Robert Cialdini explains how British Airways' 2003 announcement that the Concorde would stop flying instantly spiked ticket sales, even though nothing about the plane changed. The scarcity principle works: people want what they're about to lose.
British Airways announced in 2003 that they would no longer be operating the twice-daily London-New York Concorde flight because it had become uneconomical to run. Sales the very next day took off. That nothing had changed about the Concorde itself. It certainly didn't fly any faster, the service didn't suddenly get better, and the airfare didn't drop. It had simply become a scarce resource, and as a result, people wanted it more. When it comes to effectively persuading others using the scarcity principle, the science is clear. It's not enough simply to tell people about the benefits they'll gain if they choose your products and services. You'll also need to point out what is unique about your proposition and what they stand to lose if they fail to consider your proposal.
