Human insecurity – the easiest sales hack
The easiest way to sell to a human being is to prey on their insecurities
The sale of many consumer products in today’s world—and throughout centuries—has thrived on human insecurity.
Human beings often care a lot about what others think of them when in reality, no one is actually thinking about them.
People are too focused on their own personal lives to care about you.
A good manipulator can take advantage of this situation and sell the insecure person a product to "cure" their insecurity.
If you are insecure about your weight, hair, skin, or how you feel, don’t worry—there is a product for every issue you might be facing, offering a faster solution rather than requiring slow lifestyle changes.
If you're concerned about how others perceive you on Instagram or in person, don’t worry—there are custom tools to help you hide the real you, or cosmetic items to change your complexion.
If you’re bothered by how much richer your friends or peers are, don’t worry—there are exotic investment products that promise astronomical returns, designed to cater to insecurities about your financial status and security so that you can reach the financial status of the people around you much faster.
Observe what ties all these scenarios together:
A sense of self-worth and self-esteem.
A person who is secure about their financial plan will not be swayed by complex financial products guaranteeing astronomical returns.
A person who acknowledges they’ve gained weight won’t worry about others' opinions and understands how long the process of change will take.
You cannot manipulate these people.
These people are content, having accepted reality as it is. They have made peace with the slow process required to achieve their goals and understand that certain goals may never be achievable due to the reality of the cards life has dealt them.
This manipulation has simply taken on new forms in today’s world, but it has been going on for centuries.
Because human insecurity is a feeling that will never go away, we are envious beings who are sensitive to others' opinions and thoughts.
Take this example from Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power.
Joseph "The Yellow Kid" Weil operated primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was most active in the early 1900s, especially in Chicago, Illinois, which was a hub for many of his cons. Weil's scams spanned several decades, from around the 1890s to the 1940s, and he was known for using Chicago as a base of operations while targeting individuals across the United States.
Joseph "The Yellow Kid" Weil was a master con artist who exploited people's insecurities, particularly their desire to get rich quickly.
He would create elaborate schemes promising high returns on small investments, often claiming to have insider knowledge or exclusive opportunities. Weil knew that people were driven by their insecurities about money and their eagerness to improve their financial status. By offering them seemingly low-risk, high-reward deals, he played on their greed and desperation. He kept the amounts small enough that his victims wouldn’t pursue him aggressively, allowing him to scam many people over time without major consequences.
He analyzed the large number of insecure people in the world, it was easy for him to conduct these scams at high volumes.
It probably makes sense how scammers make millions by deceiving ordinary people with promises of wealth and success today and roaming around scot-free.
This is nothing new; it has been happening for centuries.
I spend a fair amount of time on the Twitter (X) platform, and most of the engagement stems from preying on people’s insecurities. This is why anonymous accounts that hurl insults and trolls who speak ill about others get maximum engagement.
Engagement on the X platform thrives on insecure people commenting on other’s posts because you know there will be an army of fellow insecure folks who come to your support.
Trolls on social media get triggered when you respond in a calm positive way, they fail at triggering your insecurity.
This works the same way in real life too.
The abuser gets frustrated trying to trigger you after a while and just moves on, just like the manipulator gets frustrated trying to sell a product to a self-secure person.
Indian sugarcane farmers demonstrated how cognitive capacity is affected by financial stress, as shown through Raven’s Progressive Matrices test.
Before the harvest season, when they were under financial strain, their IQ scores were 25% lower on the Raven’s Progressive Matrices IQ test.
After the harvest season, when they were more relaxed and had money coming in, their IQ scores were only 10% lower than the baseline of the Raven’s IQ test.
It would have been easier to manipulate the farmer when he was under financial stress and insecurity.
Conclusion
Play with the cards you are dealt in life.
We are all battling our insecurities in our own way, and none of us are perfect.
But be aware that this is a capitalist world, and don’t be surprised if there is a product or service that promises to cure your insecurity.
The only way to be saved from this is by starting with your own sense of self-esteem and self-security. If you don’t look within, you will always be a victim.
I’ll end this piece with a line that Ra's Al Ghul, in the movie Batman Begins, tells Bruce Wayne during his training with the League of Shadows:
“To manipulate the fears of others, you must first master your own”
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