First off, apologies, I expect this topic has been covered previously.

When I got into the game I devoured material as just about all us AFCs did, I chose the routines, the openers, the closes that I liked and learnt them by heart so that I could pull them out at any time. Having canned routines made me feel safe, and the more I saw them work the more I clung to them.

Then I began to branch out and put my own spin on the routines, I began to adapt them to work for me. Slowly, I could break down the dynamics of routines very quickly and was able to take the dynamic but change the content.

Having got to this point I began to look back at the sarges I had conducted over my time in the game and prior to it. I looked at times when I was successful and times when I fell on my arse. Looking back I realised that the lines or routines I used were always the same, and it was not these that determined the outcome of the interaction, these were the constant. Surely then, I reasoned, it was the girls who I was running the routines on that were the variable - some dug my routines, others didn't. But when it came down to it it was all about me. When I got a woman to be attracted to me I was always confident, and behaved in a manner superior to them. It would not have mattered what came out of my mouth it was my presence that won me the girl. Of course my persona at these times was more complicated than just being confident and acting superior, but the point is my game relied almost entirely on the inner rather than the outer. In contrast when I failed I always portrayed the same personality.

My conclusion was that routines can convey the sort of personality you want, but if you don't back it up then that bullshit ain't gonna work. Outer game acts predominantly to re-assure you of your own inner game. By my reckoning the importance of inner game to outer game is at least 5:1, probably more. What do you guys think? Do you win the girl, or do the routines?

I think it is both. Picking up girls and sales are very similar. If you have done any type of sales you would know what I mean. So, you have your pitch, you approach a potential customer and pitch them. Now whether you are gonna make a sale or not really depends not so much on the pitch but on how you present it, how you make it sound. A good pitch however puts your foot in the door. Same with women. Your routine is your pitch. A good opener gets their attention. You approach them, open them, use your routine but the outcome really depends on how you present your routine and how you present yourself. Just like pitches routines give you some idea what to say and how to avoid awkward moments. Ultimately however I think it's your enacment that closes the deal.[/i]