How salesmen trick you with contrast and concession

Having overspent on groceries the last time, this time you make a list – and you intend to stick to it. You walk into supermarket, pull out the grocery list, and pick up the first item on it. When you notice a croissant on sale in aisle 3, you ignore it – you’re more prepared now!

At some point you tick most of your items off and decide you’ve done a good job. In fact, you deserve a little reward. A few minutes later, as the cashier punches the total amount on the screen, and WTF! How’s it still so high? Hey, at least you did better than the last time…

This is called contrast and concession, which Robert Cialdini, best-selling author of the modern classic “Psychology of Influence”, named a weapon of (mass) influence.

Don’t worry, I’ll spare you the nitty gritty of the topic and how the principle works, but do yourself a favour and read the book at some point. You won’t regret it.

What I’ll try to do, instead, is to give you a list of relevant examples from the car industry so you can be armed to the teeth with this bit of street knowledge and protect yourself from those greedy salespeople!

Don’t be fooled by those ‘add-ons’!

Common contrast and concession manipulation tactics in the car industry include these “optional” add-ons: rust-proofing, extra luxurious leather upholstery, extended car service warranty, additional loudspeakers, and extra power for the engine.

Because those features seem insignificant in comparison to the price of the car, you wouldn’t make much fuss about them. After all, you’ve already spent a fortune on said car, right?

There are two ways to defend yourself against such manipulation tactics. The first is to simply never forget about the contrast and contradiction principle, aka stick to the grocery list. Easier said than done, I know, but hey with practice and time, it’ll become second nature to you.

The second way is to frame contrast differently. If you don’t spend that money on rust-proofing, what could you buy instead? A small TV, a few dozen top ups at the fuel station?

Oh, and you may want to watch out for these 5 horrendous mods that are definitely a waste of money.

Wanna see more tips and tricks for your car? Check out our page!

One more thing. Not all dodgy salespeople work like this.