18/09/2025
Getting people to say yes to a big request by asking for something small at first
In 1966 two Stanford psychologists knocked on doors in asking people to put huge ugly billboards in their front yards.
Only 17% said yes.
Then they tried something different and persuaded 76% to say yes.
Jonathan Freedman and Scott Fraser show up at your door with a photo of a huge "DRIVE CAREFULLY" sign.
It's poorly made, takes over your entire front yard and honestly looks terrible.
They want to install it for free (as volunteers for a safety campaign).
You'd probably say no right?
That's exactly what 83% of homeowners did, but Freedman and Fraser weren't done yet.
They had a theory about human psychology they wanted to test.
Two weeks before approaching a different group of houses they sent someone else first.
This person asked for something tiny: "Would you put this 3 inch 'Be a Safe Driver' sticker in your window?"
Almost everyone said yes.
Then 14 days later a completely different person shows up asking about the giant ugly billboard.
Remember these people had never been asked about the big sign before.
What do you think happened?
76% said YES to the giant ugly billboard.
Over 4X more people agreed just because they'd first said yes to a tiny sticker.
Then Freedman and Fraser tried another version to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.
They had people sign a "Keep California Beautiful" petition first (completely different topic).
Then they asked about the Drive Carefully billboard.
48% still said yes despite the 2 requests being unreleated!
So what's happening in our brains here?
Once we take a small action (like putting up a sticker) we start seeing ourselves differently.
✅ "I'm someone who cares about safety."
✅ "I support good causes."
✅ "I help when asked."
This new self image becomes part of our identity.
So when the bigger ask comes we think: "Well I already showed I care about this... saying no now would be inconsistent."
Our brain literally rewires itself to stay consistent with past actions.
This discovery created what we now call the "Foot in the Door Technique."
And it's EVERYWHERE in modern marketing:
💰 Free trials before paid subscriptions
💰 Email signups before sales pitches
💰 Small deposits before full payments
💰 Quizzes before course offers
💰 Samples before purchases
Every smart business uses this principle because once someone takes that first tiny step they're psychologically primed to take bigger ones.
The data proves it works across all industries.
Want to implement this strategy in your business tomorrow?
Here's exactly how:
1️⃣ Identify your big ask (the sale/signup/action you really want).
2️⃣ Create a tiny related ask that provides value (quiz/calculator/free resource).
3️⃣ Make the small ask almost impossible to refuse (remove all friction).
4️⃣ Wait at least 48 hours before the big ask (let the identity shift happen).
5️⃣ Frame your big ask as consistent with their small action ("Since you downloaded X you'll love Y").
P.S. Comment "Brain Hacks" for a free sheet with 81 of the most powerful cognitive biases you can start using in your marketing today to increase sales!
