Persuasion article No32
Commitment and Consistency
This is persuasion article No32 from the YourSalesSuccess eZine.
Hi,
Many of us humans are very concerned about our image or how we appear to be to
other people.
We do not want to look "flighty", "fanciful" or like a "flake".
We want
to be perceived as someone who has intelligent, thought-out views that we hold to and
as people that keep our word.
This issue is about using the human desire to keep Commitments and appear
Consistent to help us influence them in the sales process.
Many of the examples in this issue come from the excellent book "Influence" by
Robert Cialdini.
Persuasion article No32
A study done by a pair of Canadian psychologists uncovered something fascinating about people at the racetrack.
Just after placing a bet, they are much more confident of their horse's chances of winning than they are immediately before laying down that bet.
Of course, nothing about the horse's chances actually shifts it's the same horse, on the same track, in the same field; but in the minds of those betters, its prospects improve significantly once that ticket is purchased. What is happening here?
It is, quite simply, our nearly obsessive desire to be (and to appear) consistent with what we have already done.
Persuasion article No32
Once we have made a
choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures
to behave consistently with that commitment.
Those pressures will cause us to
respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.
Let's look at another example.
Large toy manufacturers have their big sales season around Christmas.
Of
course, after Christmas sales go into a slump.
Their problem is in motivating post
holiday spent-out parents to reach down into their pockets for the price of yet another
plaything.
Persuasion article No32
How do the big toy companies jack up their January and February sales?
"They start prior to Christmas with attractive TV ads for certain special toys.
The
kids, naturally, want what they see and extract Christmas promises for these items
from their parents.
Now here's where the genius of the companies' plan comes in.
They undersupply the stores with the toys they've gotten the parents to promise.
Most
parents find those things sold out and are forced to substitute other toys of equal
value.
The toy manufacturers, of course, make a point of supplying the stores with
plenty of these substitutes.
Then, after Christmas, the toy companies start running the
ads again for the other, special toys.
That juices up the kids to want those toys more
than ever.
They go running to their parents whining,
"You promised, you promised,"
and the adults go trudging off to the store to live up dutifully to their
words."
Having made the commitment these parents had little choice but to live up to their
word otherwise they would appear inconsistent in the eyes of their children.
Persuasion article No32
So, as salespeople we look to get our prospects and customers to make commitments.
Isn't that what a trial close does?
"If I could get the items to you by Friday would you place an order now?"
"If the price was reduced by 10%, you say you'd buy more from us, how much more
would you buy?"
Of course, when the customer answers if you drop your price by
10% they are obliged to place an order for the bigger amount.
Persuasion article No32
Lets look at another example of how this principle works,
(example once again
supplied from "Influence" by Cialdini)
A marketer "called a sample of residents as part of a survey he was taking and asked
them to predict what they would say if asked to spend three hours collecting money
for the American Cancer Society.
Of course, not wanting to seem uncharitable to the
survey taker or to themselves, many of these people said that they would volunteer.
The consequence of this sly commitment procedure was a 700 percent increase
in volunteers when, a few days later, a representative of the American Cancer
Society did call and ask for neighbourhood canvassers."
Persuasion article No32
Did you note that number, a 700% increase!!
When you get your customer to sign a contract or a sales agreement there are certain
terms and conditions on that agreement.
Later on, if there is any problem, (say for
example the customer was late paying or was using substantially less product than
agreed to), you would show the agreement, point to their signature and say,
"You
agreed to …, that is your signature, isn't it?"
Persuasion article No32
Another example of how this principle works is the strategy is to obtain a
large purchase by starting with a small one.
This is used a lot on the Internet these days.
You will be given the opportunity to
purchase a very cheap item to sample the wares of the site.
Of course, also available
on the site are an array of other products that steadily increase in price.
You will, at
some time, be invited to buy the next most expensive item.
When invited you may be
reminded of the "special deal" you were given on the first item.
By the way this is an
attempt to use another of Cialdini's principles of influence, namely Reciprocity
(I've
done something for you now you are obliged to do something for me in return).
Any
small sale will start the process.
Often, the first sale may be at a loss, because the
purpose of that first transaction is not profit, it is Commitment.
Further purchases,
even much larger ones, are expected to flow.
It's called the foot-in-the-door
technique.
Persuasion article No32
How can you use this technique in your business?
I challenge you now to sit down and think about where you could apply this principle
in your business.
You would already be applying it in some way but think of a new
more proactive way to use this principle.
Then do an experiment.
If you are about to
embark on a sales campaign, market some of the items without applying this principle
and market the others applying the principle and measure the difference in results.
Let
me know what differences you notice.
Here's to YourSalesSuccess.
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