The Apex Predator Explains the 48 Laws of Power [Part II]

The Apex Predator explains Laws 9-16 from The 48 Laws of Power and how to leverage them in the business world.

It's good to be back, readers. My previous guest post earned me an extended hiatus from the Blog. And I'm going to be up front with all of you: It didn't faze me at all.

Over the next week, I'll be returning to the Ambition Blog with a vengeance. The next 5 posts on this blog will be from yours truly, as I finish my series on The 48 Laws of Power.

If you missed Part 1, click here to get up to speed. The rest of you, please prepare your minds and bodies for Laws 9-16 in the 48 Laws of Power.

The 48 Laws of Power in Sales: Part II

Over 6 installments, I'll be breaking down 48 Laws of Power and applying them to the sales context. Each installment will discuss 8 Laws of Power.

So what is The 48 Laws of Power? Published in 1998, it's a Best-Selling book by author Robert Greene. Greene wrote the book based on his own experiences as a Hollywood screenwriter, upon realizing that today's power elite share the same traits as powerful figures throughout history.

For the purposes of this post, we're applying each law in the sales context, via GIF or YouTube clip.

Law 9. Win through your Actions, Never through Argument

Summary: Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It's much more powerful to get others to agree through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Apex's Thoughts: Why get someone to agree with you by talking to their face when you can just run through it? When in doubt, be like Marshawn Lynch.

Law 10. Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky

Summary: You can die from someone else’s misery. Emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you're helping the drowning man but you're only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves and also on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.

Apex's Thoughts: Remember what happened to the crew from The Hangover when they decided to bring Allan along on their Bachelor party?Yeah. Be careful who you associate with, lest you end up with Mike Tyson punching you in the face.

Law 11. Learn to Keep People Dependent on You.

Summary: To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

Apex's Thoughts: Be like LeBron James. You want those who rely on you cursing your name when you leave, then welcoming you back with open arms the second you return.

Law 12. Disarm Your Victim with Selective Honesty and Generosity

Summary: One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift as a Trojan Horse will serve the same purpose.

Apex's Thoughts: And once your victim is disarmed? Go full Marshawn.

Law 13. Ask for Help By Appealing to People's Self-Interest

Summary: Never Mercy or Gratitude. If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.

Apex's Thoughts: Classic case-in-point, here. No man can resist an appeal to his or her own self-interest. Especially not an enterprising attorney like Jackie Chiles.

Law 14. Pose as a Friend. Work as a Spy. Know your Rival.

Summary: Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.

Apex's Thoughts: You'd be shocked how frequent diabolical schemes like the above clip from Silicon Valley occur. Stay on the offensive, not the defensive.

Law 15. Crush your Enemy Totally.

Summary: All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.

Apex's Thoughts: You know what, let's just watch this breathtaking clip in it's entirety.

Law 16. Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Summary: Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.

Apex's Thoughts: Fans of the classic 80s film Ghostbusters may recall that just a few scenes before, the Ghostbusters were being hauled into jail on trumped-up charges. Once a ghost epidemic ensued, they were called back in as heroes. Ironically, a Counting Crows song from a few years back that no one misses addressed this very topic.

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