Gentle nudges

My daughter wanted to take a workshop. I called the organizer to register her. I was told that my daughter’s on the list although … well, the workshop might be cancelled because there were not enough registrations. End of story.

Crucially, what’s missing from the story is one simple suggestion the organizer could have made but didn’t: “The workshop is actually even more fun with friends. Does your daughter have a friend who would fancy joining her?” (She could even have made that more attractive by offering a discount if she registers with a friend.)

Of course, it’s obvious. Why would you need to state the obvious? Because what’s obvious to you isn’t obvious to others. Because what’s obvious isn’t necessarily easy. Because sometimes we need that little nudge to actually do the obvious.

Not that this kind of nudging always works. But it’s almost always better to ask than not to ask. After all, my daughter wanted to take the workshop. So, it’s in her best interest to bring a friend.

Which obvious actions could you suggest to your customers to nudge them in their best interest?