold doors
open for men. You allow others to enter a room first (put your hand on
their lower back as they pass – it’s an alpha behavior). You assist where
people are in need. Not because you are seeking validation, but only
because you have such an abundance of value to offer that you offering
it always without a second thought. Plain and simple.
You help a woman with her chair. With her drink. Over a curb. Out of a
car. Not as a subservient suitor, but as a man who naturally helps all,
and she is in your purview at the moment. Nothing special.
I call this principle – inhabiting “The Sovereign Self.”
Confident Conversation Tactic #10
“I Don’t Respond To Her Yes/No Questions
Instead I Lead With Questions That Reveal
Her Juicy Center…”
… and lead you both into deeper conversation.
If she asks you a yes/no question, this is a great opportunity to get
curious about her and take her deeper into herself, into you and into
conversation in general. Especially because they are often asking these
kinds of questions to pigeon hole you or eliminate you from the running,
to qualify you. Don’t let them control that frame and make you her
beta. Remember, they don’t do that to hurt men, though it may hurt,
they do it because they are smart and don’t trust men, and are trying to
get a quick read on them to see if they can trust.
Sadly, their markers are often misleading or inconclusive.
For example, a couple of common ones…
Her: “Do you smoke weed?”
You: “That’s a really interesting question! I’ve noticed that the
rules have changed so fast. I know parents telling their kids they
should smoke but kids saying, no way, “I’ve got to focus on my
career!” What’s your experience? Have you noticed anything like
that?
Her: Do you use drugs?
You: That depends on what you mean by drugs. Do you mean the
common socially-‐cliché way? I look at drugs – or medicines – like I
look at sex. You can pursue it as distraction, or addiction or
revelation. I am very selective and I use certain medicines for
revelation.”
Well! With that answer, you say a lot. You say that you are above and
beyond common cultural limited distinctions and beliefs. You say that
you’ve thought about the different ways of approaching deep and
intimate experience, and you say that you live with purpose and
intention, not the unconscious path of addictive, distracted or habitual
behavior. And, of course, with this answer, you raise the idea in her
head about revelatory sex – and she’s probably wondering what you
mean by that (you’d better have a good answer if you use this!).
Use pigeon-‐holing questions as an opportunity to open her up!
Her: Are you a liberal or a conservative?
You: It’s funny, I find that those labels are almost never helpful
except for extremists. Everybody is so quick to label others because
they don’t care enough to take time to really learn who other people
are. I’ll bet you don’t fit other people’s labels, right? You seem like
an individualist, someone who knows her own mind; makes up her
own mind on things. I’ll bet you defy labels, right?”
Now you’re talking about her, hopefully you are correct about her that
she is an independent thinker, and she is respecting you for being a
maverick yourself, beyond labels.
Or go funny…
Her: “What do you think of gay marriage?”
You: “I think they have the same right to be miserable as anyone
else.”
Now if she’s asking you a precise question about a precise issue, you
don’t have to play with it -‐-‐ especially if it’s an issue important to you.
If you do have strongly held ethical beliefs about animal treatment,
global warming, death penalty etc. – it’s more than ok to express your
firm beliefs.
If you want to contribute to the evolution of the species, respectfully
disagree with others rather than scorn them for believing otherwise.
Talk radio mentality has damaged public discourse awfully for the last
20 years or so. Please be part of the solution. Civility. Respect.
Firmness, sure, but not raging ego and points-‐gaining. You don’t need to
launch into an attack on those who think differently. In fact, if you can
fashion a compassionate recap of other people’s opinions that you don’t
agree with – you are showing a kingly ability to see more than one side
of the issue – something that most smart women will realize will be very
useful in relationship.
Confident Conversation Tactic #11:
“I Add Value”
One of the questions that most often comes up is, “how do I handle an
awkward pause?”
Here’s how…
1. Call it out.
a. “I love awkward pauses. Most people try to fill silences,
but sometimes it’s good to just relax together.”
b. “Aww. Our first awkward silence! Something to tell the
grandkids.”
c. [In the Advanced Confidence Audio Series, listen for Lance
Mason’s technique of making the awkward silence
something to celebrate and get her laughing.]
2. Use it to reflect her impact on you. In this scenario, you don’t
feel obliged to continue the flow of conversation as it was
happening but instead, by taking command, you send it in a
new direction by telling her what it’s like being with her.
“I gotta say, I’m glad we met here tonight. You’re the most
interesting girl in the room.”
“You’re an unusual girl, aren’t you?” Then say why.
“Gotta say, I’m getting to like you. You’re sexy, y’know, for a
girl, and I like how you see the world”
“For a girl?!!!” – they always say that.
“Yknow, I wasn’t gonna come out tonight. But now I’m glad
I did. You made my decade.” Beat. “It’s been a slow
decade.”
Point of Humor: What I did in that last sentence is something you want
to do to create laughter, and to not be boring and say what every other
guy says. What you do is substitute one key word in a standard cliché
sentence.
Instead of “You have beautiful eyes.”
You say,” “You’re really beautiful. I like your nostrils.”
Or, if she’s got amazing breasts…
“I’ll be everyone compliments you on your clavicles. I love a
girl with killer clavicles.”
In case you don’t know – clavicles are the bones that arch in
toward her neck above her breasts. It’s such a weird thing to say,
and it’s an obvious “non-‐breast” comment by proximity. And, the
truth is, I DO love a girl with killer clavicles. When they wear a
gown, that’s when them suckers shine.
Comedy is misdirection. You lead toward one thing and head the other
way.
Now, to this concept of adding value, which is a way of leading the
conversation so you DON’T get awkward pauses. Too often, someone
will say, “how are you” and you’ll say “fine, thank you.”
And you get … the awkward pause. You have to revv up the engines
again.
I always say… “Awesome!”
She’ll ask why.
And then I’ll launch into something that is exciting me in the moment
(or sometime during the last few months, but talk about it as if its in the
moment!) – a great book, a blog post I just wrote, an inspiring new
friend, some new trail I’ve discovered – something inspirational and
upbeat about my life – drawing her into a discussion.
Another approach to this.
“Hi, I’m Dan.”
“I’m Bethany, how are you?”
“Great – I just got tickets to…. Arcade Fire/Bermuda/etc – there’s
this beach I love there called…. Etc… have you been?”
If she says “no” I’ll offer to “pack you in my suitcase, if you’re nice.”
Then you are off on a discussion about travel destinations – you
can ask her favorite destinations.
Or if there’s something interesting going on at your work…
“I’m Bethany, how are you?”
“Celebrating. I’ve spent the last few months working hard on
helping X get Y and we just finished it this week. You should see the
face of Y…”
Now, I don’t know what you do for work, but if you’ve had a cool
accomplishment in the last few months, use it! If it helped someone and
you can talk about the human impact of your accomplishment
(remember the Commitment to find the HUMAN angle in everything, in
this case, also making it less about you and more about service), then do
that.
The point is, whether you bring up travel, a concert, an accomplishment,
a great book or magazine, or movie you’ve just experienced – ADD
VALUE to the conversation so it doesn’t stop.
Lead her into a discussion – and be sure, once you’ve splashed her with
your enthusiasm, gratitude, excitement, positivity or passion-‐ turn the
conversation to her so she can share herself with you. Most guys talk
women’s ears off!
Show a real interest in her life.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 12
“I Will Pro-‐Actively Introduce People –
Adding Value as I Go!”
You are the mayor. You are the hub of the wheel. You are the sun, the
supplier of value. You are the man of experience and the man who has
greater authority in the world than she has. You are in command and
you lead.
So take every opportunity to introduce people to each other, while
adding bits of information to get that conversation going.
Add something that you just learned. Now if there is a professional
connection or someone can HELP the other, that’s fantastic.
“Ellie, this is Hank – Ellie’s got this great idea for an online
business, Hank is an expert at driving traffic to new sites…”
You have just added real value to their lives, and have earned gratitude.
People will love you for this, as they rightly should.
If she returned from a trip…
“This is Heather. She just got back from Bali where I think she
danced naked under the moon.” Beat. “Maybe I added that last
part.”
If she is a nurse or doctor…
“This is Carrie. She saves lives with her bare hands…”
I like to play with the details I’ve learned about somebody, to lighten the
moment and to pique them emotionally. If I don’t really know anything
about her, I play with what she’s wearing. If she’s got funky earrings…
“This is Jeannie. She’s the West Coast Rep for The Society of
Hippie Earrings…”
The point is – NEVER – just say, “Joe, this is Mary. Mary, Joe.”
-‐Unless you love awkward silences.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 13
“I Am Informed: And I Always Look for the Human Angle”
This isn’t my favorite topic these days, but yes, knowing what’s going on
in the news is an obvious rapport-‐creator and way to start a
conversation.
Know the top stories of the day. I tend to use the Huffington Post, but
you can use any aggregation news source, including Google News.
I tend to stay away from the big media names because they rarely the
real story. It tells the story from the corporate culture, but what really
matters to most people’s lives are personal and on the ground. So I
look for personal takes on things. I read opinion pieces, not by fathead
Washington blowhards, but by people on the ground, who are directly
affected by issues.
I read a lot – and I get great stories out of Esquire and Vanity Fair,
believe it or not. I learned more about what it feels like to be a soldier
from an article about losing their girls back home than 1000 CNN
reports about the world. I use a site called
www.ALDaily.com
for all
kinds of things, but especially for the links to dozens of newspapers
around the world – and I read those – as well as their opinion pages.
You get a whole different view of the world – much more interesting
than the false dichotomies you get in the US media.
Here’s the key: look for the HUMAN story behind the big news stories.
Be able to talk about an individual who was involved in, or personally
affected by the headlines, not just the headlines. Women tend to
connect better with stories about people rather than about statistics,
strategy or abstractions.
If conversation is a challenge for you, then make a point to fill your
bucket every day with news stories – 15/30 minutes a day to inform
yourself. Intellectual preparedness is a leadership signal. If you’re the
guy in a social circle who has that emotionally impactful detail – you’re
the one women look to. They can feel your heart as well as your brain.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 14
“I Will Steer The Conversation to Talk About
Relationships Not About Things”
Here are a couple of quotes from women I have known. One asked me,
“Why do men post photos online of
themselves holding big fish?!!!!”
Another complained to me that other men on dates talked about their
cars, their boats.
Why do guy do this? A few reasons but one big one. The reasons
include:
1-‐ They don’t understand women. They talk to women the same
way they talk to guys, talking about things as status symbols and
as safe subjects that don’t open up any vulnerability or feelings.
2-‐ They aren’t accessing their imaginations. They talk about the first
thing that comes to their minds – and that’s often “stuff.”
3-‐ They are trying very hard – in a very clumsy way – to
communicate the primary “Attractor” quality of men – access to
resources.
Women are creatures built to love, connect, care for. Any time you can
get her talking about how good she is at this, and the people and
creatures she cares for, the warmer she will respond to you.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 15
“I Stay on the Lookout for Usable Stories”
When you hear a story or read one, think consciously about how you
might use this in conversation. Might it show you have a heart? That
you’re a forward thinker? That you’re a thought leader? That you think
about how you can make your community better? That it demonstrates
what a great parent you’d make? Does it show that you are sensually
alive (i.e. – how you might talk about food, or some art or a landscape –
does it show that you are attentive to beauty?).
Be a defender of women. Here’s a simple one and an important one:
Are you aware of the struggle women have to go through in this world?
Right now, rape is being used as a weapon in many African and Muslim
countries. What do you know about that? Have you contributed to any
associated charities? Right now, the right in the US is trying to shut
down Planned Parenthood – an organization that has helped millions of
women get health care -‐ the Christian right is using abortion as the
leverage to defund it. I personally contribute to Planned Parenthood –
not only because they’ve helped me and my girlfriends out but because I
know it’s a godsend for girls from poor families who have not other
recourse. To me, part of loving women, is defending them, helping them
and being a protector.
Confident Conversation Tactic #16
“I Compliment Using “The Sexy Sandwich”
The worst thing a guy can do with an attractive woman is to tell her that
she is beautiful directly. -‐Or with no context.
I mean, you can say it – and SHOULD say it when you are looking deeply
into her eyes and your really feel what a beautiful, loving gift of a human
being she is.
Part of Commanding Confidence means you are always leading. And
remember – she can’t follow if you don’t lead.
So at some point, pretty quickly really, you want to communicate that
you are sexually attracted to her.
Here’s an easy and fun practice.
I like to spice up conversation by giving what I call a “beauty sandwich”
or “sexy sandwich.”
“You’re really funny, you’re sexy, you’re cool – I like you.”
Take the emphasis off the sexy compliment so it doesn’t feel like sucking
up. Make it casual and make it less primary by sandwiching it between
other observations or comments about her personality, and how you
APPROVE of her.
Confidence is felt when you are not seeking to gain anything, but when
you are offering. And more-‐so when you are offering without any
feeling of needing return.
Confident Conversation Tactic #17
“I Own Her By Naming Her”
This is a fun one and a necessary one – although it’s kind of a cheap trick
at gaining dominance.
He who names, owns. Check any map of the world.
First, repeat her name so you know it and she knows you know it.
Then give her a nickname. This is the classic move of a man who is
comfortable with women. It shows a kind of “ownership” – you’ve
named her, you’ve categorized her.
The more masculine you name her, the more feminine she will then try
to be in return. If you call her Dude, Man, Killer, watch her try to prove
she is feminine.
If you want to play up -‐ and make fun of a bit – her femininity, you can
call her Principessa (Italian for princess), Snow White (if she is
“innocent”), Cinderella (if she is overdressed), Little Red Riding Hood (if
she is wearing red, duh), Poindexter (if she is Nerdy -‐-‐ or Nerd, Geek,
Dork) -‐ all in good fun.
I have called 23 year-‐ olds “Gramma” and “Grams” to flip the age
difference, “Snooki” if she’s from Jersey, “Ellie May” if she’s from the
South.
If she reminds you vaguely of a movie star or character from a movie –
call her that.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 18
“I Ask Open-‐Ended Questions”
If you want to stop the energy of a conversation, ask a question that gets
you a yes or no, as we said above.
If you want to feed the fire, ask an open-‐ended question.
People’s favorite topic is ME. They love to talk about themselves and
give their opinions. Whether it’s about a recent movie or concert, a
mutual friend or enemy, or the dating or web dating experience, hit ‘em
with questions like…
“What did you hate most?”
“What turned you on the most?”
“What was your favorite part?”
“What did you like about it?”
Confident Conversation Tactic # 19
“I Allow Women To Talk About Themselves”
Women love men who let them talk about themselves.
Again, everyone’s favorite topic is me, me, me.
The most interesting topic of conversation to anyone is themselves.
So when you give a woman a chance to talk about her then, she will love
you for it.
Why?
Because most of the conversations she has are nothing short of a
constant competition for the spot light.
Let me explain…
If you pay close attention to most social conversations, they are full of
competition for the center stage (i.e. People are constantly jousting for
the opportunity to talk about themselves).
Now we all want to be heard, but most of the time we constantly have
to fight for attention when in conversation with other people. That is
why you see people cutting each other short while in mid-‐conversation,
just so they can put in their two cents.
So when you show up, and are willing to let her talk about herself, then
you appear as a god-‐send.
-‐Especially if she is soft-‐spoken and is usually talked-‐over.
It’s not always easy for us guys to FOLLOW what a woman is saying –
and I have written extensively about why women talk (to connect) and
why men talk (to convey information).
The key to appreciating her conversation, staying interested and
reflecting herself back in her best light, is to be a “love investigator.”
That is, look for where she is expressed love or disappointed love in her
talk about her family, or dogs, or ex, or friends.
I’ll be honest – it may sound like blather to you and you’d much rather
talk about politics, or sports or ANYTHING but her strained relationship
with some friend – if you listen as a Love Investigator, you will make
incisive comments and DEMONSTRATE that you care – unlike most
men.
You don’t have to be Freud to figure out what to say. Simple
interjections like….
“That sounds like it really hurt your feelings…”
“Sounds like you really care about her…”
“Sounds like you’ve invested a lot of yourself in him…”
“That must make you feel so good…”
… can do wonders.
Women RARELY felt heard by men. It’s an easy and nice way to be a
standout guy.
Confident Conversation Tactic #20
“I Am As Masterful Listener”
Now, you must learn how to be a good listener and yet still an active
participant in the conversation.
You do not want to simply listen and not say anything about yourself
because you will come off as being aloof or, even worse, as if you are
hiding something from her. In this case you will come off as slightly
creepy and having a shifty, untrustworthy character. And you also do
not want to be talking more than you listen because you become a bad
listener, like 90% of the population.
Therefore, a quick and simple guideline to follow here is: “Do Not
Interrupt Her While She Is Talking.”
Once she is done talking, quickly give your view (keep it short) then ask
her a follow-‐up question. As long as you allow her to talk without
interruption then you will be a good listener.
Just remember that people are interested in themselves so refrain from
going on and on about your view unless you were asked. Even then keep
your response as short as possible.
So, simply put a good listener listens a lot more than they talk.
So Just Remember…
It seems simple enough to ask questions but the real trick lies in
knowing what to ask and being able take advantage of the information
you get from your questions to quickly build rapport with her.
You will also need to learn how to avoid coming off as an interviewer,
because of asking too many questions in quick succession.
There is a smooth and cool way of controlling a conversation while still
keeping the dialogue alive. But do not worry if you suck at it initially, it
is a skill quickly learnt through experience.
Listen for evocative details to reflect back to her and plunge deeper,
with her.
Listen without plotting your next thing to say.
Don’t speak until she is finished.
Confident Conversation Tactic # 21
“I Share My Passions With Enthusiasm”
When she asks about you, don’t play it cool. Bring her imagination into
the excitement of your life by getting passionate about your life.
(If you’re not excited about your life – GET excited. Travel, learn
something new, quit your job, anything -‐-‐-‐ but if you’re not excited
about your life, why would she even want to be in it?”).
Tell your favorite travel story – but tell it with zest and detail. Talk
about the red cheeks of those Peruvian children you met in the field
who climbed on your back. Tell them about the bear sniffing around
your tent, and you’re holding a flashlight ready to clobber it. Tell her
about that time a village appeared out of the trees and how the little
kids clambered up the trees to cut you down fresh coconuts (that
happened to me in the backwater canals of Kerala, India).
If you love your job – tell a funny or great story. If someone you love in
your family had a great accomplishment – tell THAT.
But tell with detail and enthusiasm.
I am going to do a whole separate program on how to tell compelling,
sexy stories. But for now, do this:
1. Tell a Danger Story. That time your parachute broke. Your brakes
went out. That avalanche (again – me). Have you ever been in
danger? For the sake of this section – I hope so! Tell the story
slowly – breaking down the details – creating tension – so she
doesn’t know what happened until the end. Feel free to
exaggerate. Maybe that Brown Bear was a raccoon, but it WAS
furry!
2. Tell a Sweet Story – to show that sweet side of you. Maybe you
helped a niece with her school performance. Maybe you ended up
leading a sing-‐along on that elevator that was stuck to help the
panickers get their mind off the danger. Whatever – something
that shows the sweet side of you.
3. Tell a funny story – something outrageous that happened to you.
Again – the beauty is in your enjoyment of what happened and
keeping her hooked until the outcome.
4. Tell a Heroic Story – without tooting your horn – tell a story about
how you saved someone or helped someone. One way to not
sound like a braggart is to focus on some other aspect of the story.
For example, I once witnessed an accident, ran to the minivan and
pulled out a baby because the mother was knocked out. I went
back for the mom, even though the engine was smoking (maybe).
But the story is true. I might tell it talking about nifty car seats for
kids -‐-‐ how easily I was able to release it, or when we pass that
particularly blind curve –
“Oh man, people do the stupidest things. Once I
saw this girl do a U turn right on this curve – and
the car in front of me… this minivan plowed right
into her….”
The focus, notice, is on traffic, not superman me. -‐Although I don’t
skimp on the superman details.
J
**
How Do I Talk About My Ex or Ex’es?
Err on the side of generosity. You may hate your ex. Chances are you
know everything that’s wrong with your ex. However, if you bitch about
her, you’ll just sound like a bitter old man, and your young sweetheart
will be wondering what you’ll be saying about her down the line.
So, just find nice things to say about your ex. Start with something
positive, “she was a great mom to little kids….” Or, “she is really smart
and works very hard at her job,” or if you can’t find anything nice to say,
“she has excellent blood sugar levels” – something! Then you can just
say, “we weren’t compatible in the end despite all the good” and give a
simple explanation.
“I’m very outgoing and she’s just more of a shy stay at home.”
“She has a long history of depression and I really tried but…”
“We married young and we were just too different once we grew
up a bit.”
“It was great during grad school, but our social lives are just too
different.”
Nothing that INSULTS her – just as a way of explaining why you were
better off apart.
Later, your friends will fill her in – and in my case, when they meet my
ex, they can see what the problems were in a just a few minutes.
Especially when she greets the with the usual, “and who is THIS one?”
Nice, huh?
**