A ‘Landmark’ Sale

Curious as it might sound, I attended a Landmark Forum Session few days back. I am sorry to say – it gave me the creeps.

If you are blinking at ‘Landmark Forum Session’ – It’s a personality development forum where in people come in and solve problems, cross hurdles which has been impeding them for years together. In the words of a rather loud trainer for the day – the forum helps you to realize the context of your life and also provides you with tool / technology (!) to deal with that context.

Why did I attend is the question that is ringing in your head right now. I met an angel couple of months back. I will jump in a well if she was to ask me to…this was one such well. You will get more meat to chew on this one…but not now.

I will give an insight into the session – in the shortest and most crisp manner possible. The landmark team had a bunch of people who had completed their course and were giving their feedbacks as to how they benefited with the course. And curious enough, a lot of them had regained their families. Really?! There was a man whom with my minimal knowledge I assessed to be proud, fixated with the concept and inflexible in mind. I assumed he was the trainer. Once the session of thanking and stories of transformation was done, they got on with real business.

The trainer started his marketing stunt. He offered guests to ask questions and provided insight about the program through the answers. Some questions were candid and like any experienced ‘talker’ some incoherent answers got him out of that muddle. After which the fee structure was announced and the time lines. Until this time I was really ok with the whole sales pitch that was made. To be fair to the trainer, he also mentioned that he is not doing it for charity. Its business.

At the end of this instance the trainer announced you can find volunteers sporting a yellow badge to help you, if you may want to register. I turned around to take a look. I could see volunteers flowing into the hall from different corners. They looked like a military unit surging on an unsuspecting senate for a coup. They had a mean look in their eyes, almost fixed at some predefined targets. One person had locked his eyes on me. And he moved swiftly towards me as if to pin me down before I could get up from my seat. At that moment, a seemingly peaceful session broke open into a chaos.

I dodged the guy, thanks to an old lady who got in his way and walked ever so slowly towards a registration counter. I avoided eye contact with everyone with a yellow badge and walked fast, as if I was going to pick something up. I told my thanks to the person who took me there and locked my eyes on the exit sign and dodged all yellow tagged ‘volunteers’ [who, I strongly feel are sales execs of Landmark].

As I stepped out of that hall, in my head, I could hear the commentators go, TOUCHDOWN!!! And I broke off into a dance!