Read time: 1 min 30 sec​
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Let’s talk about one of the most manipulative sales tactics out there:
Identity hijacking
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It’s when a business implies: “If you were a [desirable trait] kind of person, you’d buy this right now.”
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You’ve seen some variation of this on sales pages. You've heard it on webinars.
Or you've been confronted with it on a sales call—which is less common cuz most people wouldn't dare do this in an actual conversation.
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“Top leaders invest in themselves.”
"Are you gonna be the one who steps up or are you gonna be the one who stays stuck?"
“[Desirable identity types] don’t delay this decision."
"You've got two options: 1) Do the same shit and keep struggling or 2) Take the first step toward becoming a high-value woman / six-figure CEO...etc. by buying this today."
“The ones who enroll in my program understand that this is a small investment to pay for their future self."
"You can let your scarcity mindset run the show or you can embody your next level self. Your choice."
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So now the prospect's decision isn’t:
“Is this the right purchase for me?”
It becomes: “Should I prove that I'm not a pathetic loser?"
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That’s psychological manipulation dressed up as empowerment.
That's leveraging people's insecurities.
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If you're reading this like "OMG I've done this before and I didn't realize what I was doing"—you're not a bad person.
You've just been duped by capitalism.
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Capitalism has trained us to use people's identities as a bargaining chip in our sales cycle.
Capitalism has trained us to drown out a prospect's intuition.
Capitalism has trained us to shame people out of their 'no'.
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But now that you know better, you can do better.
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Your job is to help prospects make a well-informed purchase decision.
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Here’s what that sounds like in practice:
“Here’s who this is for and why.”
“Here’s what this can realistically help you do.”
“Here’s what it won’t do.”
“Here’s what you need to be ready for before you join.”
“Your ‘no’ is welcome here.” (My personal favourite.)
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It's not about convincing someone that they are (or aren’t) the “kind of person” who buys your offer.
It's about helping them decide from clarity, self-trust, and agency.
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Let's honour the humans over our sales quotas.
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Natalia
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P.S. Totally unrelated but in case you need help shutting off your brain outside of business hours, too, the comment section came thru!
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