Door-in-the-Face Technique
Also called door in the face, rejection-then-retreat, reciprocal concessions
A large request that is refused, followed by a smaller one, makes the smaller one more likely to be accepted.
The door-in-the-face technique opens with a large request that is likely to be refused, then retreats to the smaller request that was intended all along. The retreat reads as a concession, and the rule of reciprocity obliges the other person to concede in return, usually by agreeing to the smaller request.
Negotiations that open with an ambitious proposal, fundraising that asks for a larger gift before a smaller one, pricing that presents a premium tier first.
The first request must be genuine. Inventing an outrageous opening purely so the real ask looks reasonable turns a concession into a trick, and it tends to be spotted.
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.