Comments on: Increasing Sales Through Scarcity – Is It a Scam?

By: sakura

sakura — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:35:35 +0000

Scarcity is powerful, but the most important tactic any salesman can use in any market is to really believe in his product and be completely honest. If I want to buy something that is very hard to find and that means that stores will sell it at a bigger price when they have it I prefer to go and buy something else although it will not perform the same.

By: Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder

Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:18:30 +0000

Y’know, you could always sell it on Ebay and get most of your money back to put towards another game….
.-= Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder´s last blog ..Imagine Slowing Down and Getting More Done =-.

By: James

James — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:03:42 +0000

@ John – Unfortunately, we *all* fall for these things. The psychology is so very basic that if it’s not one particular item that gets us, another will. The pull is irresistible, with the right recipe.

As for your question, yes, I do think I would’ve played another game more and longer had it been a thought-out informed choice based on my desire and not pressure tactics.

However, I still gloat when someone mentions they don’t have Mario Kart – and I do

(We’ll not mention the fact that Mario Kart also makes me incredibly carsick – I can do exactly 6.5 minutes before I have to stop from queasiness.)

By: john

john — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:48:51 +0000

I don’t fall for those things. If I want to buy something that is very hard to find and that means that stores will sell it at a bigger price when they have it I prefer to go and buy something else although it will not perform the same.

@James: You waited so long to buy Mario Kart and after that you played it just 2 times. I wonder what would have happened if you would have bought another game. I guess you would have played it more than twice, why, because wanting something very badly and not to be able to have it makes us loose our appetite about that thing. When I bought my first car I was very anxious to be able to go everywhere I want in a short time, and a short time after I bought it I realized I don’t need it that much and thought about selling it. The fact is that the things we desire so much are not necessary the things we really need.

By: Creating Skepticism Through Relationship Building | Men With Pens

Creating Skepticism Through Relationship Building | Men With Pens — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:00:34 +0000

[...] no easy way to tell if people are helping you or selling you, either. Everyone seems to have a hidden agenda. Everyone seems to want to make money off you. Everyone wants something from you. You’re just [...]

By: Bill Purkins

Bill Purkins — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:54:28 +0000

In this golden age of technology, scarcity is a rarity nowadays as only bandwidth matters for some intellectual products. We need to rework our conception of supply and demand. I predict a resurgence and throwback to live musical performances and acoustic music as a rebellion against the electronic age of music.

By: Nathan Hangen

Nathan Hangen — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:49:58 +0000

you know, I don’t really worry about it when buying offline. I got a WII, even though I was angry about the “production issues,” and I’ve purchased a lot of other things that were in limited supply.

The only issue I take is on the internet when people use fake numbers or signals (when the red light goes on, we’re all sold out) to induce scarcity. Hell, its an ebook for crying out loud.

I understand the whole “first 50-100 at a discount” but I don’t like it much. The problem is that it works.

By: James

James — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:33:54 +0000

Hey Lucia – thanks for that. I’ll check it out for sure.

By: Lucia Pinizotti

Lucia Pinizotti — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:19:27 +0000

James, great post. It’s amazing to me, how Cialdini’s (psychological consumerist quirk) social research into these very points (to name just a few) has been unknown to a vast majority of professional ‘persuaders’ out there. Anyone wanting an insiders edge to understanding the unconscious social factors that drive our behavior really must read this book. For all you that already Cialdini fans, check out his latest co-authored book. Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive The book is layed out chapter by chapter as an easy to read summarization of a research into how people act on unconscious triggers in their decision making process… not the least of which is, you guessed it: scarcity!

By: Andy with network marketing

Andy with network marketing — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:09:29 +0000

I think De Beers was the diamond company that really hit the jackpot with their marketing of diamonds. Before them diamonds were really not a very big seller especially for the average person. The company then used purchase of scarce diamonds as a show of good faith in marriage. "An indestructible item to prove my ever lasting love for you," or something like that. Then they had another marketing aha moment. DeBeers started a marketing campaign based on the idea that a wedding ring's cost should equal two month's wages of the groom. When a guy wants to get married he sure isn't going to tell his bride that she is only worth one month's wages. Debeers instantly increases their margins because they are selling rings of twice the price. Sure diamonds are scarce but they really aren't worth much except as industrial cutters. I'm not a romantic at heart as you can tell. Andy with network marketing´s last blog post...Network Marketing Leads To Build Your Business