Glossary · Reciprocity
That's-Not-All Technique
Want to know how the That's-Not-All Technique works? Whether you want to use it in your own requests, or spot it when someone uses it on you, you're in the right place.
You'll find the definition, the published study behind it, and ideas for how to use it ethically.
Also called that's not all, improving the deal.
The definition
What is the That's-Not-All Technique?
It is built on reciprocity, one of the seven principles of influence Dr. Robert Cialdini identified in more than 40 years of research.
Adding something to an offer before the person has responded makes them more likely to accept it.
People take the Influence Assessment to learn which principles they lean on, and where they lose people.
Here is how it works:
The that's-not-all technique improves an offer, by adding an item or lowering the price, before the person has had the chance to say no. The improvement feels like a concession made to them, which invites reciprocity, and it sets the final offer against the less attractive one that came first.
The study behind it
The bake sale
Burger, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986
Jerry Burger ran a bake sale. When customers were told the price of a cupcake and then, before they could answer, that the price included two cookies, more of them bought than when the cupcake and cookies were presented together as a package from the start. The goods and the price were identical; only the order of the offer changed.
Where you'll see it
How to recognize the That's-Not-All Technique.
Spotting it, in your own requests and in other people's, starts with knowing where it tends to show up.
You'll see it in: A bonus announced after the main offer, an upgrade included before the customer decides, a discount applied during the conversation rather than printed up front.
How to use it
How to use the That's-Not-All Technique ethically.
Here is how to use it ethically:
The addition should be real value. Inflating a base price so that a 'bonus' can be announced is a deception, not a concession.
Learn it in depth. The Cialdini Method gives reciprocity a full module, online and at your own pace.
For your role
If you use reciprocity in your work.
Reciprocity works differently depending on who uses it and what is at stake. Pick your role to see how.
Discover more
Find out where you stand on reciprocity.
How strongly do you use reciprocity?
Take the free Influence Assessment to see which of the seven you lean on and where you lose people. Your result is free; the full report is $49.