What happened when one bloke approached 360 women in a day?
There's a persuasion researcher in France called Nicolas Gueguen. He's a man who clearly enjoys his work. One of his studies was entitled 'Bust Size and Hitchhiking: A Field Study'.
Gueguen did another study in which one 'nice- looking' bloke approached 360 women and asked them if they'd like to have a drink with him. Tough job. With some, the man simply went up and asked them straight out. But with some, he asked for a smaller commitment first.
All he did was ask for directions or for a light, and Gueguen found even such a tiny positive commitment was enough to significantly increase the yes factor. Women were more likely to want to go for a drink because of the small initial request. In the politest possible way, he was getting his foot-in-the-door by asking for a smaller positive response (commitment) to his question.
How can you use this in your life?
If you're raising money for charity, or closing a deal, or trying to get a payrise, or indeed trying to get anyone to say 'yes', get a smaller 'commitment' first. Even if it is simply asking if they have five minutes spare to chat, by getting a positive response, you're more likely to get another one.
Conclusion: It's harder to say no, when you've already said yes.
My book Persuade in a minute is out now. There's loads of fun research and techniques on getting a pay rise, making yourself more attractive on facebook, and the 'most persuasive word in the world' (it's in this blog). You'll even be able to read the full story of 'Bust Size and Hitchhiking: A Field Study'.