| Have not read this book yet but here's what
others are saying about it.
Robert believes that influence is a science and this is what attracted
me to the book. He introduces you to six principles of persuasion each
principle is tested by social scientific experiments. I recommend this
book to all professionals.
Reading sales books in my early 20s and never going into sales I
recommend this book to everyone, it teaches you the skills of influence
and can help you from being manipulated by others.
This book was recommended by Charlie Munger of vice chairman of
Berkshire Hathaway. Charlie is the number two man to
Warren Buffet. In case you don't know
who Warren Buffet is, he's one of the richest people in the world.
Six Weapons of Influence
Reciprocation
People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free
samples in marketing. In his conferences, he often uses the example of
Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars in humanitarian aid to Mexico
just after the 1985 earthquake, despite Ethiopia suffering from a
crippling famine and civil war at the time. Ethiopia had been
reciprocating for the diplomatic support Mexico provided when Italy
invaded Ethiopia in 1937.
Commitment and Consistency
If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, they are
more likely to honor that commitment. Even if the original incentive or
motivation is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue
to honor the agreement. For example, in car sales, suddenly raising the
price at the last moment works because the buyer has already decided to
buy. See cognitive dissonance.
Social Proof
People will do things that they see other people are doing. For
example, in one experiment, one or more confederates would look up into
the sky; bystanders would then look up into the sky to see what they
were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people
were looking up that they stopped traffic. See conformity, and the Asch
conformity experiments.
Authority
People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to
perform objectionable acts. Cialdini cites incidents, such as the
Milgram experiments in the early 1960s and the My Lai massacre.
Liking
People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini
cites the marketing of Tupperware in what might now be called viral
marketing. People were more likely to buy if they liked the person
selling it to them. Some of the many biases favoring more attractive
people are discussed. See physical attractiveness stereotype.
Scarcity
Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers
are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
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