Prior to writing his groundbreaking book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, the author, Robert Cialdini went undercover to understand why people say “yes”, and what techniques can increase compliance (getting to yes) with others. His book uncovered six principles of influence. “Scarcity” is one of them.

Scarcity: When something is less available, others will both value and desire it more.

Scarcity is a very useful tool in sales because it helps the customer make a decision sooner.

Your goal is for the customer to be in a state of discomfort so that they make a decision.

A faster decision is always good. A “No”, you can move on quicker. A “Yes” means that you have brought forward your revenue.

Here are some ways to use Scarcity:

1. Quantity based: First you anchor the price at a premium rate. Then you you make a limited offer for the first 20 customers who purchase will be able to get a discount rate in the first two years.

2. Time based: Find an excuse to provide a deadline. End of Financial Year. Prices go up next year. So long as its justifiable you can use almost any excuse.

3. Access to limited resources: Make an expert available to support customers on a limited basis. We all love to feel that we are getting a special deal.