The Foot-in-the-Door Method is a tactic that many salespeople used in the past. Curious, three psychologists decided to experiment it by doing door-to-door fundraising.
I remember back in the late 90s, there were always door-to-door salespeople coming to my house.
They would advertise knives, books, or even services.
There was this one time… I was maybe 11 or 12 years old… this lady came knocking on my door asking if I wanted to buy children’s encyclopedias.
Now, if you don’t know what these are, they’re basically sets of textbooks with a bunch of information in them.
It’s like Wikipedia, but in textbook form and written by (actual) professors and professionals.
Since I was just a kid, I said yes.
She asked if she can talk to my parents and I said sure and went to grab them. My parents came over and, instead of kicking her out, asked her to sit down.
Right at this moment, she probably felt that she was going to for sure make a sale.
And she rightfully should have, because according to the foot-in-the-door theory, this is an indication that the customer is willing to buy.
This psychological theory says that people are more willing to agree to a larger request if they first agree to a smaller one.
The Foot-in-the-Door Method
In 1983, Joseph Schwarzwald, Aharon Bizman, and Moshe Raz did an experiment to test the validity of the foot-in-the-door method.
To do this, they set up a door-to-door fundraising plot. They created two groups of subjects:
- People that they asked to sign a petition before asking for a donation (uncontrolled)
- People that they straight up asked for a donation (controlled)
For the uncontrolled group, they would go door-to-door and ask people to sign a petition.
Two weeks later, they would return and ask those same people to make a contribution or a donation.
As for the controlled group, they would go door-to-door and ask people for donations without first asking them to sign a petition.
When they tallied up their results, the researchers found out that the uncontrolled group, the ones who essentially allowed a foot in the door, donated more than the other group.
The amount that they donated was also more than the controlled group.
However, the finding of people making larger donations or giving more is mixed.
Different studies have found different outcomes.
How the Foot-in-the-Door Method is Used in Marketing
This situation is something that is very common, especially in online retailers.
Have you ever noticed how when you add something to your shopping cart, the site always recommends to you bundles or other products that compliment your initial product?
This is the foot-in-the-door method at work.
Since you already added something to your cart (foot-in-the-door), why not pay a little more to make your experience better (larger request)?
I see this all the time.
This method is also implemented when salespeople recommend warranties. The warranty for your item would be the larger request.
Conclusion
Oh, I forgot to finish my story from earlier. If you remember, my parents had invited the saleslady in and offered her a seat.
In her mind, she was probably patting herself on the back.
But unfortunately, I didn’t actually want the books (nor did my parents). I was just being a brat and wanted to waste money.
My parents caught it though and apologized to her.
Anyway, do you have any experience with the foot-in-the-door method? Share it below in the comments.