That's Not All

When I was buying a laptop, the salesman after he had found out that I was interested in a certain computer, immediately began complimenting my choice and spoke positively about the laptop. He then quickly offered a case for the laptop and anti-virus software that I would receive for free if I purchased the computer. With these incentives I bought the laptop that day.

In this situation, the salesman utilised flattery and the ‘that’s not all’ technique in order to make me more compliant to buy from the store. Chan & Sengupta (2010) found that flattery; even insincere flattery can have a positive lasting effect.  

Burger (1986) found that in seven experiments with 426 adolescents, undergraduates, and adults were conducted to examine the effectiveness of a compliance procedure known as the that’s -not-all technique. The procedure involves offering a product at a high price, not allowing the customer to respond for a few seconds, then offering a better deal by either adding another product or lowering the price. Experiments I–II demonstrated the effectiveness of this procedure over a control group that was given the better deal initially. Experiments III–IV suggested that this effectiveness may be partially explained through a norm of reciprocity that calls for the customer to respond to the seller's new offer. Experiment V suggested that the effect also results from an altering of the anchor point participants use to judge the new price. Experiment VI indicated the effectiveness of the procedure cannot be explained by the participant perceiving the lower price as a bargain. Experiment VII, which examined the differences between the that’s not all technique and the door-in-the-face procedures, implied that the former technique is more effective than the latter. Overall findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the that’s -not-all technique.

Through the utilisation of such techniques, the salesperson influenced me to commit to a certain laptop and then offered incentives to make sure I stuck with that choice and went on to pay for it.

Burger, J. M. (1986). Increasing compliance by improving the deal: The that's-not-all technique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(2), 277-283.

Chan, E., & Sengupta, J. (2010). Insincere flattery actually works: A dual attitudes perspective. Journal of Marketing Research, 47, 122–133.