It’s funny how things happen. This week I was running a Principles of Persuasion Workshop in Canberra and over a casual conversation with a couple of the participants I had an enormous ah-ha moment! What happens when Scarcity fails?
Now this is a question I have considered before but why the ah-ha today!
Here’s the context, I was having a conversation with Chris M and he said, “I have tried to use Scarcity by highlighting that the person is in competition with someone else. When I tell them about the competition they say, that’s okay, go with the other person”.
In one fell swoop the competition has evaporated not just for one but for both parties.
Like Chris this has happened to me before and I hadn’t given it too much thought because when I highlight competition I always have others to speak to. But why do people just shrug off the competition and say “no thanks”.
Here’s where the ah-ha comes in!
The reason they brush it off is because Scarcity has been brought in too early!
Implication
Before you bring in Scarcity you need to have an understanding of what the target of influence’s motivation is. You need to understand if they want to do the thing you are asking; if they feel it is the right thing to do by others; or if they are indifferent toward the request because they have not bought in to either the right thing or want to.
So the ah-ha is, ask questions first! Obtain commitments from the person. Make sure the thing being proposed is of interest to them. Use Consensus to show what others like them are doing. Then, once they have committed and they know people like them are acting, then highlight that they are in competition for the thing.
That way you know the thing being offered is of value and that by highlighting the competition it will be seen as rare and dwindling in availability and then motivate them to take action.
If your target of influence can either take or leave the thing you are offering, highlighting competition too early will be a 50/50 proposition!