Subliminal Persuasion And Influence-persuasion By Compromise

In this article, I’ll be sharing a simple persuasion technique that you have perhaps employed before, albeit unknowingly. Personally, I believe that this is probably the most common persuasion technique used by people worldwide everyday.

I call this technique the persuasion by compromise technique. Here’s how it works.

Let’s say you want to borrow $20 from a friend. However, to your friend, $20 is a large amount. To get your friend to lend you the $20, you could start by asking him or her for a larger loan of $30. When he refuses, ask him again for a smaller loan of $20, the amount you originally wanted. You’ll be surprised that your friend would actually lend the $20 to you!

Why is this so?

The fact that you made a concession, lowering your request from a larger $30 to a relatively smaller $20 will make them feel that you have done them a favor. Thus, they will feel a need to reciprocate this favor by accepting your second and smaller request.
This is an example of the Law of Reciprocation in place. Your friend, seeing that you have taken a step back and made a compromise, will want to reciprocate this deed by doing you a favor as well. Thus, he or she will likely lend you the $20.

Furthermore, your friend would be weighing the $20 against the $30 and the contrast principle will set in, making the $20 look much lesser than it will look had you asked for $20 right from the start.

However, there’s a catch to this. What if the scenario above was played out like this?

You: Hey James, could you lend me $1000?
James: Sorry I can’t, I really need the money now too.
You: Ok then, could you lend me $20?

The catch to the “persuasion by compromise” method is that the difference between your first request and your second request cannot be too large. In example A, there is too much of a difference between $1000 and $20. James would immediately be able to tell that you’re trying to use a persuasion tactic on him.

However, if the difference between the requests is small, the second request is more likely to be granted and people cannot even tell that you’re using a persuasion technique. Instead, they’ll even feel grateful to you that you made a compromise.

This technique can also be used for non-monetary requests. For example,

You: Mum I’ll like to go to a friend’s sleepover
Mum: No you can’t. I don’t feel assured of your safety.
You: Ok then. Could I go watch a movie instead?

This technique is powerful as it employs the use of two persuasion techniques at once; the Law of Reciprocation and the Contrast Principle. Try this technique out! You’ll be amazed at the results.

By: Vincent Kyle Ng

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Vincent Kyle Ng is the founder of a website ( www.thesecretofpersuasion.com ) that aspires to help others by giving advice and information on the latest strategies in the fields of persuasion, influence, public speaking, relationships and much more