How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 258

[11] "The Beanie Baby Prices Are Insane," U.S. News & World Report, July 28,
1998.
[12]B. Nalebuff and A. Brandenburger, Competition (New York: HarperCollins,
1996), p. 114.
[13]A. Knishinsky, "The Effects of Scarcity of Material and Exclusivity of
Information on Industrial Buyer Perceiver Risk in Provoking a Purchase
Decision," unpublished doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University, 1982.
[14]D. Zellinger, H. Fromkin, D. Speller, and C. A. Kohn, "A Commodity
Theory Analysis of the Effects of Age Restrictions on Pornographic Materials,"
Paper No. 440 (Lafayette, Ind.: Institute for Research in the Behavioral,
Economic and Management Sciences, Purdue University, 1974).
[15]S. Worchel, S. Arnold, and M. Baker, "The Effect of Censorship on Attitude
Change: The Influence of Censor and Communicator Characteristics," Journal of
Applied Social Psychology (1975): 222–239.
[16]D. Broeder, "The University of Chicago Jury Project," Nebraska Law Review
(1959): 744–760.

How to Use the Rule of Scarcity
Sometimes scarcity is necessary to help us make a decision. Most of us
fear the point of making a decision, so we naturally want to put it off and
allow ourselves time to think about it. As a persuader, however, be aware
that when your prospects put off the decision, chances are they won't
make one.
You could have the perfect product for them — something they really
need right now — but if you let them go, they will probably not come
back later and tell you, "Okay, I finally decided. Let's do it." Creating
scarcity helps your prospects make their decision. It also eliminates the
amount of time you waste tracking down prospects who are still
undecided about your product or service. You can create legitimate
scarcity with your product or service without violating your morals.
To create scarcity, be sure you have the following elements firmly in
place:

258