RE: virus: The golden shower of salesmanship

Ben Mack (ben_mack@deutschinc.com)
04 Feb 99 22:02:58 -0800

Wade,

It is hard to follow emails like yours when you exclude the relevant parts of the previous thread. If you want to make this personal, send it directly to Brodie. Since I have been following the conversation, I'll throw in my two cents worth. No, you don't have to pay me up front, only if you find what I say of value.

Professional services are not generally paid for only when value is received. Many lawyers would be shit out of luck if this were the case. Since we have commerce set up the way we do, nobody is obligating anybody to seek therapy. Has anybody been helped by the talking cure? I tend to think so. What value can be ascribed to a hurly-burly mind that has been calmed? I don't know. It seems like this is crossing metaphores, trying to put a quantitative value on a higher quality of life.

If you resent being sold, you must walk around resentful all day as media bombards you with selling messages. What happens when a spouse wants to convince you of something? Is this being sold? Is the money transaction what makes selling? If a professional isn't compensated for their time, how can they continue with their profession? If the person isn't any good, and people are not required to see them, chances are they will leave the profession unless they have a source of foolish marks.

Do you see an alternative? If Brodie doesn't want to offer you free consultation (which checking out Getting Past OK from a public library could count in my book), how does this make him bad?

How should people be compensated for their time? Wade T.Smith wrote:
>>it's so common there's a name for it: "cutting
>>off your nose to spite your face."
>
>I more see it as throwing good money after bad. I like my nose, and will >not injure it. But like I said, I have never done this- never offered my >support for things being sold at me- if I find them, that's another >question entirely, or if they are offered, or if I seek them for some >reason. To this point, I have not.
>
>But I've also never taken money, or received it, for the abstract. And it >ain't personal with you, Richard, although in all truth, you have never >offered me anything, but insist I pay for it first. Now, what sort of >irrationality is that? Where is your product that I may taste it first? >Why do I see a dollar sign in front of your name?
>
>‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
>"Death is our only lifelong companion."
> ×××××××××××××××
>Wade T. Smith ‹‹‹ morbius@channel1.com >http://www.channel1.com/users/morbius/ >
>
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