The “Influence” series: “Scarcity”

Below:
1. Make it rare to get “Well done!”
2. October public writing courses filling

Hi,

Social researcher Cialdini tells of an experiment in which two groups of people were asked to rate choc-chip biscuits.

Group A took theirs from a jar containing ten biscuits; Group B took from a jar with just two biscuits.

The result? Group B rated the biscuits higher on almost every measure – even though the biscuits were identical.

This is scarcity at work. And it’s a very useful “influence” technique.

Here are some ways to use “scarcity” to get better results from your writing:

• Scarce time – Imposing deadlines on your readers will motivate them to act sooner rather than later (because “later” is probably “never”!), e.g. “Offer ends 30 June.”
• Scarce amount – Your product will be more attractive if it seems rare or exclusive, e.g. “special edition,” “Limited offer” or “Exclusive release.” Be specific if you can – “Just five left” trumps “Just a few left.”
• Scarce information – Research shows if you limit access to a message people value it more and find it more persuasive. Can you structure your message so your readers believe it’s restricted information, e.g. “Exclusive members-only offer”?

Booster 1: “Scarcity” works better when people think something’s newly scarce – i.e. when it hasn’t always been in short supply, but suddenly becomes so. E.g. “Unprecedented interest means only 45 seats left!”

Booster 2: It works better again when people realise they’re competing with others for scarce resources. A common real-estate sales ploy is to tell wavering buyers someone else is also interested in the property.

That’s it for Cialdini’s six “influence” principles. Links to the previous five are in the “Back Issues” panel at right, or here: http://www.magneto.net.au/free_business
_writing_tips_advice.html

Have a great month,

October public courses selling out

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These courses are capped at 12 people (for personal attention) and are close to selling out:

• Professional writing (“Get it Write”)
  17 October 2007
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  31 October 2007

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Phone (02) 9427 3127  Fax (02) 9427 1327

www.magneto.net.au
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