The Champfrogs Checklist: Honor

2 October 2013

Posted in Change Management tags champfrogs, checklist, consistency, honor, influence, persuasion, repayment

People prefer to repay their debts, and to show consistent behavior. It is the honorable thing.

I call myself a writer. I publish most of my work for free. The book I’m writing now? You can already download each chapter, at no cost to you. It is called the freemium model. You give away things for free, and then lure people in with extra services. The software industry knows all about it. My mother as well. It is based on the insight that most people have a desire to pay back their debts.

Have any of you ever declined an offer for a free drink from a stranger, or a free sample of cheese in a supermarket, or free access to yet another productivity tool, because accepting the offer would make you feel uncomfortable? Exactly! We decline because we don’t want to be in a state of obligation. People usually feel obligated to the repayment of favors, gifts, and invitations. It is the honorable thing.

Another insight from social research is that people desire to be consistent. When I can get your commitment on something very small, I set the stage for your almost automatic commitment on anything else that follows. Once you have agreed to a small request, there’s a good chance you will also agree to a bigger request later. People hate to be seen as flip-floppers. They will do a lot just to be consistent in their own behavior. Again, it is the honorable thing.

Repayment & Consistency

Repayment and consistency can be used effectively to gain your fellow worker’s compliance. You will get a positive response to a request that normally would have been refused, if it wasn’t for the desire of not owing you or not flip-flopping. You can get a “yes” even from people who don’t even like you! First, you should do them a small favor that has a good chance of being accepted. Second, you ask them for a very small favor in return (repayment). Third, you subsequently ask them for a slightly bigger favor (consistency). Et voilà, now they’re hooked on you!

As creative networkers, we ask ourselves:

What Small Things Do We Give and Ask?

This is quite useful advice, isn’t it? Why don’t you download these free articles I wrote for you? In the meantime I’m enjoying a free Wi-Fi hotspot, but I did order a coffee along with it, or else I would have felt guilty. Which is of course exactly what they wanted.

Also read:

(image: Erin Pettigrew)

This is part 2 of a 10-part series about the Champfrogs Checklist, a simple tool for change agents to match their ideas for change with people’s intrinsic motivation and desires. The full checklist consists of Curiosity, Honor, Acceptance, Mastery, Power, Freedom, Relatedness, Order, Goal, and Status. The Champfrogs Checklist article is available for download via the Management Workout mailing list.