| Manipulation |
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| Reciprocation Escalating commitment Consistency Social proof Liking Authority Scarcity |
| Escalating Commitment |
| When you make a commitment to something you put much more energy and time into it. Most people guard what they commit themselves, thus the hardest part for the manipulators to do is get a commitment in the first place. This is where the escalating part comes in. Once you have made a commitment, no matter how small, it is much easier for a manipulater to deepen your commitment later. Escalating commitment involves getting an initial commitment then slowly increasing that commitment by leveraging the initial commitment. The more time and energy you put into something, the easier it is to get you to put more time and energy into it later. A classic example of escalating commitment is the car salesman close. Once a car salesman gets you to commit to buying a car at a given price, it becomes much easier for him or her to add extras like a moon roof, leather interior, and an upgraded sound system. All it usually takes is for the salesman to simply ask the customer if they want these options. Each extra is easier to get than the last as the customer commits more and more. By the time the salesman is done, the cost of the extras usually make up for how much the customer was able to talk down the price of the car. Here's the pattern: 1. Get an initial commitment, no matter how small. 2. Once you get the initial commitment, use that commitment to get a slightly greater commitment. Use the phrase, "You've already _______, you might as well _______". 3. Repeat step 2 until you get what you want. |