Simply put, you emphasize something familiar or is already known to the other person to initiate “matching” behaviour. But this time, you state that the idea or concept you’re introducing is better or presents an improvement from what is already familiar.

For example, you are the manager of a firm and you want to motivate your subordinates to work harder. You can say to one of your key people who has recently been promoted, “I’ll know you’ll do better in your new job because it’s similar to the previous one, except now you have more privileges.” That is influencing sameness with exception because you’re taking what’s already familiar to the person and using it as a foundation for something better.

Each time Coca Cola, Nike or any other popular brand name presents a new product, model, or item, they usually present the same product quality and attributes that customers have already been familiar with in the past. At the same time, they present a unique characteristic not found in other previous versions of that product. Coke Zero is different from classic Coke. Air Jordan models are different from most Nike shoe models, but they’re all within the same brand. Those are examples of sameness with an exception, and this key concept is very effective in influencing behaviour.