- 113: The Contrast Principle Jeff Heggie 6:54
Jeff Heggie Daily Success Strategies
113: The Contrast Principle
Robert Cialdini in his book Influence
Weapons of Influence
Order
– The contrast principle – affects the way we see the difference between two things that are presented one after another. Simply put, if the second item is fairly different from the first, we will tend to see it as more different than it actually is.
– If we lift a light object and then a heavy object, we will estimate the second one to be heavier than if we lifted them in the opposite order
– The great advantage of the contrast principle is not only that it works, but also that it is virtually undetectable.
– Retail Shopping
– Harry Rosen – Calgary AB => Suite & Shoes
– If you were (Les) the salesperson, which would you show me first to make me likely spend the most money?
– Clothing stores instruct their salespeople to sell the most expensive first
o Logic may tell you the opposite. If I had just spent a lot on a suite, I may be reluctant to spend much more on a tie
– Sell the suite first, because when it comes time to look at the tie, even expensive ones, their price will not seem as high in comparison
It’s much more profitable for the salesperson to present the expensive item first, not only because to fail to do so will lose the influence of the contrast principle;
To fail to do so will also cause the principle to work against them
Presenting the inexpensive item first and following it with an expensive one will cause the expensive item to seem even more costly as a result.
It’s possible to make the price of the same item seem higher or lower, depending on the price of the previous item.
It’s the same reason if you are adding multiple add-on’s that you should bring them up independently of one another so that their price is small compared to the much higher price that has already been agreed to
