Physiological Trigger #1: Scarcity

This is the ultimate motivating factor and despite the fact that I am making you aware of this psychological trigger, you are not exempt from falling victim to it.

This trigger will get anyone off their ass fast and when combined with the urgency trigger, they get off their asses faster.

I mentioned earlier when I introduced the SWING Method that people are motivated by the fear of loss and the desire to gain. These are derivatives of the feelings pleasure and pain. You associate all of your gains as something that is positive, you're at your happiest. We love our gains. Conversely, we associate pain with negative things. We all hate pain and it's our nature to try to avoid it.

Listen closely. What I'm about to explain to you next will be life changing. If you're in business, you can increase your cash flow. If you're a parent, you can get your kids to comply. I'll stress this again. Do not use this trigger to manipulate other people. This trigger works, but it works more effectively when you make an offer that has tremendous value to your target.

No McDonald's for you

My son Keenan has been 6 years old for the last 8 years. He's short for his age. He's about 4 feet but what do you expect when his parents are short? He has a short attention span and it is extremely difficult for him to focus on one thing for more than 3 minutes.

Common with all boys his age and a nightmare for all parents, he has too many toys and they're all over the floor at once.

Round one. I simply tell him to pick up his toys. It worked. He picked up Sponge Bob and a few cars he hardly ever plays with but then he picks up his Ironman toy and zones out again. I can relate to this because when I was about his age, I zoned out all the time but back to my story. I repeat my instructions again but it was the repeat of the previous but this time it was Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that put him in the zone again.

Round two. It was obvious that my first method of persuading him to comply with my request was ineffective. What could I possibly do to get him to focus on what I wanted him to do? "Ahhhh," it hit me. I remembered he liked McDonald's. There's nothing like a reward for doing something and besides, I needed a reason to eat bad. "Keenan. Pick up your toys and I'll take you to McDonald's," I said. Yep. The bells rang and he was well on his way picking up toys. I left the room and checked on him 5 minutes later. What happened to my reward strategy? He picked up a few more pieces and put them away, but when he got to his toy bucket, he found other toys that he liked and neglected to spread across the floor. You guessed it, they were across the floor and I was in no better position than when I asked him to pick up his toys at the beginning.

I was raised on lashes from a wet dish cloth, drop cords, a variety of belts and Alice's favorite, the tamarind switch. Cut ass, in the Bahamian vernacular, made me a better person...I think or at least I hope. The pain from my mother's whippings was short lived and I was back to doing the same thing that got me the cut ass to begin with. It was pointless and I was not about to repeat the same pointless act on my son. What could I possibly do? I found the answer by the way. I must admit that it was an accident but when I realized what I had uncovered, it was the best accident ever.

Round three of our saga. Didn't he remember I'd take him to Mickey D's for picking up his toys? What's wrong with this kid? In a stern voice I said, "Boy! Pick up these toys I'm going to McDonald's now and I'm leaving you." That was the fastest I had ever seen him move, and distraction free too.

What was different about it this time? Was it the stern voice? It wasn't. It was simply a subtle difference in words. When he realized that he would gain for complying with my request, he was in a comfort zone. Conversely, when he realized that if he didn't pick up the toys, he would miss out on a chance to get his Happy Meal. This was my greatest discovery, or at least one of them. I'll tell you the other in a few. Was this a coincidence? No it wasn't? I tried my give and take technique with several targets and in several different scenarios. It was 90% effective. The following scenarios will simplify this technique even more.

Bleach is better than butter!

There was a whole lot of commotion and traffic at Super Value on a Wednesday and that was odd. It didn't bother Keisha and Jerry. They were minding their own business, simply pushing their trolley with the one wheel that had its own sense of direction. They had 90% of the items on their list in the trolley and was just about done. "We need butter," Keisha said. Jerry saw the frenzy ahead. They would have to pass the cleaning items aisle to get to the dairy section. He wanted to pick up the cheap butter so they can make a quick exit. The games were about to come on in about 30 minutes and the Dolphins were playing. He decided to dash ahead of Keisha to get it and to avoid the high traffic area but secretly, he wanted to see what the commotion was all about. Typical nosey Bahamian.

He got closer to the chaos. "I'm bringing out some more right now," the stock-man assured the crowd. A few ladies walked away hauling several bottles of Clorox bleach. "Bleach!? What's so special about expensive Clorox bleach?" he asked. Back to his original mission, the cheap butter.

With the butter in hand, he made his way back to find Keisha only to meet the same frenzy. It was then that he really got what was happening. Now we all know Clorox bleach is really good for a variety of purposes. It normally costs about seven bucks a gallon and now, with the PLP government's VAT, it probably costs about eight bucks or more.

He didn't notice the sign the first time because of the small mob gathered. It was an irresistible offer. I'll tell you what the sign read in a minute but do you remember earlier when I mentioned that to get the best out of this trigger, there must be tremendous value? It caught his attention because he knew the value of the Bleach. "1 Gallon Clorox Bleach $2." This caught his attention. But this was only the first half of the sign. "You jackass!" a lady screamed out. The second half of the sign caused him to smash a lady's toe and caused an elderly man to almost tip over as he unapologetically fought through the frenzy to get to the front. Was bleach that serious? It was a good offer but what fueled his desire was that the $2 offer was valid for 10 minutes only and he had about 2 minutes left before the special offer went away. There was a countdown timer next to the display. This is the urgency factor.

"We always want more of the things we can have less of."

—Robert Cialdini

Bleach was definitely not on the list and Clorox wasn't the brand that Jerry and Keisha would normally purchase. It was simply not in their budget. However, Jerry, now feeling victorious, had two hands but six gallons of bleach in them as he battled his way out of the mob but this time more carefully since he already had what he wanted. But wait! Remember Jerry had a block of butter in his hand. The butter was not important anymore. He secretly dropped it in some unsuspecting lady's shopping basket while he was forcing his way in. He needed both hands to haul away as many of the bleach as possible.

Now Jerry and Keisha are fictitious characters that I made up about six minutes and thirty two seconds ago. However, their story is relevant. 90% of all purchasing decisions are emotional and we tend to justify these decisions later to ourselves and others with logic. Imagine Jerry explaining why he returned without the butter to Keisha. What do you think he'd say?

Increase Sales Using Scarcity!

You may think the smartest and most conventional thing to do as a sales manager is to show customers how much they save. Everybody does it right? But how effective is it? It's really hard to determine. I mentioned this earlier how a subtle change can make a big difference. Let's put this to the test and be honest with yourself. Which of the following are you more compelled to move toward.

Shop and save up to $20-$35 every time you shop at Budget Meats. We have the best meat specials

You're losing $20-$35 every time you shop anyplace else other than Budget Meats. We have the best meat specials

People respond in your favor by telling them what they're missing out on rather than telling them what benefits they stand to gain... because loss looms larger than gains. What's more powerful is a combination of both to enhance the value.

The Comfort Zone!

Stacy's life is perfect...well at least almost. What would make her life just perfect would be for the DNA to win the 2017 elections. She really loves the wonderful things that Bran McCartney is doing. Before I go any further, let me remind you that I do not endorse any of the businesses, brands, politicians and political parties mentioned in this manual.

She loves her job. She's in sales and does well as a Brand Ambassador at BizBlast242.com. She earns roughly about $5,000 per month as the top Brand Ambassador. She has a beautiful white house in the Winton area and four more years left on her mortgage. Her two kids Jenny who is seven and Tyrone Jr. who is nine, are on the honor roll at St. Andrews school where she has no trouble paying their tuition.

So by now you're beginning to learn my writing style. It's coming, the part where I introduce the conflict. I won't keep you waiting much longer. Let me tell you a bit more about Stacy first. She is in a comfort zone. She loves her life and the things her money can buy. It's amazing how money gives you so many options. She receives regular salary increments at one year intervals. She's happy with her gains because their acquisition is predictable.

Now for the conflict. Things got rough at work. Let's blame the economy again. Her boss was not in favor of downsizing. His staff was top notch. It took a while to develop his dream team and he hated the idea of losing any of them. He knew things would pick up eventually. His only option was to reduce work hours. He called everyone in his office one on one to break the news.

Stacy was his best, she made more sales than the other four Brand Ambassadors combined. He restricted her hours the least. So how bad did things really get? Even though her hours were restricted the least, her take home pay would be $1,500 a month. This reality, one which placed her back against the wall, helped to transform her into a completely different person. She had adjusted her lifestyle to her salary of $5,000 per month. $1,500 seriously!? That barley covered her mortgage and the fear of foreclosure frightened her.

All the years of prompt monthly payments now threatened. It's clear she would have to find alternative sources of income. The inspiration of desperation caused her to develop a fire like never before. She risked losing the lavish lifestyle she lived. She risked losing the many options a $5,000 per month salary gave her. Her kids may suffer the embarrassment of having to leave their private school, no more expensive restaurants, things could really take a turn for the worse. She immediately began brainstorming on ways she could make more money, things she can sell, services that she can offer so that she could maintain her lifestyle. When her gains were in no danger, she lived in a comfort zone. Now, she's on edge. Do you see the clear difference in these motivating factors yet? Fear of loss wins!

There are hundreds of examples that I can give you. I'll leave you with three and the desire to explore this concept and find your own creative ways to incorporate scarcity in your requests and offers to gain compliance.

Key Points, More Examples

1. The emotions of pain and pleasure are two of the most powerful. People prefer not to experience pain but enjoy pleasure. People tend to avoid painful experiences. Loss is associated with pain. To move people, show them how they lose.
2. There has to be value or perceived value. What's the benefit in a bag of manure? How is this valuable to me? Why should I care if this smelly bag of crap is for a limited time? I wish it was gone now. What if one scoop of this limited time bag of crap can nourish your entire garden? It makes your grass greener, reduces weed growth, saves water and will make you the envy of all your neighbors for years to come. Do you get where I'm going with this?
3. I like the offer, your limited time offer but I am sure I can get it before it expires. Okay. You got their attention so now what? What about the specifics. They see the value in the offer but there is no rush. Make it urgent. There is no point in making an offer if you don't want almost instant compliance. Do you think people would love your offer so much that they go home and sleep on it? The old adage is true. Out of sight, out of mind. It's like saying, "Our 70% off sale ends this week compared to our 70% off sale ends Friday at 3 p.m." Make it urgent!