Click, Whirr (Automatic Responses)
Also called fixed-action patterns, mental shortcuts, automatic compliance
People often respond to a single trigger feature automatically, without weighing the full information.
Click, whirr is Dr. Cialdini's phrase in Influence for automatic behaviour: a single feature of a situation triggers a response, as if a tape clicks on and whirrs through its programme. The shortcuts usually serve us well in a crowded world, which is exactly why the principles of persuasion work, and why the shortcuts can be exploited.
Giving a reason with every request, even a routine one, and noticing when you are being given a reason that does not actually say anything.
Understanding automatic responses is as much about defence as persuasion. Give real reasons, and slow down when a request relies on a trigger rather than on its merits.
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
Agreeing to a small request makes people more likely to agree to a larger, related one later.
Door-in-the-Face Technique
A large request that is refused, followed by a smaller one, makes the smaller one more likely to be accepted.
Low-Ball Technique
Once people commit to a decision, they tend to stick with it even after its cost rises.
Know the terms. Now measure your own influence.
The Influence Assessment shows which of the seven principles you already use well, and which one is costing you.