To Persuade Anyone to Do Anything for You, Let Them Hit the Ceiling First
Experimental evidence supports the wisdom of quoting large numbers and unexpected claims
Whether you are trying to sell something or make someone agree with a claim, let them hit the ceiling the first.
What does it mean “letting them hit the ceiling”?
It means proposing something so off-the-chart and unexpected that their first reaction is disbelief, shock, and even outrage.
The simple and scientifically-proven reason is, anything else you say after the first initial outrage will, in fact, come across as something fair and more agreeable. That’s just how human nature works.
The initial outrageous offer or statement will form the framework against which all other offers or statements will be evaluated.
When the first statement is perceived as too unreasonable or too much, the next statement, by comparison, will be evaluated as comparatively reasonable and not-so-much. The result is a better psychological set up to evaluate the offer as an acceptable one.
Set the expectation framework such that the first quoted figure or fact should make the second-presented number or fact very palatable and reasonable by comparison.
Example 1
For example, if you would like to remind your child the consequences of turning his room into a disaster zone and refusing to clean it up, don’t say “I’ll ground you for today.”
Instead try: “We can’t of course ground you for a whole month now, can we?”
The seed, the possibility, is implanted at that very moment.
The child is now thinking about the incredible prospects of being grounded for a whole month, which of course is not acceptable.
Then follow it with: “However, if you don't clean your room within the next hour, forget about going anywhere this weekend.”
All of a sudden being grounded for two days not only feels realistic and something you would definitely do, but easily avoidable as well. It is far more palatable than 30 days spent locked into the house. The chances are that room will be cleaned up within an hour.
It’s the same with a sales situation.
Example 2
Let’s say you are trying to sell an integrated home alarm system.
The question will inevitably come to the selling price.
If your system costs $50,000, start the conversation by something like:
“Perhaps you are thinking this system costs half a million dollars or more…”
SIDEBAR: It’s important at this point not to lie. If you say “systems like this are known to sell for half a million dollars or more in California,” you’d better make sure what you're saying is true and correct. Otherwise, you are committing a misrepresentation at the very least, and a fraud at worst.
Once the customer hears the words “half a million dollars or more” they will hit the ceiling guaranteed even if they won't show it to you. But the hook is in. Now they are considering the POSSIBILITY that a salesperson might have the temerity and chutzpah to ask them that kind of money.
They will be very relieved when you follow that with:
“But of course, since we have a special sale this weekend [again, it must be true], I won’t even ask half of that.”
When the cat is eventually let out of the bag and they learn that it costs “only” $50,000 of [not money but] “investment” to keep their home safe, they’ll be in a much better disposition to sign the dotted line.
“What we present first changes the way people experience what we present to them next.” — Robert Cialdini
Experimental Support
The strange power of quoting or using large numbers goes well beyond sales situations.
Dr. Robert Cialdini in his ground-breaking book Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade offers a few examples of how large numbers work their way into our subconsciousness, with surprising and unexpected results.
- People said they’d spend more money at a restaurant named Studio 97, as opposed to Studio 17.
- When people were asked to write down a pair of high (versus low) digits from their Social Security numbers, they said they would be willing to pay more for a box of Belgian chocolates.
- When a work performance experiment was named “Experiment 27” as opposed to “Experiment 7,” the participants predicted their performance and output would be higher.
- The observers predicted that athletes would perform better and would score more if they wore a high number (e.g., 97) versus a low number (e.g., 3).
The main principle illustrated here is: “What we present first changes the way people experience what we present to them next.”
Expectation Framework
Set the expectation framework such that the first quoted number or fact makes the second-presented number or fact palatable and reasonable by comparison. That’s a method you can apply at home or work with equal efficiency.
