Bookstore Romance, by the Numbers

1. The Opener.

“You look like the expert on fiction and literature.”

She looks up at me with piercing sky-blue eyes.

I’ve just walked into the Fiction and Literature section at Barnes and Noble.

She was sitting on a chair, her face buried in a book.

It’s a great way to open in almost any situation: “You seem like the expert in XX,” XX being whatever section of the store she’s in.

She can be in the cereal aisle of the supermarket, the juice bar, the make-up section or the shoe section.

“What’s a good book here?” I ask. “I’m going on a long trip soon and I need a good book to read.”

She springs to life with a smile. “Well, what are you into?” she asks.

“My friend says trashy romance novels are great for a plane ride. But I’ve never read them. I’m hoping you have some better suggestions.”

She immediately jumps in and starts offering recommendations.

The conversation about books starts to ramble onward. It’s time to transition.

2. The Transition

When you open a girl indirectly, particularly talking about something like books, it’s really easy to get caught in small talk. This is where the transition into personal conversation is so important.

“I get the feeling you’re an artist. I’m gonna say fashion because of the way you’re dressed.”

“No, but I’m a writer!” she says.

“Really…” I say.

“I’m actually in school for writing. I’m thinking about switching schools though because none of my teachers can give me very good criticism.”

“It’s tough to get good criticism.” I say. “As an artist, I find that I get a lot of people saying, ‘Yeah, it’s great’ without giving me any true feedback.”

3. The Banter

After talking some more, she mentions that she wants to take a trip.

“I was just in L.A. last week, ” I say.

“I don’t really like L.A. too much,” she responds.

“I was at Venice Beach, Muscle Beach. I think you would like it there because you could work-out on the beach, get huge, and get a tan at the same time. Do you have muscles?”

I feel her arm. She starts to giggle.

“Not bad. I think I’m going to hire you as my bodyguard. Girls are always hitting on me. You could keep them away.” She laughs.

“I totally wanna move out there,” she says.

“Wait. You just said that you didn’t like it there.” I call her on her shit.

If you can catch her in something like this, it shows that you aren’t giving her a free pass. This goes a long way with an attractive woman whom everyone treats with deference.

“No, I mean Northern California,” she clarifies.

“Oh, like San Francisco?” I say.

“Yeah. What do you do,” she asks.

“Guess,” I say.

4. The Close

A few minutes later, at the height of the interaction, I peace out.

“I’m gonna roll out. I gotta meet some friends,” I say. “Who would have thought you’d meet a cool chick in Barnes and Noble?”

“Well, you should check out my blog and get in contact with me if you have any music.”

She lights up when I tell her that we’ll get coffee next week instead.

I decide not to take her blog address and instead get her phone number.

I could have done both, and it would be great to check out her blog. But I want to make it clear to that I’m a potential mate, not her fan.

…

“I spent years reading about this sort of thing while trying to do this on my own, but I made more progress in a few sessions with Eric than I have in years. There’s no substitute to learning this first hand, and there’s no one better to guide you through each step than Eric.” – Marcus

Want to learn how to meet women in the real world?

Check out my Charismatic Confidence one-on-one Mentoring Program.

Eric

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posted in Bookstore Game, Field Reports