Persuasion: Commitment/Consistency

This is the 2nd in a series of 6 posts from a book review of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive.

Commitment/Consistency: Researcher Anthony Greenwald discovered that when people are asked whether they will engage in socially desirable behavior (such as, “Will you vote?”), they usually answer “yes.” Those people who answer yes tend to live up to their promise (remain consistent with their previous commitment) at much higher rates than those never asked. For example at one restaurant (where people notoriously are no shows despite reservations), one manager changed his request from "Please call if you have to cancel" to a direct question: "will you please call if you have to cancel?" People always answered "yes." Just by asking the question and getting people to answer yes, which they are compelled to in such socially desirable situations, the manager dropped his no-show rate from 30% to 10%--a huge revenue booster to be sure. Do you read leadership books?
If so, check out The Journey of the Accidental Leader on Amazon!