All this carrot-dangling reminds me of one of the best salesmen I've ever witnessed pitch his wares:
I was riding a bus, and this guy with a duffel bag full of chocolate jumped on and started his pitch.
"Buy four chocolate bars at $1!"
A couple of people on the bus bought the bars.
Then the guy said, "Ok, well, I notice that some of you are hesitant to buy this exquisite chocolate. Just so you don't miss out, I'm now offering five chocolate bars at $1!"
Other people bought it, more than the first round. A couple of those who bought in the first round complained, but there was nothing they could do once they parted with their hard-earned cash.
This went on for about four rounds, with the guy offering something like 7 chocolate bars for 1$. He sold about 90% of his stock on one bus ride, all within 15 minutes.
I didn't buy any, because he left after the fourth round, and I thought he was going to do a fifth. Seems Sony and Microsoft were on the same bus ride...
