Actions that are consistent
Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:19 am
” The request was straightforward, polite, and consistent with what you might hear from any other reservation-based service. 11111 The problem was, it didn’t work. Using this request-based approach, the restaurant was still dealing with a 30 percent no-show rate. So they decided to change their request to a question: “Will you call us if you change your plans?” No-show rates dropped to 10 percent! The reason for this incredible result has to do with cognitive science.
When people are asked a question that they are forced to chile cell phone number list answer, they adopt with their stated positions. This phenomenon stems from people’s intrinsic desire to reduce their cognitive dissonance, the inner conflict they have when it comes to aligning their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. For example, suppose the restaurant asked you if you would call them if your plans change and you responded “yes.” In that case, you are now more likely to identify yourself as someone who honors their reservation commitments and calls if their plans change.
Should your plans indeed change and you consider not calling to cancel the reservation, you are likely to experience a mild identity crisis! Your subconscious desire to reduce your cognitive dissonance will kick in and motivate you to ensure your actions are consistent with your words and identity. This powerful psychological principle is how the restaurant in this story was able to reduce their no-show rates so dramatically. Formulating a Question-Based Pitch What this means is that framing your value proposition in the form of a question that people are forced to answer, even if only in their head, will cause your audience to immediately reconcile their answer with their own belief system.
When people are asked a question that they are forced to chile cell phone number list answer, they adopt with their stated positions. This phenomenon stems from people’s intrinsic desire to reduce their cognitive dissonance, the inner conflict they have when it comes to aligning their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. For example, suppose the restaurant asked you if you would call them if your plans change and you responded “yes.” In that case, you are now more likely to identify yourself as someone who honors their reservation commitments and calls if their plans change.
Should your plans indeed change and you consider not calling to cancel the reservation, you are likely to experience a mild identity crisis! Your subconscious desire to reduce your cognitive dissonance will kick in and motivate you to ensure your actions are consistent with your words and identity. This powerful psychological principle is how the restaurant in this story was able to reduce their no-show rates so dramatically. Formulating a Question-Based Pitch What this means is that framing your value proposition in the form of a question that people are forced to answer, even if only in their head, will cause your audience to immediately reconcile their answer with their own belief system.