Hi Don,

Thanks for a great post! That's a fascinating technique which I believe works....

It's a good example of the "scarcity principle". That is, the idea that when something is "scarce", suddenly we value it. We see it as being valuable, and it makes us want it even more!

In the technique you talk about it, the car or house becomes "scarce" because the potential buyer is afraid that the other person will want the car or house instead! That would make it unavailable.... The "threat" that it the opportunity will disappear is there!

One fascinating thing is that the scarcity principle not only works in sales.... It seems to work in relationships too. More on that later.

A great place to read about this is Robert Cialdini's book "Influence". (Get it and read it if you haven't already.)

He's a psychologist at the Arizona State University who's spent most of his professional life studying the "influence" techniques used by successful sales people and others.

A very common use of scarcity to make a sale is the time-limited offer. It forces us to make a decision - since if we don't make a decision now, we may lose the opportunity! As you can see, time-limited offers are widespread - and that's because they work.

There's a fascinating example of the scarcity principle, which Robert Cialdini shares from his own life. It's from his book.

In brief, it explains how a new Mormon Temple was being constructed in his city. There's an inner part of the Mormon Temple that non-Mormons can never see.... There was an exception, though, which was a few days after a new Temple is constructed.

Reading about this in the paper made him want to see it! It was purely due to the scarcity principle - if he didn't see it now, he may never again get the chance! Even though he had no questions about the Mormon religion he wanted answered, and had no interest in Mormon Temples before....

(I've quoted the whole story from his book at the end of this post.)

People also use "scarcity" in relationships....

Perhaps you've heard of playing "hard to get"? That's nothing but scarcity.... Because someone is "hard to get" - that is, "scarce" - it makes someone want him/her even more.

In contrast, when someone seems "easy" - suddenly his or her desirability drops. If she's TOO "available" - suddenly, she doesn't seem as attractive.

For some people, using the scarcity principle is VERY important when it comes to successful courting. Some people seem very good at acting "interested" yet still "unavailable" - which will drive some others crazy with desire.

Anyhow, thanks Don, for raising a fascinating topic (and sharing a helpful technique).....

- Dien

P.S. Here's Robert Cialdini's story (quoted from his book)....

The city of Mesa, Arizona, is a suburb in the Phoenix area where I live. Perhaps the most notable features of Mesa are its sizable Mormon population—next to Salt Lake City, the largest in the world—and a huge Mormon temple located on exquisitely kept grounds in the center of the city. Although I had appreciated the landscaping and architecture from a distance, I had never been interested enough in the temple to go inside, until the day I read a newspaper article that told of a special inner sector of Mormon temples to which no one has access but faithful members of the church. Even potential converts must not see it. There is one exception to the rule, however. For a few days immediately after a temple is newly constructed, nonmembers are allowed to tour the entire structure, including the otherwise restricted section.

The newspaper story reported that the Mesa temple had been recently refurbished and that the renovations had been extensive enough to classify it as "new" by church standards. Thus, for the next several days only, non-Mormon visitors could see the temple area traditionally banned to them. I remember quite well the effect this article had on me: I immediately resolved to take a tour. But when I phoned a friend to ask if he wanted to come along, I came to understand something that changed my decision just as quickly.

After declining the invitation, my friend wondered why I seemed so intent on a visit. I was forced to admit that, no, I had never been inclined toward the idea of a temple tour before, that I had no questions about the Mormon religion I wanted answered, that I had no general interest in church architecture, and that I expected to find nothing more spectacular or stirring than what I might see at a number of other churches or cathedrals in the area. It became clear as I spoke that the special lure of the temple had a sole cause: If I did not experience the restricted sector soon, I would never again have the chance. Something that, on its own merits, held little appeal for me had become decidedly more attractive merely because it was rapidly becoming less available.