The Idea
Micro-commitments are reference in the book Influence: The Power of Persuasion. The basic psychology is that people:
- Like taking small steps before big ones
- Want to see themselves as consistent in their actions
- Desire what they can’t have
- Focus more on tough challenges
This goes a long way in understanding why email marketing “sequences” work or why salespeople want to get a lead into a meeting before a sale.
In general, each commitment presents some sort of reward that a customer can only attain once they’ve committed. From there the commitments are escalated and both trust and consistent behavior is established.
Example Commitments
- Scheduling a call or meeting
- Getting a potential customer to say “yes”
- A free or paid trial period
- Collecting an email or contact details
- Pre-qualifying customers with a form
- Ask for social “like” or “share”
Example Benefits
- Educational content
- Free stuff
- Membership
- Consultations
- Contest participation
- Points or credits
Metrics
- Ease: Doable
- Cost: Free
- Scope: Medium
- Speed: Slow
- Reach: Global
