Low-Ball Technique
Also called lowballing, commitment then cost
Once people commit to a decision, they tend to stick with it even after its cost rises.
The low-ball technique secures a commitment on attractive terms, then changes the terms after the decision is made. People who have committed often keep to the decision anyway, because they have generated their own reasons for it and those reasons survive the change.
The research explains why a changed price or deadline after agreement so often goes unchallenged, which is exactly why it is a technique to recognise and resist.
This is one of the techniques Dr. Cialdini describes chiefly so people can defend themselves against it. Changing the terms after a commitment is a misuse of consistency, not an application of it.
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.