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- Solomon’s Paradox Part 2: How Role Models & “Fake Friends” Fix Your Brain 🧠
Solomon’s Paradox Part 2: How Role Models & “Fake Friends” Fix Your Brain 🧠
Why Your Customers (and You) Need a Mental Wingman
Arzoo Batra
22 Feb • Read Time: 4 minutes
In partnership with
In the last edition we learned you’re a genius at solving other people’s problems. In this one let’s turn that superpower into a sales cheat code—and a life hack.
The “Fake Friend” Strategy
(How Netflix’s “Top 10” List Owns Your Weekend)
You’ve binge-watched trashy TV. Why? Because Netflix whispers: ‘Everyone else is watching this…’
The psychology: We trust crowds more than our own taste. It’s Solomon’s Paradox’s cousin—the Bandwagon Effect.
Spotify: “Fans also like…” → “Don’t overthink, just press play.”
Amazon: “Customers who bought this…” → “See? Smarter people already decided for you.”
💡 : Position your product as ‘what others like you chose’. Example: “Join 10,000 founders who ditched spreadsheets for this tool.”
Role Models > Willpower
(How Peloton Sells Bikes for $2,495 Without Guilt)
Nobody needs a $2K bike. But Peloton doesn’t sell bikes—they sell “the person you wish you were.”
Their playbook:
Show 50-year-old Susan crushing a 7 AM ride.
You think: “If SHE can do it…”
Credit card magically appears in hand.
🚀 Other such brands who rock this:
Oatly: “Post-dairy generation” ads → “Cool people drink oat milk. Be cool.”
Robinhood: “Invest like the 1%” → “You’re not gambling—you’re outsmarting Wall Street.”
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The “Forget Yourself” Hack
(Why Your To-Do List Fails…and What Works)
Ever notice advice like ‘Write like you’re teaching a 5th grader’ works? It forces self-distancing—a fancy term for trick your brain into giving better advice.
Brands using this:
Headspace: Imagine you’re a mountain. Thoughts are clouds. → Makes meditation feel like a nature documentary.
Glossier: Skincare for the girl who ~forgets~ to wash her face → “Flaws? Cute. Buy this.”
Takeaway: Be Your Customer’s Hype Man
Your customers aren’t stuck—they’re just too in their heads. Your job?
Show them their future self (Peloton’s Susan)
Point to the crowd (Netflix’s Top 10)
Ditch the “you” word (Frame advice as “they/them”)
Go rewrite ONE piece of content today using “they” instead of “you.” Watch conversions creep up.
Until next time..