Ten years ago I was in Prague with a group of college classmates. We were walking down the main drag and saw a huge crowd of people trying to get into the Hard Rock Cafe. Something big was going on, so we joined the crowd. After asking about the reason for the overwhelming mania, a young Czech woman turned to us with tremendous excitement.
You could hear our groans a mile away. We couldn’t get out of that crowd fast enough.
Our reactions up to that moment were evidence of the social proof theory, which Robert Cialdini talks about in his book “Influence.” Essentially, people will do what others do because they deem the behavior of others as appropriate or better informed.
In your research retention work, this phenomenon can help you. The next time you’re reminding your client about their follow-up appointment, tell them how many people have already come in for their follow-up appointment. Better yet, tell them how many people answered some questions and received _______ for their time.
What do you think? Social proof, Hasselhoff or otherwise…
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