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How to use the Scarcity Principle to exercise Influence

 


Scarcity: Have it before it is gone

I am currently reading “Influence” by Robert Cialdini. Today the key idea learned was how the scarcity principle influences decision-making.

Have you ever noticed how the hotel booking websites display messages of the Last room left, the Last few rooms, and 1 room booked just now? Also, infomercials flash messages of "Limited Time Deals" with a timer running to push customers to buy immediately lest the product of their dreams disappears from the shelves.

In the U.S., on the launch of a new model of iPhone, queues of buyers form a night before the stores launch the phone. The die-hard fans of the iPhone fall prey to the scarcity principle cleverly deployed by Apple by offering just a handful of units. People want to lay their hands on the new phone as if their lives depend on it. They are ready to do unimaginable things just to trade a closer spot in the queue. The artificial scarcity works wonder for the brand as its sales skyrocket.

How can we use this principle to our benefit? The ads on TV published by the Health Ministry to counter Tobacco use are spot on. They show the painful outcomes associated with tobacco use whereby people lose their lives or facial tissue. It shows the broken family as a result of the continued habit of tobacco use. It is a way of saying that you will lose the chance of a good life or suffer physically and emotionally if you continue. The loss is imminent.

The principle deployed is to prevent a loss than show the potential gain. Imagine how the ads would have fared if they had pointed out the benefit of not smoking- healthy life, whiter teeth, saved money, or better cardiovascular health! If we show the downside of a particular action or inaction it is going to have better compliance from people. 

So, if you want the people to comply with a request, state the loss of not following it than highlighting what they will gain out of it.

Another striking example of using the scarcity principle by just adjusting the placement of words in a line got me thinking. The Author’s friend who is a Divorce Lawyer practiced marital resolutions outside courts. She used to make the parties sit in different rooms and hop between these rooms with proposals from one side to the other. This was to evade situations of deadlock. Then when a final proposal was ready she would use the statement: “All we have to do is this, this and this….and we can have a Deal”. In most cases there used to be a disagreement leading to parties approaching courts. When she was suggested to use the statement by changing the placements of the words it gave 100% results. The changed placement of words was: “We have a Deal, All you have to do is this, this and this…..”.

The scarcity principle was cleverly invoked by giving the parties a Deal that was conditional if they fulfilled certain conditions. Parties having a resolution in mind were pushed into a scarcity mindset of just having the Deal or losing it if they did not act on the conditions.

I think this principle works as we have plenty of examples in real life like “finish your veggies first then you can have the pudding”, “you can go out and play the moment you finish your homework”, and countless other instances.

Exercises for the Day

Strength: Chest Day/ Biceps Day.

4 sets of Flat Bench Press.

4 sets of Inclined Bench Press. 

4 sets of Inclined Dumbbell Bench Press. 

4 sets of Barbell Preacher Curl.

1 set each of Dumbbell Curl and Cable Curl.

4 sets of Seated Calf Raise.

Rehab: McGill Big 3 (1 set each). Lock Big 3 (1 set each).

Cardio:  Running(Zone 2-3 Training)

35 mins for the Day. 

35 mins completed for the week.(Last week 91 mins.) 

Target 180 mins for the week.

Anything I like to share/ Habit Tracker

Clean for 122 days.

Pic of the Day 

Salute to your Honesty, Sir.( Only Punjabis can infer)


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