Skip to main content

INFLUENCE AT WORK - INFLUENCE AT WORK- Official Site

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on YouTube
Professors, Get your copy of Pre-Suasion
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Robert Cialdini, PhD
      • Dr. Cialdini’s Biography
      • Dr. Cialdini’s Books and Publications
      • Keynotes
      • Curriculum Vitae
      • Testimonials
        • Financial Services
        • General
        • Pharmaceutical/Healthcare
        • Technology
        • International Business
        • Leadership & Management
        • Sales & Marketing
      • Downloadable Photos
    • CMCT Trainers
    • Executive Leadership
      • Robert Cialdini, PhD
      • Gregory Neidert, PhD
      • Bobette Gorden
    • INFLUENCE AT WORK Staff
    • FAQs
    • Principles of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini
    • INFLUENCE AT WORK Company Information
      • Consulting
  • Speaking
    • Robert Cialdini, PhD
      • Dr. Cialdini’s Biography
      • Dr. Cialdini’s Books and Publications
      • Keynotes
      • Curriculum Vitae
      • Videos
      • Testimonials
        • Financial Services
        • General
        • Pharmaceutical/Healthcare
        • Technology
        • International Business
        • Leadership & Management
        • Sales & Marketing
      • Downloadable Photos
    • CMCT Speakers
    • Testimonials
  • Training
    • CMCT Certification
    • Certified Trainers
    • CMCT Testimonials
    • Exclusive CMCT Login
    • Test Your IQ (Influence Quotient)
    • CMCT Readiness Quiz
  • POP® Workshops
    • Corporate/In-House Customized Principles of Persuasion (POP) Workshop
      • Workshop Materials
      • Clients
      • Workshop Testimonials
      • Contact
      • Fees and Details
      • Past POP Photos
    • Public POP Workshop
      • Workshop Overview
      • Waitlist Request
      • Clients
      • What You Will Learn
      • Hotel Information
      • POP Workshop® Testimonials
      • Contact
      • Past POP Photos
  • Pre-Suasion®
    • Moment Maker™ Workshop
    • Pre-Suasion Training Early Notification
    • Corporate/In-House Training
    • Pre-Suasion Keynotes by Dr. Cialdini
    • Course Adoptions
  • Media
    • Articles and Case Studies
    • Downloadable Photos
    • Videos
    • Audio Interviews
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
    • Subscribe to IIR Blog
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on YouTube

When Less is More – The Presenter’s Paradox

Tweet

By Steve Martin, CMCT

When Less is More – The Presenter’s ParadoxIt’s often said that it’s the small things in life that can make the difference and so surely this must be the case in business too. As more and more businesses find themselves competing in increasingly cluttered markets where seemingly endless arrays of products and services are vying for attention, the idea of going that extra mile by offering a little bit more than your competitors is a seductive one. It is easy to see why. Adding an extra incentive or feature to your product or proposition could make the difference between winning or losing business.

But are there situations where adding additional information, incentives and features might, rather than strengthen your case, achieve the exact opposite and weaken it?

Put another way, are there occasions when less is more?

A series of soon to be published studies Kimberlee Weaver from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech together with colleagues Stephen Garcia and Norbert Schwarz from the University of Michigan suggests that people often believe that presenting extra features and information will strengthen their influence attempts because of the ‘additive’ effect they should provide. However these same people may fail to appreciate that those evaluating their propositions might adopt an ‘averaging’ approach.

When Less is More – The Presenter’s Paradox

Much like adding warm water to hot leads to a more moderate temperature, attempts to clinch a deal by adding extra features to an already strong proposal, could mean a reduction in the overall attractiveness of that proposal. In effect each additional feature or piece of information provided serves to cheapen the overall package.

A concept the study authors label as “The Presenter’s Paradox.”

In one experiment participants were assigned to either a presenter role or a purchaser role. Those in the presenter role were provided with two MP3 packages. Package one was an 8-megabyte iPod Touch that came with a choice of cover. Package two was exactly the same with the added benefit of a free music download. Presenters were then asked to choose which package they considered to be the most valuable and that they would offer to the potential purchasers.

Those in the purchaser group were told, “Imagine that you are looking to purchase an MP3 player for a friend.” They were then offered the two iPod Touch packages and asked how much they would be willing to pay for each. ckage one was an 8-megabyte iPod Touch that came with a choice of cover. Package two was exactly the same with the added benefit of a free music download. Presenters were then asked to choose which package they considered to be the most valuable and that they would offer to the potential purchasers.

The overwhelming majority of presenters (92%) chose to offer the package that included the additional free music download. However those in the purchaser group were willing to pay less for the iPod and cover package when it came bundled with the extra free song download. Choosing to add the music download to the package in an attempt to increase its value counter-intuitively led to the overall package being cheapened in the eyes of many the purchasers.

In a second experiment customers looking for accommodation via a well known travel website were asked how much, on average, would they be willing to pay to stay in a hotel with a 5 star rated restaurant. When those customers came to learn that the hotel also had a 3 star rated pool the amount they were willing to pay reduced by some 15%. Interestingly almost three-quarters of hotel owners believed that adding the pool to their advertisement would allow them to command a higher average rate when in fact the opposite was the case.

Across a range of studies the researchers uncovered a similar pattern. Sellers believed that spending more money to add features to their already strong propositions would strengthen them further, yet on each occasion adding an extra feature served to cheapen the overall proposition resulting in potential customers saying they would pay less.

Now some of you may be thinking this is all very well for folks who sell products and services but does this Presenter’s Paradox effect extend to other types of influence challenges? For example what if your challenge is to sell ideas or services rather than products?

Well the researchers thought of that too.

Imagine for a moment that you are responsible for a program to reduce littering in your neighborhood. Suppose also that part of this campaign requires you to propose one of two penalty options for offenders who do litter;

Option A: $750.00 fine or Option B: $750.00 fine + 2 hours of community service

Which would you think would be more likely to recommend?

In the study (which included participants who were current government employees charged with making such decisions) 86% recommended option B even though those evaluating the consequences rated the $750 fine + 2 hours of community service as less severe than a $750 fine alone! Adding an extra negative feature made the unattractive consequence of littering slightly more attractive.

So what is potentially causing this disparity between presenters and evaluators?

Weaver and her colleagues conclude that when constructing offers presenters have a tendency to focus on the individual components of their offer leading to piecemeal processing when evaluating their own case. Evaluators, however, are more likely to process offers holistically focussing on the overall gestalt.

So is the recommendation to simply not provide additional information or features when making your case? Certainly not. Regular Inside Influence Report readers will be familiar with prior research showing how the “and-that’s-not-all” approach, where a communicator adds an additional smaller benefit to a larger item can, in certain contexts, be quite effective (see Burger).

Instead the recommendation is to adopt the best parts of both these strategies.

This means that rather than investing additional resources to add a small extra feature for every customer, it might be wiser to invest the same amount in a more significant extra feature for fewer selected customers.

Doing so affords you two potential benefits.

First you could avoid losing money providing extra benefits to customers that, like the case of adding warm water to hot, will actually reduce the temperature of your overall offer. Second you bring to bear the powerful force of reciprocity, by providing customised and significant additional benefits targeted to your most cherished customers.

What business examples do you have or know of where offering more has led to actually generating less?

 

Source:

Weaver, K., Garcia, S.M., and Schwarz, N. (2012) The Presenter’s Paradox. Journal of Consumer Research Vol 39 (forthcoming) DOI 10.1086/664497

Burger, J.M. (1986). Increasing compliance by improving the deal: the that’s-not-all-technique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 277 – 283

PBS Quiz
Dr. Cialdini’s Books are Available Individually on Amazon.com.

Pre-Suasion

Influence

Influence

50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

Small Big Changes Influence

Influence Science Practice Comic

Cialdini Certification
Readiness Assessment

Latest Blog Posts

  • Cialdini Asks: Richard Thaler
  • Cialdini Asks: Adam Grant
  • Cialdini Asks: Dan Ariely
  • Cialdini Asks: Amy Cuddy
  • Influenced or Influencer? Take This Quiz to Find Out.

Testimonials

"These were two days extremely well spent. This workshop is the perfect mix of theory and practice. Big Ideas and real world application."
Daniel Pink, Author of Drive
"…one of social psychology’s true pioneers."
Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Stumbling on Happiness
“Robert Cialdini is the Benjamin Franklin of research on influence–a keen observer of human nature, great writer, minter of pithy phrases, and clever experimenter who’s able to capture lightning in a jar.”
Chip Heath, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business
“We’ve had Dr. Cialdini speak to ERA three times. Because of his depth of knowledge and passion for relating the ethical business applications, he was the top rated speaker of at each of these events. He is a critical business asset.”
Ms. BRENDA W. CASSERLY, President and CEO, ERA Franchise Systems, Inc.
“This program will help executives make better decisions and use their influence wisely… Robert Cialdini has had a greater impact on my thinking on this topic than any other scientist… The best popular book that demonstrates six or eight ways in which the quirks of your own mind will frequently prove dysfunctional to your best interests is Cialdini’s Influence.”
CHARLES T. MUNGER, Vice Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
“Dr. Cialdini amazed our audience with his immense knowledge on the psychology of persuasion. His presentation style is relaxed, intense and ‘pleasantly confronting’. A brilliant mix! Over 350 managers could not get enough of Dr. Cialdini’s highly interesting lectures. After his last talk, he received a standing ovation, which is very rare in Holland. It was a sign of deep appreciation for his contribution to the success of the day.”
HANS JANSSEN, Denk Producties
“Dr. Cialdini’s program at the Training Leadership Summit was most impressive. His passion for translating science into ethical business actions gave these industry leaders powerful tools to use immediately. This program is a must for those serious about effective ethical influence.“
Julies Groshens, Nielsen Business Media
“Dr. Cialdini held our audience ‘spellbound’ for hours. His advice was both strategic and practical, and was geared perfectly for our audience from about 40 countries. His principles were put into practice by the delegates immediately.”
CATHY KERNEN, Global Director of Product PR, AstraZeneca Alderley Park, UK
“Dr. Robert Cialdini has played an integral role in the development of our high-potential leaders. His practical insights and real-world perspectives have challenged our executives to step back and reassess their global leadership and influence skills. He provides an important link in the development of our future leaders.”
GREGORY J. SMITH, PH.D., Administration & Finance Division, Organizational Development & HR Research, Bayer Corporation
“Dr. Robert Cialdini literally touched thousands of lives and you met all facets of our mission statement. He helped solidify an outstanding Day, and helped create the significant impact we were seeking for our diverse audience.”
MARK JONES, Main Platform Chair, Million Dollar Round Table
“This book is the de facto standard to learn the psychology of persuasion. If you don’t read it, I hope you enjoy pounding your head against the wall and throwing away marketing dollars.”
GUY KAWASAKI, CEO, Holy Kaw
“The Principles of Ethical Influence, as taught by Bob Cialdini, needs to be a part of every salesperson’s toolkit. What strikes me is not only the simplicity of his message but the power it provides in practice.”
R. CRAIG WILSON, Sr. Vice President, Sales Manager, Northern Trust
“Cialdini is the most brilliant student of influence and negotiation I’ve encountered. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have advising me.”
TOM PETERS, The Tom Peters Group
"If the President had to have one advisor with him at all times my nomination would be Bob Cialdini, the world’s most practical social psychologist, and the master of "influence".
Richard Thaler, author of Nudge
"Dr. Cialdini is the great guru of social influence!"
Richard Thaler, author of Nudge
“Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion.”
www.goodreads.com
Cialdini, one of the greatest social thinkers of our time.
Adam Grant, Author of Give and Take
"Anybody writing about persuasion and influence today stands on Cialdini's shoulders."
Daniel Pink, author of To Sell is Human
"If the President had to have one advisor with him at all times my nomination would be Bob Cialdini, the world’s most practical social psychologist, and the master of "influence."
Richard Thaler, author of Nudge
“If you want to know how to influence people, just read Robert Cialdini’s classic book on the subject, INFLUENCE: The Psychology of Persuasion. It’s brilliant and effective, full of time-proven ideas.”
Steve Krug, Author of Don’t Make Me Think

Connect With Us

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on YouTube

Headquarters Office

Tempe, AZ 85282
480.967.6070
© 2018 INFLUENCE AT WORK
All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
Website Designed By VIEO Design