In 2007 Rhonda Byrne wrote “The Secret,” a personal improvement book that sold millions of copies in dozens of languages worldwide. What's the “secret” Byrne revealed? It's the same contained in Earl Nightingale's “The Strangest Secret,” Napoleon Hill's “Think and Grow Rich” and disclosed by a handful of late 19th and early 20th century self-help gurus. The secret is what's been called “The Law of Attraction” for more than 100 years. It's hardly unknown and certainly no secret.

Related: Read Ed Lamont's previous Strictly Sales column “Use CPR on prospect objections.”

The Law of Attraction states: If you think about what you want long and hard enough, what you're dwelling upon will then appear. The mere act of mental concentration brings into your world the people, resources and conditions that lead to success and riches. Hyped as the “most powerful law of the universe,” the Law of Attraction magically converts thought into reality. Fair enough, but not nearly far enough to assure success.