Ask a Small Favor to Win a Bigger One

Magnificent Publications specializes in persuasive publications. We just read an excellent book on the subject, Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion, so far distributed only in the United Kingdom. Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing some of its insights with you.

Have a big request to make of your audience? Make a small one first and then wait a few weeks. It may sound counterintuitive, but a person who has already done one small thing for you is much more likely to do something bigger than someone you haven’t tapped before.

Imagine that your house is situated in a wealthy, picturesque community… Imagine further that one day someone from the local Road Traffic Safety Committee knocks on your door and asks whether you’d be willing to … plac[e] a large sign measuring 6 feet by 3 feet and stating ‘DRIVE CAREFULLY’ on your front lawn.

How many people do you think would agree to such a request? According to an experiment conducted by social psychologists Jonathan Freeman and Scott Fraser, 17 per cent…

A different research assistant approached [a] separate group of residents … and asked them whether they’d be willing to display a very small, relatively inconspicuous sign in their window that read ‘BE A SAFE DRIVER.’ Because it was such a small request, almost all these residents agreed. Two weeks later, when someone else came to their home and asked them whether they’d be willing to place that unsightly billboard on their otherwise perfect lawn, [76 per cent agreed.]

The reason? After performing a small service, a member of your audience comes to see him- or herself as aligned with you—a supporter of your cause, a customer, an ally. He or she is therefore much more likely to put forth greater effort on your behalf than if you’d asked for that big sale, donation, or time commitment cold. In fact, research cited by the authors shows that when people do a favor for someone, they begin to think of the recipient more positively.