The tiny ask that works best after you've already said yes

You've agreed on the car. Papers are out, the salesperson is smiling — and you say, "You'll throw in the floor mats, right?" That's the nibble: a small extra request made after the main deal is emotionally locked in. It works because of commitment and consistency — once someone has mentally closed a deal, they'll grant a minor concession rather than reopen everything and risk losing it.

The power is all in the timing. The same request made during the main haggle would be resisted or traded away. Made at the finish line, it feels trivial compared to the deal already "done," so the other side absorbs it to protect their bigger win. Retailers use the mirror-image version on you — the "that's-not-all" technique, tossing in a bonus before you decide, which reliably lifts sales in field studies.

Defending against a nibble is simple once you see it: don't treat the deal as closed until everything is agreed, and answer a late add-on with a calm counter-nibble ("Happy to — if we adjust the price"). Naming it out loud ("Are you nibbling me?") often dissolves it entirely.