How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 201

In another case, social psychologist Steven J. Sherman wanted to see if he
could increase the number of people who would be willing to collect
door-to-door donations for the American Cancer Society. He called a
sample of residents and simply asked them what their response would be
if they were asked to volunteer three hours of their time to collect
charitable donations for the American Cancer Society. Not wanting to
seem uncharitable, many responded that they would indeed volunteer. The
final outcome? When a representative of the American Cancer Society
actually called and asked for volunteers, there was a 700 percent increase
of individuals agreeing to participate.[13]
Using FITD Effectively
When utilizing this technique, you must first determine exactly what end
result you are seeking. This will be the big commitment you ask for. You
should then create several small and simple requests that are related to
your ultimate request, making sure they can be easily satisfied. As the
examples above demonstrate, taking these measures will greatly increase
the likelihood that your ultimate request will be granted.
Here are some more key points to remember in using FITD:
1. The First Request: The first request needs to be "of sufficient size for the
foot-in-the-door technique to work,"[14