Commitment Tie-Downs
Have conversations, not presentations — get them to say yes and see themselves acting before you ask.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 86%
Drawing on Cialdini's commitment-and-consistency principle, Fladlien turns webinars into conversations rather than presentations. He opens by stating two agendas — to show them how to do X, and to sell them something — then frames it: if he fails on the first promise they shouldn't buy anything, but if he delivers they should feel obligated to buy, tied down with 'does that sound fair?' Throughout, he uses interactive devices (true/false quizzes, 'which of these three types are you?') to get people saying things and agreeing with themselves. Every powerful point ends with a tie-down phrase, and future-facing questions ('when's the first opportunity you can see yourself using this?') make them rehearse the action in their mind, so doing it for real feels comfortable.
Origin
Fladlien credits Robert Cialdini for naming commitment-and-consistency, a concept he says he and other marketers were already using intuitively; he built the two-agenda 'does that sound fair?' open around it.
Core principles
- 01People behave in ways consistent with commitments they've made.
- 02Have conversations, not presentations — always throw it to them for consideration.
- 03Get them to say things and agree with themselves, not just agree with you.
- 04Tie down every powerful point with a commitment phrase.
- 05Make them see themselves acting in the future, in the present, before you ask for real.
How to run it
- 1
State two agendas and get a fairness commitment
Announce you'll show them how to do X and that you'll sell them something; frame that they should only buy if you deliver, then tie it down with 'does that sound fair or deal?'
Pro tip The reciprocal frame ('if I fail, don't buy anything ever') makes the yes feel earned and fair.
- 2
Make it a conversation
Use interactive prompts — true/false openers, 'which of these three types are you?' — to get the audience saying things and agreeing with themselves, not just with you.
Pro tip Mental agreement matters even more than getting them to type in the chat.
- 3
Tie down every powerful point
After each strong point, add a commitment phrase ('can you see yourself doing this?', 'does that make a difference in your life?').
- 4
Make them rehearse the future
Ask when they'd first put it into action so they see themselves doing it in their mind, making the real ask feel comfortable.
Pro tip First do what you're teaching in their imagination, so doing it for real feels natural.
In the wild
Fladlien opens the Product E-Class webinar by stating his first agenda is to show them how to create a high-quality info product in two hours or less, and his second is to sell them something — adding that if he doesn't deliver the first, they shouldn't buy anything, but if he does, they should feel obligated to. He ties it down: 'does that sound fair or deal?'
→ Audience says yes, establishing an early commitment that makes them consistent with buying when he delivers.
Common mistakes
Talking at the audience
Presenting one-way means the audience only passively agrees with you; without getting them to commit and say things themselves, they don't move toward action or purchase.
Is it for you?
Best for
Presenters and webinar sellers who want the audience mentally rehearsing the action before the ask.
Not ideal for
Formats with no interaction channel or audiences that resent being prompted to respond.
From the transcript
“we don't want to have presentations we want to have conversations that's what I've always say about webinars”
“every single time I make a very powerful point on a webinar I tie it down with a commitment phrase”
From the episode
Jason Fladlien: The Quarter-Billion-Dollar Webinar Man Reveals His Best Marketing and Sales Secrets
Jason Fladlien