This is a strategy you’ve experienced many times. It’s been used on you. Maybe even today. You also may have used it on other people. But I’d hazard a guess you could be using it far more often than you do.

What is this powerful persuasion tool? Let’s call it “sampling.”

The Mr. Peanut Principle

When I was a child, my family took a trip to the boardwalk in Atlantic City. There, in front of the Planters Store, was a man dressed as Mr. Peanut. He was seven feet tall and freaked me out.

Now, Mr. Peanut was standing there, handing out an item. What item?

He wasn’t handing out a Mr. Peanut t-shirt or a Mr. Peanut beach towel. He wasn’t handing out a white paper extolling the nutritional virtue of peanuts.

No, Mr. Peanut was handing out tiny paper bags, each holding seven roasted cashews. Why?

The reason was simple: Planters figured, if you enjoy these seven cashews, you’re in luck. Inside the store right there are pounds and pounds of the very same item. If you like these seven cashews, you’re going to want to go into the store, because you can buy more in there. If you hate these seven cashews, though, you’d better stay out of the store, because there are pounds and pounds of the same item in there, and you’re going to hate it inside.

To me, the Planters strategy was all about ethical persuasion, because there was no separation between the item for sale and the method used to sell that item. They were one and the same. Before buying the item, you could test the item.

To persuade, you need to give people a free or low-cost sample of the thing itself. Or you need to give something as close as possible to the thing itself.

This is true whether what you’re pitching is a product, a service, or an action you’d like an employee to take. You’ve got to ask yourself, “How can the other person try what I’m suggesting in a small, safe way before they fully commit?”

Why Sampling Works

Why is sampling necessary? It’s because of you. People are scared of you. They don’t trust you. They think you might have a hidden agenda. That, or they think you’re aboveboard, but you’re deluded and can’t deliver on what you say you can deliver. Or, what you’re promising won’t work for them.

A sample knocks down those barriers. For the other person, it removes risk. A sample is an principled way of saying, “Don’t guess. Try it. Then decide.”

Sampling in the Digital Age

When you think about sampling, the first thing you probably think of is product samples. We’re inundated with product samples. In the digital age, this has only accelerated.

Streaming Services: Think about Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+. They all offer free trials so you can binge-watch their original content before committing to a monthly subscription.

SaaS (Software as a Service): Most SaaS companies offer a “freemium” model or a limited-time free trial. You can use the basic features of the software for free, and if you want the “professional version” with all the bells and whistles, you can upgrade to a paid plan.

E-commerce: Companies like Warby Parker will mail you five pairs of glasses to try on at home. You keep the ones you like and send the rest back, free of charge. This takes the risk out of buying something as personal as glasses online.

These are all examples of product samples, but you can sample services and even experiences.

Sampling Beyond Products

Coaching and Consulting: Want to hire an executive coach? Instead of committing to a year-long contract, ask for a free 20-minute introductory session to see if the chemistry is right.

Organizational Change: Rolling out a massive, organization-wide change? Don’t do it all at once. Start with a pilot project in one department or team to test the waters and work out the kinks.

Parenting 101: I once heard a story about a school that used sampling to teach teenagers about the responsibilities of parenthood. They gave each student a simulated baby—a doll with a computer inside that would cry at random times and need to be “fed” in the middle of the night. The students had to care for the “baby” for a few days, giving them a very real sample of what it’s like to have a child.

How to Use Sampling

So, how do you put sampling to work for you?

Think about the outcome you’re looking for, and then brainstorm ways to let people experience a small piece of that outcome.

Let’s say you’re a leader and one of your team members is stuck in a rut. Their thinking is stale, and they keep using the same old approaches to problem-solving. You want them to be more innovative, but just telling them to “be more innovative” is a recipe for disaster. It’s too big of an ask. So, you want them to sample what it’s like to think differently.

You could ask, “What’s something small that, just for tomorrow, might help you see things differently?” They might say, “I feel stymied working in my office day after day, staring at the same walls, getting interrupted constantly. If I could do my work in a different environment, that might help me think differently.” You ask, “What’s an environment you suspect might work?” They say, “The coffee shop across town.”

This isn’t some grand leap into innovation, but it’s a start. It’s a taste. You say, “Great. This afternoon, I’d like you to take your laptop and do your work in the coffee shop. See if a new environment changes your thinking at all. Tomorrow morning, stop by my office and we’ll talk about how it went.”

Eureka! They’re now going to go off and sample a new behavior and mindset. They’re not being forced into it. They’re not being coerced. They needn’t buy into it whole hog. Because of that, they’re much more likely to give it a chance, because for them the risk has been reduced.

Your Turn

Now it’s your turn. How are you going to make sampling work for you? Whether you’re in sales, marketing, IT, or a leadership position, think about something important that has to happen, and think of ways that you can give people a sample of the thing itself before they have to buy in. They’ll be much more likely to want to purchase what you’re selling, whether it’s a product, a service, or an idea.