Looking out for the Three Types

A long time ago, before we’d mention “President” and “sperm” in the same sentence, in a fit of youthful naivete I almost fumbled a business deal to an opponent who turned out to be a very crooked character indeed.

As a result of this incident my boss, a self-made millionaire and president of the company, called me into his office. I was braced for a turbo-charged butt-chewing. But he took mercy on me, and merely tossed a book across the room. “Read this,” he ordered.

Then he waved me out of the office. End of session. Whew — did I get off easy.

The book, “Winning Through Intimidation,” by Robert Ringer, continues to be a hit to this day. I found the title obnoxious, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. I just re-read it, and as times get tougher in the Commonwealth and the slippery characters get even more slippery, the book’s wisdom is more pertinent than ever.

Ringer writes of his undergraduate days at the school of hard knocks, the real world, which he calls “Screw U.” After getting cheated, swindled, lied to, deceived, and generally messed with for a number of years in the real estate business, he analyzed the types of people he had encountered.

Ringer dropped them into three types.

“Type Number One,” is out to cheat you, but never pretends he’s out for anything else. “Type number one isn’t sorry,” Ringer says, “because he warned you ahead of time how he plays the game.”

Because a Type Number One is easy to spot, you’re probably not too likely to invest any misplaced trust in him. The Type Number One, then, isn’t too likely to bite you by surprise if you’re keeping your eyes open.

Type Number Two, by contrast, is a more slippery character. He, like Type Number One, is untrustworthy and is out to get you, but he doesn’t admit it. This is a more slippery character to deal with, since you’re likely to think he’s trustworthy.

“A Type Number Two is just plain treacherous,” says Ringer. “He is both hard to recognize and extemely difficult to handle…they’re devious.”

Which bring us, naturally, to Type Number Three. This is a fun one. A Type Number Three, in contrast to the Type Number One and Type Number Two, does not intend to chisel you. But he winds up doing it anyway.

Says Ringer: “As to a Type Number Three, because of his sincerity and normally easygoing manner, his actions can be legally offset without too much trouble.”

Ringer spices up his book with war-stories about how he managed to get ground up by all three types, until he graduated from “Screw U.” and learned how to better look after himself.

The book has been in print for over 25 years now, and I’m sure it will be in print for another 25 years. It’s a wise way to learn from Mr. Ringer’s mistakes. For anyone doing business in the Commonwealth — and indeed, doing business anywhere — it’s a must read.