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Some lessons in business arrive quietly.
Others arrive with a smile, a promise, and a handshake—before taking the chips right out of your hand.
Chapter 7 of Winning Through Intimidation reveals the most dangerous personality in business: the Type No. 2. Not the person who openly intends to beat you. Not the person who honestly miscalculates and thinks they’re justified. But the one who assures you they’re on your side, while secretly planning for you to walk away empty-handed.
Robert Ringer frames the Type No. 2 perfectly:
“I really meant to cut off your hand at the wrist when you reached for your chips—even though I had assured you that was never my intention.”
Translation:
They aren’t sorry. They never intended for you to win.
And until you can recognize a Type No. 2 early, Ringer argues, it’s almost impossible to make real progress in business. Because while the Type No. 1 is obvious, and the Type No. 3 can be managed, the Type No. 2 is treacherous, polished, and hard to detect—until it’s too late.
The Performance of Integrity
Ringer meets a real estate developer who instantly overwhelms him with charm and talk of “honesty,” “integrity,” and “reputation.” He drops institution names and speaks in moral absolutes. He wears the highest white hat Ringer had ever seen.
And like many new entrepreneurs, Ringer was intimidated—not by the person, but by the performance.
This is the first hallmark of a Type No. 2:
They weaponize virtue.
They preach integrity loudly enough to discourage you from asking for clarity.
They speak of honor so forcefully that they make you feel arrogant for protecting yourself.
When Ringer asked for a written commission agreement, the seller acted offended. How dare he? Didn’t honest men shake hands anymore? Didn’t gentlemen trust one another?
And, intimidated, Ringer backed off.
No contract.
No documentation.
No protection.
The stage was set.
The Setup and the Fall
Ringer did the hard work. He marketed the property, made calls, mailed presentations, followed up, and eventually found a serious buyer—an acquisition man at a major real estate firm.
Then mistake number two:
He didn’t formally register the buyer with the seller.
No certified mail. No paper trail. Just informal updates over the phone.
That’s when the Type No. 2 mask fell.
The seller suddenly claimed he had “coincidentally” met the same buyer in New York. The buyer—of course—had mentioned his negotiations with Ringer. And suddenly the seller declared he owed Ringer nothing.
Not a commission.
Not a conversation.
Not even courtesy.
All that talk about honesty and integrity vanished the moment chips hit the table.
The Trespass of Weak Positioning
Ringer tried to stand firm.
The seller shouted louder.
Ringer pressed harder.
The seller became nastier.
He was dealing from zero leverage:
No signed agreement
No certified registration
No legal standing to enforce anything
Everything the seller had called “unnecessary” turned out to be the only things that mattered.
But the Type No. 2 lesson wasn’t finished.
Mistake Number Three: The Fatal Blow
When Ringer brought in his attorney, they learned the truth:
Ringer didn’t have a Missouri real estate license.
Missouri law required one to be legally entitled to a commission.
Even if he had done all the work.
Even if the seller admitted it.
Legally, he had no claim.
The seller offered him a “bone”—$20,000 on a multimillion-dollar deal. A fraction of a fraction of what he earned. But when the choice is a bone or nothing, even a proud man learns to bite.
Ringer took the bone.
He learned the lesson.
And he graduated from Screw U with honors.
Don’t Confuse Performance With Integrity
Type No. 2s exist everywhere in the modern marketplace:
The client who praises your talent but delays signing the contract.
The partner who resists putting equity splits in writing.
The collaborator who claims “we’ll figure out the money later.”
The manager who insists they value transparency but punishes it.
The moral is simple:
The louder someone talks about integrity, the more you should verify their behavior.
True integrity doesn’t need a speech.
It signs the agreement.
It welcomes clarity.
It invites structure.
Ringer’s experience gives us a modern builder’s checklist:
1. Always document everything.
If someone resists, that is the red flag.
2. Always register your work, referrals, and partnerships.
Protect the chain of custody.
3. Always understand the legal landscape.
Not knowing the rules doesn’t exempt you from the consequences.
4. Never let someone guilt you out of your boundaries.
Honor without structure is just performance.
In the world of entrepreneurship, you don’t rise to your intentions—you fall to your systems. And if you want to avoid being the next graduate of Screw U, build systems that protect you before the deal begins.
Type No. 2s teach one thing well:
Boundaries aren’t rude. They’re required.
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