Influence story: How to influence the influencer? - 03/24

I've been married for the last 12 years, and on every birthday, my wife expects a nice gift, typically jewelry. I've managed to avoid getting her jewelry 9 out of 12 years, which I consider a pretty good success rate! (Need any tips? Feel free to DM me.)

Main reason I give her is that I struggle to choose something truly special (she has office on weekends and that is the time I get to shop). So, last year, she confided her expectations to our 8-year-old daughter, Kritika, and asked her to accompany me to the jewelry store. Kritika narrowed down the options to two pairs of earrings, one priced at Rs 7,500 and the other at Rs 10,000. She was torn between them, and both fit the criteria her mom had specified.

Now, if it had been me alone, I probably would have chosen none and walked out!

But with Kritika there, I had to buy one of them. I could have used the Rs 7,500 ones features to convince her to pick it (she wasn't aware of the prices yet). However, that felt unfair.

That's when the Incentive Compensation expert in me kicked in. I explained to Kritika that she liked both earrings, and they both met her mom's criteria. I told her that Earring A was Rs 7,500 and Earring B was Rs 10,000, and if she chose Earring A, there would be enough money left over for me to buy her a toy. A sudden realization dawned on her face, and she made her decision with a big smile. She picked the Rs 7,500 earrings, and we headed to the nearest toy store.

It was a win-win-win situation for everyone: my wife got her earrings, Kritika got a toy, and I saved around Rs 2,000 (as Kritika picked a toy around Rs 500).

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