Playing the “you’re not ready for something this good” card.

I had a conversation the other day where I proposed an idea that was sure to be rejected. And I made sure to mention that fact.

“Nobody will go for this…”

At the time, I wasn’t being coy or sarcastic — it probably wasn’t the right idea at the right time. I didn’t really mention it for any reason other than “maybe”. Even so it was, probably, the best idea. In a sense.

The process reminded me of “Marge vs. the Monorail”, the Simpsons episode in which transportation huckster Lyle Lanley convinces the people of Springfield that they need to spend their cash windfall on a Monorail.

He does this with basically one trick: threatening — up front — to leave because the Monorail is “More of a Shelbyville idea”. To which Mayor Quimby responds that the people of Springfield are “twice as smart” as the people of Shelbyville and will, as a result, buy whatever he’s selling.

In real life it would be a terrible idea to actually use this tactic in a Lanley-esque fashion, because lying isn’t good business. But there is something to the notion of using tension and competition as a way to advance an idea. If done well, “this is a good idea but you wouldn’t like it/aren’t ready for it” can be quite powerful.

It plays off the notion of wanting to belong, and of wanting to be special. And in most cases, it will almost certainly get a reaction. Maybe not always a positive one, but a reaction nonetheless.

Beware, though: there’s something inherently manipulative about this approach, and that’s dangerous. I’d recommend only going this way with (a) clients you feel very comfortable with, or (b) clients you’re not sure you want anyway. This isn’t the kind of thing to just throw out there as a matter of policy, unless you want to seem like an asshole.

Still, it’s a good arrow to have in your quiver.