When I was younger, I used to love reading the comic, Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson in the Sunday newspaper.
Calvin was linguistically wise beyond his years, and it was lovely to re-read all the books with my nephew more recently. The layers of comedy was, and has been, unparalleled.
Here’s an example of a layered comic.
When I first read this as a child, I just loved that Calvin made completely ridiculous asks of his mother. No matter how big or small, the mom said no. That was funny enough for me.
When I re-read this more recently, I saw something completely different: Calvin was trying to apply the “door-in-the-face-technique”.
The basic idea behind this strategy is to ask one or two more demanding questions, ones you know they will decline, followed by the request you actually care about.
The takeaway
The door-in-the-face-technique can be used in negotiations with a tough Salesforce client.
Start by asking them big, perhaps almost comical questions you know they will respond with “no”. Then finish by asking your “real” question, knowing they are much more likely to say “yes” to your “more reasonable” question.
PS. In Calvin’s case, the additional layer of comedy was because the mom was “on to him” regarding this strategy.