Information Availability as a Determinant of Multiple Request Effectiveness

Marketing strategists often use two multiple request techniques to influence buyers' behavior. One technique, termed "foot-in-the-door," involves asking people to comply with a critical large request after they have complied with a small request.' The other technique, "door-in-the-face," involves asking people to comply with a critical small request after they have rejected a large request. The use of these techniques is based on the belief that compliance is greater in response to multiple requests than it is in response to a critical request alone. Although some support for this belief is found in the literature (e.g., Allen, Schewe, and Wijk 1980; Scott 1976), it is also apparent that multiple requests can un-