How to Use the Contrast Principle to Increase Sales
Comparison brings clarity
The Contrast Principle was first studied by Robert Cialdini in his book, The Psychology of Persuasion, first published in 2007. He explored how our perceptions are formed by comparing similar things we see simultaneously or in succession. This leads us to evaluate the lesser or greater value between the two objects through direct comparison.
The power of clarity
Rosser Reeves, an American advertising executive, was walking with his colleague through Central Park during their lunch break. Along the way, they encountered a blind man sitting in the park with a sign and a tin cup. On the sign were three words, “I am blind”. The tin cup held a few coins. It seemed that the blind man’s effort to solicit donations was mostly unsuccessful.
Being the advertising man that Rosser was, he made a wager with his colleague that he could significantly increase the donations for the blind man by adding four words to his sign. After the wager was agreed upon, Rosser went to the blind man and asked him if he could change his sign in an attempt to increase his donations. The blind man agreed and Rosser added the four words.
Soon thereafter, the donations started to increase. Some of the passersby even stopped and took some time to talk to the blind man. So, what did Rosser write on the blind man’s sign? “It is springtime and” so now the sign read — It is springtime and I am blind.
By adding those four words, the people were moved to empathize with the blind man’s situation. All the other people could enjoy, and see the wonders of Central Park in the springtime. Their situation was much better than the blind man’s.
This is the contrast principle in work. The park-goers could understand the blind man’s predicament much clearer when compared to theirs. People understand something better when they see it in comparison rather than in isolation.
The contrast effect
By comparing two objects simultaneously or sequentially, you can affect how a person perceives those objects. If you ask someone to pick up a heavier box and then a lighter box, that person will perceive the second box as lighter than it really is because the only comparison he has is the heavier box.
This technique is often used in advertising. You are shown a product of lower quality than the product the salesman wishes you to purchase, or even the reverse, an overpriced luxury item, and then suddenly, by comparison, the original item seems like the best value for your money.
You have probably also seen this on many websites. In most cases, the website shows you several products side by side. The basic model with a low price but no features. The middle product with half to two-thirds the features of the premium product at a reasonable price. Then the third product with all the bells and whistles but at a price of at least double the middle product. Not only are all three displayed side by side, but the middle product is also in a slightly higher modal and maybe even has a sticker with “our best seller” in the modal. Now with this side-by-side comparison of three products with one product displayed higher than the other two and an additional “best seller” tag, which product do you think is sold more often?
Notice the side-by-side display of four WordPress hosting plans. Which one stands out the most? Perhaps the one marked with FREE SSL and the highest savings of the four? You almost miss the fact that on renewal, the price of the Ultimate plan increases by almost 88%, and the more expensive Ecommerce plan only increases by 53% upon renewal.
Compared to what?
Contrast operates within every aspect of persuasion. You raise the question by framing your offer in ways that contrast with the alternatives. Doing this clarifies the virtues of your offer. Using one of the five following frames can prove useful in your quest to provide clarity and move your customer toward that purchase.
The five frames
- The less frame
- The experience frame
- The label frame
- The blemished frame
- The potential frame
The less frame
This is a case of less is more. Researchers set up booths at an upscale grocery store in Menlo Park, California. Both booths offered an assortment of jellies and jams where the visitors could sample the goods and make a purchase of any jelly or jam at the booth. The difference, the first booth offered 24 different varieties of jellies and jams and the second booth had only six varieties.
It was no surprise that the booth offering 24 varieties of goodies had more visitors than the booth offering only six. But wait, as they say on the shopping channel, there is more. To the surprise of the researchers, only three percent of the customers visiting the booth offering 24 varieties actually purchased something. At the booth offering only six products, 30 percent of the customers bought something.
By reducing the options for the consumer from twenty-four, down to six, the researchers increased sales by tenfold. Framing the options in a way that restricts their choices can lead them to see the offer more clearly instead of overwhelming them with too many choices. So, less can be more.
The experience frame
Economists categorize the purchases of customers by what they purchase in the marketplace. Shoes are different from a meal in a restaurant, which is different from the backyard's gas grill. Social psychologists, on the other hand, categorize purchases by the intent.
Some things are material purchases, made to acquire a tangible object like those shoes or the gas grill. Other things are experiential purchases, made with the intent of acquiring an experience, like a vacation or a concert visit.
Researchers have shown that people get more satisfaction from purchasing experiences over material goods. For example, think about the nice new leather jacket you bought. The fresh smell of leather. Strutting down the street looking like James Dean and feeling just as cool. Now a few weeks go by and your jacket is just something you wear when it is a bit chilly outside. You put it on without a thought and throw it over a chair when you get to the office. A jacket is now just an object that keeps you warm on a chilly October evening.
Compare that to the great vacation you took with your girlfriend in the Caribbean. Sure, there were a few minor problems like the plane took off late, the day you got a little too much sun and even the small headache you had waking up after coming home at four in the morning. As time goes by, you forget those things and remember the higher level joys. The great sunsets, the wonderful weather, the awesome food, and the great people you met on your vacation that you still talk to after all these years. Experiences also give us things to talk about and lets us connect with other people. They are the basis of our stories.
Framing a sale in experiential terms is the key to satisfied customers. So instead of selling that leather jacket by emphasizing the rich Italian leather, go with the warm feeling you will have as you walk down the street and the even warmer feeling of offering your jacket to your girlfriend on that chilly night, being the gentleman she knows you are.
The label frame
If you do not know the Prisoner’s Dilemma, it goes something like this. You and your buddy are arrested for a crime. If both of you keep your mouth shut, you both go free. If you both confess, both of you go to jail for a year. If you flip on your buddy, he goes to jail for 10 years and you walk free. The same goes for your buddy if he flips on you.
If both of you trust each other, your best bet is to just shut up. If you don’t trust each other and flip on the other, one of you goes to jail for a long time. That is the dilemma.
In 2004, social scientists ran a little experiment using the Prisoner’s Dilemma but changed the name. One group played the “Wall Street Game” and the other group played the “Community Game”. The same game just a different label. Think it made a difference?
You bet. In the Wall Street Game, 33 percent of the participants cooperated went free. In the Community Game, 66 percent of the participants kept their mouths shut to their mutual benefit. The label on the game answered the “Compared to What?” question. The label hinted at what was expected and the result changed behaviors by a factor of two.
The blemished frame
Can pointing out the faults be to your benefit? Researchers in a 2012 study found out you can turn a blemish into a positive factor. The researchers presented a pair of hiking boots to two groups as if the purchase was an online purchase. The first group received a listing of all the great things about the boots — waterproof material, ten-year warranty on materials, orthopedic soles, and a long list of other great things about the boots.
The second group got the same pitch with all the great features of the boots, but with one difference. The boots came in only two colors. Surprisingly, the group that received the negative information about the limited color selection was more likely to purchase the boots.
The researchers called this the “blemishing effect”. They found that giving the group a small negative detail to an otherwise positive description gave that description a more positive impact.
There is one consideration with using this frame. It only works in two circumstances. First, the person must be in a low-effort state. Instead of focusing on the decision, they are distracted or busy. Second, the negative information must follow the positive information. This comparison creates clarity.
The trick, if you are making your pitch to someone that is not putting everything you say on the gold scale, then list all the positives of your product, followed by a small blemish. That small blemish can actually enhance the true beauty of your offering.
The potential frame
This frame is best used to sell yourself. Most people think when they are selling themselves, they should point out their achievements. Makes sense, so why not emphasize what you have achieved in the past as a sign of the type of person you are?
The research suggests you are better off advertising your potential. Researchers ran a Facebook campaign promoting the same comedian. One set of ads promoted the comedian as “could be the next big thing” and the other set of ads promoted the comedian as “is the next big thing”. The ad that promoted the comedian’s potential as could be the next big thing generated far more click-throughs and likes. The potential of being good at something can be preferred to actually being good at something.
People tend to see potential as more interesting than actual accomplishment. It is more interesting, like a developing story or movie plot. This uncertainty can lead to deeper thoughts in the person they are evaluating.
Pro-tip, don’t just fixate on what you have done in the past. Emphasize your potential for what you can accomplish in the future. You will sell yourself better when you do.
Finding the off-ramp
You have used the proper frame to solve the problem and get your product, service, or yourself to the point where the customer or client needs to buy. You do this by providing them with an off-ramp.
This off-ramp was demonstrated by researchers using a college food drive. Two groups of college students were identified as either most likely or least likely to donate to the food drive.
The researchers further divided the groups and sent half of each group a letter, addressed by name, asking them to donate a specific type of food to the food drive. The letter also included a map as to where they could drop off their donation. The researchers even gave each of the students in these groups a reminder call.
The other half of each group was also sent a letter but addressed as Dear Student. The letter did not ask for a particular type of food and there was no map or follow phone call to these two groups.
As a result, among the groups that received a generic letter, no map, and no phone call, the least likely to donate did just that. Nobody donated. The most likely to donate group that received the generic letter did not do much better. Only eight percent made a food donation.
Among the two groups that receive a personalized letter, a map, and a follow-up phone call, 25% of the students who were the least likely to donate actually donated to the food drive.
What moved the least likely to donate group was that the researchers had given them a clear roadmap and off-ramp to the final destination. A clear request, accompanied by a clear path to getting the deed done, had ended up with the least likely group donating three times as much as the most likely group without a clear path to the destination.
Clarity on how to think without clarity on how to act can leave most people unmoved.
Recap
Using the Contrast Principle gives people the clarity to decide. You just need to use the proper frame and give them an off-ramp to the destination.
Originally published at https://pivottowardsfreedom.com.
