The Consistency Principle

Good morning,

Have you ever wondered why it felt so wrong to not reply to a text or email in a timely manner? Or why you needed to attend a social event because you initially said you would (but ultimately didn’t want to go out when the time came around)? Humans crave predictability and consistency. Today we’re discussing how you can ethically leverage this need for consistency while still doing the right thing for your customers. Let’s dive in.

In 2004, US presidential candidate John Kerry was labeled a “flip-flopper.” On one hand, Kerry  criticized the ongoing war in Iraq. On the other, he voted to spend billions of dollars to continue additional military operations in Iraq. This became a part of his brand and was likely a factor in him losing the election. 

Your consistency builds trust and confidence others have in you as a leader, friend, partner, and salesperson. 

In accounting, The Consistency Principle states that businesses should maintain the same methods and principles throughout accounting periods. This enables users of financial statements to make meaningful conclusions and comparisons between companies. Expanding outside of accounting: Our society deeply values consistency as a way to distinguish trustworthiness and dependability from one person to the next. 

Here’s why this matters to you and your clients: In behavioral psychology, the Consistency Principle is a shortcut that saves us mental time and energy. People don’t want to re-evaluate a mountain of evidence over and over to determine if they should trust someone, so they make assumptions and form beliefs. 

So how can this help you as a seller?

Step 1:

Do your due diligence and research. Insure your recommendation is valuable for your clients and their business. Ignoring this step will undoubtedly cost you in the long run.
Step 2:

Tap into the Consistency Principle to influence outcomes because the desire to be consistent is deeply ingrained in all of us— your clients included. This works best when commitments made are:

• Public: The more public, the better. The more internal client stakeholders witnessing the commitment, the better.

• Effortful: Buyers are more likely to commit when they’ve personally invested time or energy into the process (while still feeling supported every step of the way).

• Written: People live up to what they write down.

• Internally motivated: The commitment needs to be viewed as freely chosen by the client. 

Next time you’re in-person with a customer, ask them to define the next steps. If they miss the mark, of course, be their guide. Ask them to join you at the whiteboard to write down the next steps. Follow up via email with their co-workers cc’d and say something along the lines of “Below are the next steps you outlined in our last meeting.”

People who write down their goals are between 20% to 40% more likely to accomplish their goals than those who don’t write them down (source). Sure, a major driver here is that writing goals down is a forcing function for clarity, which helps define a path forward. But another part of this is anchored in people wanting to be consistent with themselves; with what they wrote down.