Describe the foot-in-the-door technique and give a brief example.

The foot-in-the-door technique is based on the observation that a consumer is more likely to comply with a request if he or she has first agreed to comply with a smaller request. The name for this technique comes from the practice of door-to-door selling, wherein a salesperson was taught to plant his or her foot in a door so that the prospect could not slam it shut. A good salesperson knows that he or she is more likely to get an order if the customer can be persuaded to open the door and talk. By agreeing to do so, the customer has established a willingness to listen to the salesperson. Placing an order is consistent with this self-perception. This technique is especially useful for inducing consumers to answer surveys or to donate money to charity. Such factors as the time lag between the first and second requests, the similarity between the two requests, and whether the same person makes both requests have been found to influence the effectiveness of this technique.