Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible person.
We both know that.
But there’s something you’re probably less willing to admit: Epstein had more money, more connections, and more access than you. He could get into rooms you probably couldn’t get within 100 feet of.
And no, that wasn’t all because of the terrible things he did.
In fact, some of the most useful things you could possibly learn about networking, persuasion, positioning and relationships are sitting behind the door marked:
JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
Most people see that door and slam it shut.
Fair enough.
But then all the useful knowledge stays trapped in there with the bad guy.
I’d rather steal it back and use it for good.
So let’s do that.
click below if you think Epstein was a terrible person
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The Epstein System
The first thing you need to understand is that Epstein is almost not a human.
He’s like a robot, completing a system.
“The Epstein System,” if you will.
Everything he did, all the connections he accumulated, all the wealth he got… was simply a byproduct of this system.
And he knows that.
He actually tells people this. Thinking they’ll never understand. Almost laying his jewels out in plain sight and saying:
“Here they are. You’ll never get these.”
At one point, Epstein said:
“Most systems in fact are not well understood.”
Epstein isn’t just talking about regular systems here…
He’s talking about everything.
Banking…
Networking…
Religion…
Even people.
But let’s be honest, people are the most important part of his system.
So let’s begin with them.
1. Figure out what they
actually
want
What people think is the problem and what the actual problem is are almost always very different.
Epstein understood this, and I’ll prove it with an example:
What do billionaires want?
More money, right?
WRONG.
Epstein literally said:
“Very few people need any more money when they have a billion dollars.”
Exactly.
Their problem isn’t necessarily making more money.
Maybe they’re terrified of losing what they already have. Maybe taxes are eating away at it. Maybe they have some complicated financial problem they don’t want to deal with.
My point is, the obvious problem and the real problem are completely different.
But figuring out the problem isn’t enough.
Now you’ve got to actually get the person to understand that they have one… and that you can solve it.
That brings us to the next part of the system.
2. Speak
their
language
So now you know their real problem.
Great.
How do you tell them they have one?
Or more importantly, how do you tell them you can solve it without sounding like every other person trying to sell them something?
Wexner, one of Epstein’s biggest clients, once described Epstein like this:
“He always stands back and lets the other person determine the style and manner of the conversation or negotiation.”
And then:
“He responds in their style.”
That’s fucking useful.
Because most people communicate in the way they like to communicate, then wonder why the other person isn’t listening.
Maybe the person you’re trying to get something from wants to take it slow.
Let’s say they tell you:
“I’m interested, but I want to think about it.”
You wouldn’t then go:
“WELL DO YOU WANT TO GET ON A SALES CALL TO THINK ABOUT IT?”
No.
Something slower.
More their style.
Maybe they’re analytical.
Give them numbers.
Maybe they’re caring and they genuinely love their customers.
You’d better love those customers too.
Maybe they’re more type-A. Very methodical. They see their customers as numbers and everything has to make mathematical sense.
You should be a calculator.
This goes both ways.
The whole point is to get what you want to communicate to the person in the way they understand it.
But be careful about communicating this, because you must…
3. Never show your entire hand
Epstein was so successful partly because he was so mysterious.
Even today.
People barely know where all his money came from, exactly who he talked to, what he did for everyone around him, or why so many powerful people kept letting him into their lives.
I even had trouble researching him.
Half the time you ask a question about Epstein, the answer seems to be:
“We don’t completely know.”
And that mystery was reflected in the way he talked to people, the way he networked, and yes…
even in interviews.
In one interview, Epstein said:
“Let’s play chess. You be white. You get the first move.”
Yeah.
Maybe it’s a bit corny.
But it comes off like: he knows something the interviewer doesn’t.
Watch him speak and you’ll notice something.
He’s weirdly… confident.
He smiles. He jokes. He leaves things unanswered. He rarely looks desperate to explain who he is or why you should care about him.
And that creates one question:
Who is this guy?
Most people destroy that within five minutes.
Here’s who I am. Here’s what I do. Here’s why I’m impressive. Here’s everyone I know. Here’s everything I’ve accomplished. Here’s exactly what I want from you.
Dang.
There’s nothing left.
Mystery doesn’t mean lying. It doesn’t mean pretending you’re Batman or posting vague shit like “big things coming.”
It just means you don’t need to lay every card in your hand on the table immediately.
Give people enough to care.
Let curiosity do some of the work.
Because the moment your prospect — whether that’s a client, potential subscriber, employer, whatever — starts becoming interested in you, rather than you desperately trying to make them interested…
the dynamic changes.
Now you can start becoming useful.
4. Become the person they call
So Epstein became the person important people called when something complicated needed cleaning up.
But how did he become the one they called?
Well, it wasn’t only because he was amazing at networking.
Maybe you can meet really rich people. Maybe you can even become their friend.
That doesn’t mean they’re suddenly going to jump up and hand you the keys to their fortune.
Epstein made himself useful.
Les Wexner is probably the best example.
Wexner was already insanely successful before Epstein came into his life. Epstein didn’t just appear one day and immediately get handed control over everything.
He started helping.
People around Wexner later described Epstein getting involved in bad investments, finances, budgets, efficiency, awkward problems and more.
Small problem over here?
Oh, Epstein’s got it.
Thing over there?
Wow, he’s got that too.
Another complicated mess?
Call Epstein.
One person around Wexner described Epstein simply:
“He gets the job done.”
And over time, every time a problem comes up, he becomes the person who gets called.
Eventually, Wexner gave Epstein extraordinary authority over his financial affairs.
Think about that progression.
From:
“This guy might be useful.”
to basically:
“Alright. Here are the keys.”
That’s where you want to get.
Again, not literally the keys to some billionaire’s fortune.
But you want:
Problem = you.
If you’re a freelancer, don’t just be the website guy.
You notice their booking page is killing conversions?
Tell them.
Their follow-up emails suck?
Fix them.
Their offer makes no sense?
Mention it.
Their Google listing looks abandoned?
Help.
Eventually you stop being:
“The guy who built our website.”
And become:
“Call him. He’ll know what to do.”
That’s an entirely different position.
But there’s still a problem.
How the hell do you go from complete stranger to the person they trust with all of that?
You don’t jump.
You slide.
5. The slippery slope technique
Epstein didn’t get everything in one fell swoop.
He worked up to it.
First, he’d negotiate his way into whatever opening was possible.
Maybe a small account.
Maybe a problem.
Maybe an introduction.
Maybe something else.
Then he’d slowly take care of more.
And more.
And more.
Until eventually the relationship looked nothing like it did at the beginning.
You need to do the same.
If you’re trying to get something from someone — whether that’s a job, a promotion, a $3k retainer, even just a subscribe…
you’ve got to work up to it.
The best way is actually to work down from what you want.
Okay.
I want $3,000.
What’s the thing right below that?
They agree to work with me.
Below that?
A sales call.
Below that?
A reply.
Below that?
They read the message.
Below that?
They don’t instantly delete it.
Now suddenly:
“How do I get this stranger to give me $3,000?”
has turned into:
“How do I get them to read one message?”
Much easier.
Then you get the next yes.
Then the next.
Then the next.
Most people fuck this up because they try to jump five steps at once.
They ask for the sale before earning the conversation. They ask for the meeting before earning the interest. They ask for trust before earning attention.
Don’t.
Work backwards from what you want until you find the smallest possible first step.
Then take it.
One small yes becomes another small yes.
Then another.
And eventually you’ve travelled a huge distance without any single step feeling huge.
That’s the slippery slope.
And once you’ve done all of this enough times, something much bigger becomes possible.
You stop just knowing people.
You become the person who connects them.
6. Become the bridge
So…
how the hell did Epstein make all that money?
Yes, yes…
connections.
But let me ask you something:
If you knew 100 of the richest people in the world right now, could you actually make money from those relationships without just begging them for it?
Epstein could.
Because he didn’t just know powerful people.
He connected powerful people.
Scientists wanted money and access.
Billionaires had money, but many wanted interesting ideas, intellectual status, scientists, politicians and access to worlds they weren’t normally part of.
Politicians wanted connections.
Business people wanted introductions.
Epstein could sit right in the middle.
And the middle is an insanely valuable place to be.
Don’t take it from me.
In 2018, Epstein told Steve Bannon:
“There are many leaders of countries we can organize for you to have one on ones.”
Look at what he’s doing there.
Most people would blab about themselves:
“I know everyone.”
“I’m so connected.”
“Look how important I am.”
Epstein framed the connection as the product.
Not himself.
He’s basically saying:
“I can put you in that room.”
That’s completely different.
Most people think networking means collecting names.
100 rich people in your phone.
Cool.
What can you actually do with them?
Epstein’s advantage wasn’t simply:
“I know powerful people.”
It was:
“I know someone who has exactly what you need.”
That’s infinitely more valuable.
Know a writer who needs distribution and a newsletter owner who desperately needs good writers?
Connect them.
Know a founder who needs sales and a salesperson who needs a job?
Connect them.
Know someone with money and someone with an incredible opportunity?
Connect them.
Do that enough times and people stop thinking:
“He knows a lot of people.”
They start thinking:
“Ask him. He probably knows someone.”
Now you’re not just inside the network.
You’re part of the infrastructure.
And that’s the Epstein System
Now look at how all of this builds.
First, you figure out what somebody actually wants.
Not the obvious problem.
The real one.
Then you learn to communicate that problem and your solution in their language.
You don’t dump everything you know on them. You leave enough room for curiosity.
Then you become useful.
Again.
And again.
Until every time a certain kind of problem comes up, they think of you.
From there, you use the slippery slope.
One small yes.
Then another.
Then another.
And as your relationships grow, you stop asking only:
“What can this person do for me?”
You start asking:
“What can these people do for each other?”
Person A needs something.
Person B has it.
You connect them.
Person A trusts you more.
Person B trusts you more.
That trust creates more access.
More access creates more relationships.
More relationships create more problems you can solve.
Solving those problems makes you more useful.
Being more useful creates more trust.
And the whole thing starts feeding itself.
A machine.
The Epstein System.
And yes, before someone deliberately misses the entire fucking point:
Jeffrey Epstein was a monster.
He used access, trust, relationships and power to do horrific things.
You shouldn’t.
But useful knowledge doesn’t magically become useless because a terrible person understood it.
So you’ve got a choice.
You can slam the door shut and leave everything Epstein understood trapped in there with him.
Or you can steal the knowledge back…
and use it for something good.
And if you’re confused on what that “something good” is, take a read of my other article: