Comments on: How the Foot-In-The-Door Technique Costs You Money

By: Joanne

Joanne — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:51:28 +0000

I can’t tell you how many times and how much money I have invested in different items that I would not have gone out to buy on my own. I find it hard to say “no” without feeling guilty, but after reading all of the comments here, I think I will put some of the suggestions to use. Thank you, everyone, for contributing.
As someone once said “If I want to buy something, I will buy it. I don’t want to be SOLD something!”

By: Ailuri

Ailuri — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:56:52 +0000

zaxour- I find that a really good way to say “no” is to say “Sorry, I have a personal policy not to…” (”buy anything without talking to my family first”, “sign petitions”, “invite anyone into my home”, “purchase things at parties”, “buy blue things”) The best part is- it doesn’t have to make ANY sense, because by saying it is a “personal policy” implies that you have deeper reasons you don’t wish to discuss.

It works really well because it plays upon the same neurobiology that the sales techniques do.
If the person refuses to let it go and continues to push a sale after being told “It’s against my personal policy”, they are setting themselves up psychologically as the bad guy- even in their own minds- and negating any rapport they have built with you already. (Imagine how you’d feel pushing a friend or acquaintance after they told you something was against their personal beliefs)

The hardest part of doing this is getting over the weirdness of saying you are personally against something that you might not really be against in other circumstances. I’m always “personally against” signing petitions (what I tell the people on the streetcorner), except when I want to…(when an issue makes me seek out petitions to sign)

By: Robin

Robin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:47:09 +0000

Nothing annoys me more than repetitive requests. Turns me right off. I can see where you would feel a greater inclination to donate in this situation, but when salespeople try and pull it… they get snubbed by me. Most of them are so phoney, I don’t even want to be in their presence.

By: Corporate Barbarian

Corporate Barbarian — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:40:13 +0000

This happened at the last blood drive at work. Not happy with just a pint of the gift of life, the nurse tried to get me to do a double red cell donation. This was followed with weekly emails telling me about a shortage of platelets, and phone calls asking me to come down to the blood center because of a critical shortage over the Memorial Day weekend. A classic example of the foot-in-the-door technique. My “investment” started with my blood donation; I’m sure the next will be an appeal for bone marrow.

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:19:05 +0000

I’m glad Nikki responded–I really don’t lump charities in the same boat as free samples or salespeople and products/vacations. Most people aren’t just looking for new charities to donate to, so being aware of what’s out there (what your acquaintances volunteer with, what friends and family find important, etc) has to start somewhere. If the charity needs to do a foot in the door, I get it. I also get that I don’t have to donate. AND I don’t sign petitions unless I REALLY believe in them. I think a lot of folks don’t think too hard about what they sign, perhaps in an effort to get the person with the clipboard to go away.

I do struggle with knowing when/what to support. I use charitynavigator.org to help me weed out the charities that don’t deserve my help, and I basically try not to buy stuff from coworkers, ever. On the flip side I don’t participate in candle sales and other stuff my own charity does–I don’t want to ask people to buy junk. Just donate if you want to support a group…

A side annoyance with donations: inevitably you end up on the mailing list. I donate online because I don’t want letters in my mailbox, and I hope my donation is being used for the cause, not to mail solicitations for more money. Doesn’t seem to work that way, though.

By: CathyG

CathyG — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:04:02 +0000

I found this interesting:

One technique is to ask for a big thing in order to get a little thing, but the other technique is to ask for a little thing in hopes of later turning it into a bigger thing. Odd that our psychological makeup would react to both of those.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:43:10 +0000

My 5 year old daughter has this down cold. She will ask very nicely if she can have a piece of chocolate or some small snack. Then, after I say yes, she will then say, “well, if its a small one, can I have two?” I already committed to 1, so why not 2? It is amazing that kids at that age can bargin so well.

By: Mick

Mick — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:51:05 +0000

This actually happened to me some years ago. They made me sign for a book subscription and found that I had to buy books every three months for a couple of years. Worst part they were very strange editions of famous books. That money should have gone somewhere else!

By: Shadox

Shadox — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:38:11 +0000

Great post. The example of the free real estate seminar and the free food samples you give is also an example of a different phenomenon: folks tend to reciprocate if you give them something first.

Please who receive a food sample or more likely to buy not only because they tasted and liked the food (although that certainly happens too), but also because subconciously they feel some obligation to give something back after receiving something for free.

By: D.B.

D.B. — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:41:22 +0000

I have had work colleagues who sponsor the “parties” that are really just shills for overpriced products. I attended a few of these in the past and have bought products – some used and some wasted. Never again.

My policy is to decline all requests for donations, sales or MLM’s from work colleagues, even girl scout cookies. It’s a hard policy, but it’s easier than to appear to be playing favorites. It’s really hard to know how to deal with work situations like this because I feel that I am supposed to be a “team player” even if it goes against my values.

Any advice for on the job solicitations?

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:23:02 +0000

Excellent post about a fascinating phenomenon.
A closely related phenomenon, which could be used (or perhaps is already planned) as a follow-up post, is the “door in your face” strategy.
In this situation, the initial request is a lot to ask of a person by any means, and when the door is effectively about to be slammed in the face (i.e. saying a definite NO), the salesman “compromises” and asks for less, with more compliance than there would have been had this been asked for from the start.

“Can I conduct an hour-long interview on how you use our product?”
“No!”
“Well, can I just ask the basic questions then, that will only take a few minutes?”

“Would you like to donate $100 to our worthy cause?”
“No”
“Well, would you like to buy a button for $1?”

And in supermarkets, less-than-wonderful sales can look a lot better if the initial price was bumped up, so it looks like you’re getting a better discount.

By: CPA Offers

CPA Offers — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:17:10 +0000

After reading this I learned some valuable info especially when you were talking about Free “lunch” seminars thank you for this post good stuff.

By: katy

katy — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:53:32 +0000

Nothing is more expensive than ‘free’. Great post.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:14:10 +0000

I learned early (age 16) to say “no” and mean it. I will listen to your spiel, but will still say no. I ordered a $300 set of pots and pans for my “hope chest.” Back then (1953)they didn’t have the short period you could cancel. I paid $10 down and then decided to not go through with it. I lost my $10. That hurt because I was working 48 hours a week and clearing $19.48 a week. That $10 was the cost of $24. labor for me.

My husband got upset because I told a baby furniture company they could give their spiel and give me a baby blanket. But I knew I could say “no”. However, husband could not. Lucky for him it was such a good buy. It was safety furniture and came in about 5 pieces that all interchanged to make almost all the baby furniture you would ever need. It lasted us through 2 kids and would have lasted through 10 more, it was that good.

I have just been contacted yesterday for a sell. The fellow had fixed my carport and called two ladies to come and talk to me about the problem. Since he hadn’t charged me for fixing the carport, I was on the hook. But I refused to be pushed. I took their card and will examine the company thoroughly, as it does sound good.

By: Skip

Skip — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:47:47 +0000

I read a study once (how’s that for specific?) that said that the human brain is more or less chemically wired to subconsciously reciprocate some sort of gift/token giving, even if the rational part of the brain realizes that it’s not a gift of any real worth. This is one of the reasons why “Airport Moonies” (if you’ll pardon the perhaps indelicate term) in the 1970s had success getting donations in airports by handing out flowers first.

Once you feel like you’ve been “given” something, you’re implicitly involved in a transaction whereby you may feel that you “owe” something in return. (Like the “$500 Cash Back!” ads for car sales for example, instead of just lowering the price by $500.)

By: Dr C

Dr C — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:16:09 +0000

Most of this particular technique goes back to trying to keep balance in relationships (technically called Equity Theory). So, if someone does something for me, I do something for them. We are taught this very early on, or tit-for-tat. It’s to a degree the glue that keeps society together.

A more interesting technique is door-in-the face, where someone asks you, say to buy some expensive tickets & when you say no, asks for something more reasonable ($5, spare change). This one works on the contrast effect or what is reasonable?

By: Mary W

Mary W — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:44:35 +0000

One technique of door-to-door sales people is to hand you something (e.g., petition, menu, clip board). Often something laminated or otherwise clearly not something they plan behind. Once you’re holding something it makes it harder to say, “no thanks” as you close the door on them.

Once I learned that technique I resist the natural inclination to take something someone is trying to hand you.

By: Rajeev Singh

Rajeev Singh — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:22:23 +0000

This technique is alos used very well to sell insurance policies by the companies. They would generally call couples to a place offering them free gifts and then would try and sell them insurance policy.

By: Laith Juwaidah

Laith Juwaidah — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:41:50 +0000

I really didn’t know that.. I think I usually accept such stuff subconsciously.

Thanks for the tip :)

By: zaxour

zaxour — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:41:17 +0000

What was the actual wording you used while declining the donation? This has happened with me tons of times and I just don’t have the right words to decline it politely and without getting the other person offended.