That's the one where Al Gore travels the world giving his presentation on global warming.

Now, politics aside, the movie gave me a hands-on lesson about the power of commitment, and in this article, I’m going to show you how you can use this power to get your customers to commit to the sale...

You've probably heard of the commitment and consistency principle. Dr. Robert Cialdini explores it in his classic book, "Influence". Simply put, the principle says that when we take a stand on something, we're under tremendous psychological pressure to behave in a manner consistent with that stand.

So what does that have to do with Al Gore, you ask?

Well, I've never been very environmentally conscious. I mean, I used to watch that "Captain Planet" cartoon back when I was a kid, but I digress...

After seeing the movie though, I found myself thinking "Wow, I wonder what I can do to help solve the problem."

More importantly, my roomate provided everyone in the house with re-usable shopping bags so that we didn't have to use plastic ones all the time. Not much, but hey, it was a start.

So fast-forward to a few days later. I check my e-mail and my friend’s sent me a message with a link to a petition from Al Gore to Congress to reduce greenhouse gases.

Now, normally something like that would end up in the "oh, that's really nice, maybe later" folder in my e-mail, never to be seen again.

BUT, because I'd taken an action earlier in the week, even a SMALL one like cutting down on plastic bags, I was psychologically compelled to stay consistent. So I clicked on the link and signed the petition (even though the deadline to sign had already passed).

So what does this have to do with getting customers to buy, you ask?

You've probably heard of the commitment and consistency principle. Dr. Robert Cialdini explores it in his classic book, "Influence". Simply put, the principle says that when we take a stand on something, we're under tremendous psychological pressure to behave in a manner consistent with that stand.

So what does that have to do with Al Gore, you ask?

Well, I've never been very environmentally conscious. I mean, I used to watch that "Captain Planet" cartoon back when I was a kid, but I digress...

After seeing the movie though, I found myself thinking "Wow, I wonder what I can do to help solve the problem."

More importantly, my roomate provided everyone in the house with re-usable shopping bags so that we didn't have to use plastic ones all the time. Not much, but hey, it was a start.

So fast-forward to a few days later. I check my e-mail and my friend’s sent me a message with a link to a petition from Al Gore to Congress to reduce greenhouse gases.

Now, normally something like that would end up in the "oh, that's really nice, maybe later" folder in my e-mail, never to be seen again.

BUT, because I'd taken an action earlier in the week, even a SMALL one like cutting down on plastic bags, I was psychologically compelled to stay consistent. So I clicked on the link and signed the petition (even though the deadline to sign had already passed).

So what does this have to do with getting customers to buy, you ask?

After seeing the movie though, I found myself thinking "Wow, I wonder what I can do to help solve the problem."

More importantly, my roomate provided everyone in the house with re-usable shopping bags so that we didn't have to use plastic ones all the time. Not much, but hey, it was a start.

So fast-forward to a few days later. I check my e-mail and my friend’s sent me a message with a link to a petition from Al Gore to Congress to reduce greenhouse gases.

Now, normally something like that would end up in the "oh, that's really nice, maybe later" folder in my e-mail, never to be seen again.

BUT, because I'd taken an action earlier in the week, even a SMALL one like cutting down on plastic bags, I was psychologically compelled to stay consistent. So I clicked on the link and signed the petition (even though the deadline to sign had already passed).

So what does this have to do with getting customers to buy, you ask?

So fast-forward to a few days later. I check my e-mail and my friend’s sent me a message with a link to a petition from Al Gore to Congress to reduce greenhouse gases.

Now, normally something like that would end up in the "oh, that's really nice, maybe later" folder in my e-mail, never to be seen again.

BUT, because I'd taken an action earlier in the week, even a SMALL one like cutting down on plastic bags, I was psychologically compelled to stay consistent. So I clicked on the link and signed the petition (even though the deadline to sign had already passed).

So what does this have to do with getting customers to buy, you ask?

BUT, because I'd taken an action earlier in the week, even a SMALL one like cutting down on plastic bags, I was psychologically compelled to stay consistent. So I clicked on the link and signed the petition (even though the deadline to sign had already passed).

So what does this have to do with getting customers to buy, you ask?

A lot, actually.

Because of the commitment and consistency principle, when you get customers to commit or take a stand, they're psychologically COMPELLED to stay consistent with that action (by buying your product, for example).

And here are two things you can do right away to get your customers to commit to the sale.

1. Ask more open-ended questions. You’ve probably heard that the best salespeople ask great questions. But did you know that the more you get your customer to talk about their needs, the more they commit to having a need to be filled (by your product, maybe)?

2. Get them writing. Getting someone to write something down can be a powerful way of getting someone to take a stand. This is why some companies hold contests asking their customers to submit “10 Reasons Why I Like X-Product” essays. The contest winner gets a neat prize, and the company gets a bunch of customers who’ve committed to liking their product!

So, there you have it – the power of commitment. If you're not taking advantage of this powerful principle in your marketing efforts, start today! You'll be glad you did.