Perry Marshall: 3 Meals, “Little People” and the Jerk Test

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Do you want to know how to sniff out a bad business partner BEFORE they self-destruct and take you down in flames? John Paul Mendocha offers a simple and reliable test:

EAT THREE MEALS WITH THEM.

Most folks can maintain a tidy appearance for a single lunch or dinner. But if the guy is a poser, his veneer will start to wear thin by the third meal. You’ll know.

Weren’t you really starting to connect with your spouse by the third date?

Maybe that’s why at 4-Man Intensives and Roundtable, we all eat together three times. When people are NOT posers, that’s enough contact to begin a REAL relationship.

Dan Kennedy warns: Pay attention to how they treat ‘the little people’ – those in low positions of power. How do they treat the waitress? How about the guy at the hotel desk or airline counter when the reservation gets screwed up? Do they throw a tantrum?

They’ll treat YOU the same way, I promise.

Jerk Test: Before you enter into a long term partnership, make sure you’ve had a chance to watch how they react when something goes wrong. Wires get crossed. Someone shows up an hour early or late. Do they start verbally abusing your staff?

Some of my friends deliberately throw wrenches into the works, just to see how the prospective employee, partner, client, consultant or investor will behave. The laboratory of reality never lies.