If I asked you for $100, what would you say? My guess is no. You probably have a rule against giving people money just because they asked you. 

But what if I asked you for $1? Most of us would probably be okay with that. Sure, it’s still giving money, but it’s only $1, and that isn’t the same thing.

However, by saying yes to giving me $1, you broke your rule about giving people money just because they asked you. It’s not a big deal, of course, but it does make it more likely that if I came back and asked for $5, $10, or $20, that you would give it to me. Moreover, if you discovered that you didn’t mind giving me money, you might say yes the next time I ask for $100. 

There is a name for this method of getting people to do what you want. In psychology, it’s called the Escalation of Commitment. In laymen’s terms, it’s called “in for a penny, in for a pound.” We refer to it as making it easy for your customers to say yes. 

Escalation of commitment works on more than just money. It also works for time, like volunteering, or effort, like getting someone to work harder or run farther. The idea is you make it easy for someone to say yes to you over something small and then slowly increase the amount of whatever resource you want from them over time. 

In this episode of The Intuitive Customer, we explore how Escalation of Commitment works and applies to Customer Experience. We also explain how you can use it to segment your customers to give you an idea of where they are on the commitment spectrum with you. Finally, we caution you on what not to do when getting your customers to yes to avoid creating negative feelings toward your brand and organization. 

 

The Intuitive Customer podcasts help you take your Customer Experience to the next level by unlocking the “hidden” aspects of your experience and determining what really drives value for your customers.

To find out more about how your organization’s marketing can improve customer loyalty and retention, contact us at www.beyondphilosophy.com.

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