Influence by Dr Robert B. Cialdini (Top 100 Business Books)

This book is considered a must for anyone working in sales and marketing, but it also has broad applications for those who need to influence others. Dr Robert Cialdini?explains his theory through practical examples and backs it up with some of the most rigorous scientific research you’ll find on the topic.?The book’s premise is that there are six elements required to persuade someone to come around to your way of thinking.

?The six elements of persuasion are:

1. Reciprocation

2. Commitment and Consistency

3. Social Proof

4. Liking

5. Authority

6. Scarcity?

Before we start, it is essential to recognise that this isn’t meant to be a toolkit for trickery. The intention is not to convince people to do things that aren’t in their best interests.

WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES?

?1. Reciprocation

This principle tells us that we have an innate, almost involuntary obligation to give when we receive, and we are more likely to say yes to those we owe a favour. Here is an example:

A study concluded that when waiters left a mint with the bill, tips increased by 3%. When two mints were left, there was a 14% increase. And when one mint was left, and the waiter gave another one and said, “Here is another one for you nice people”, tips skyrocketed 23%! The difference is that in the last example:

1. The waiter was first to give

2. It was unexpected, and

3. It was personalised.

Stemming from this rule is the theory of ‘reject and retreat’. If you want a kitten, ask for a pony first. It works the same way in that a person’s brain perceives this downgrade as a favour that they are indebted to you for (crazy but true – try it and see what happens).?

2. Commitment and Consistency

This principle dictates that we tend to remain consistent with our commitments. We’re seen as being a person of our word as opposed to someone who changes our position willy-nilly. Consistency is viewed as an admiral quality in a person, and we strive to be considered consistent. The most potent types of commitments are active, public and freely given.

An example of this at work is a study that selected a group of homeowners who agreed to have a small sign in their front window advertising a ‘drive safely’ campaign. The second part of the experiment was a request that everyone in the neighbourhood display a large, unattractive sign advertising the same campaign. The results were staggering – only 17% of people in the neighbourhood agreed to install the second sign, whereas 76% of homeowners who had initially displayed the small sign in their front window did. Why? They had committed and wanted to be consistent with it.?

3. Social Proof

Most straightforwardly – FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). If this explanation satisfies you, skip to number 4 – Liking.

For a deeper explanation, this is when our innate herd mentality comes to the fore. We want to do what we believe is right based on what others do. In most cases, it is safe to assume that the majority of people are, in fact, right. Next time you stay in a hotel, have a read of what the card in your bathroom says about re-using towels. Guests who received a generic card instructing them where to store their towel if they wanted to re-use it were less likely to do so when compared to those who received a card that added, ‘Most people who have stayed in this room re-used their towel at least once during their stay’. The latter were 33% more likely to re-use their towel. This simple example proves that we are influenced by what others, like us, do. ?

Also, have you ever checked reviews of a product? That’s social proof working right there.?

4. Liking

We prefer to say yes to the requests of those we like over those we don’t. Science tells us there are three components to liking someone:

1. They are similar to us

2. They pay us a compliment, and

3. They cooperate with us.

Let’s look at an example. Two groups of MBA students were given a scenario to negotiate. The first group was assigned the task and 55% of the group came to an agreement. The second group was asked to share personal information and identify similarities before the negotiation task, and a whopping 90% of this group came to an agreement. The lesson? We get better outcomes when we like the other person. Liking someone increases the chances of co-operation.

A note about compliments: they need to be genuine. We can all detect when someone is insincere. In a professional setting, you need to steer clear of things that are related to a person’s appearance, religious views and sexual preferences. It’s much better to stick to compliments specifically about their work. The good news is that if you are specific, it’s more likely that the compliment will have the desired impact on the recipient.?

5. Authority

The research tells us that people will take the advice of knowledgeable, respected experts. In one study, physiotherapists who displayed their qualifications on the wall enjoyed higher compliance by their patients to prescribed exercises. Uniforms are also a sign of authority, which is one of the reasons why police officers wear them.

Unfortunately, authority can be easily abused. The ‘Milgram’ experiments involved volunteers being instructed by people they viewed to be in positions of authority to administer what they believed to be painful electric shocks to other participants. The recipients were, in fact, actors and despite the agonising screams and the volunteers’ instincts to stop, when encouraged to keep going (by the men in the white coats), they did.

It’s prudent to ensure that the authority around us is worthy of our trust.?

6. Scarcity

This principle tells us that what is rare is highly desired, and we simply want what we think we can’t have. Usually, the rare items also happen to be expensive based on the supply and demand of market forces.

An example provided by Dr Cialdini is the Concorde flight which shaved four hours off the flight time between New York and London. When it was announced in 2003 that it had become uneconomical and was being retired, demand surged.?

How To Implement These Principles At Work

1. Reciprocity

The cardinal rules when creating reciprocity are to be first, personalised and unexpected. A consultant who was pitching to do some work for me sent me a copy of his book with a note. He was first; it was personalised; and it was unexpected. But being fluent in the principles of persuasion, I was immediately sceptical that he intended to persuade me. He did get the gig, but I had already decided that before I received a book.

One of the most unexpected gifts I received was a bunch of flowers on my birthday from a company I had done business with. To this date, they are the only company that has done that. And here’s what I liked best: there was no ‘discount code’ attached to it like the hundreds of emails in my inbox. It put them in a class above the rest.

Ask yourself: how can you be first, personalised and unexpected?

2. Commitment and Consistency

You want to encourage people to make their commitments freely and publicly. At Recovery Partners, we worked with organisations to reduce workplace injuries and incidents. One of the first things we did with new clients was establish the ‘goals’ with their senior leaders. We guided them through the process but made sure that they ultimately decided on the goals. We then asked them to write these down and make them public. Reducing safety incidents is no easy task, and often requires a shift of priorities and the allocation of significant resources. By having this commitment from the senior leaders, subsequent decisions on substantial matters were made easier based on this established commitment.

The ‘foot in the door’ tactic also stems from this principle. An example of this tactic was when those hundreds of companies sent me discount codes to wish me a happy birthday. With this tactic, they were hoping to pique my interest to click, look and buy. This always makes me question who exactly is receiving the gift? ?

Ask yourself: how can you help your clients make commitments freely and publicly??

?3. Social Proof

An entire new industry has spawned from this principle – influencers. If you have money to spend on marketing and advertising, this may be an excellent approach for your business. However, if you engage someone simply in a cash-for-comments type of transaction, your consumers will see right through it.

Influencer or not, the people spruiking your brand or service must have a genuine love for it, and there needs to be a tribe of them. A one-off Kardashian post may give you a massive spike in sales, but it is not a solid basis for an enduring business model.

Use the data of similar people to your clients to demonstrate social proof. The more specific you can be, the better. Make sure you display it where people can see it – on the product advertisement page, in your proposal documents, instagram stories etc.

Ask yourself: how can you use social proof to win and keep more customers? ?

4. Liking

We prefer to say yes to the requests of those we like over those we don’t, so find shared interests. Try and find something you have in common with your client, give genuine compliments and be helpful. Don't worry about the lack of similarities on the most obvious things like gender, race or ethnicity. Instead, look for those things that aren’t immediately visible and often more important – like a person’s values. We all want to work with people who have the same values as us.

Ask yourself: how can you find similarities with your clients and customers? How can you pay them genuine compliments?

?5. Authority

No one is suggesting that you carry around your slew of qualifications and whip them out to impress your potential customers. That would be both impractical and weird. But you can quickly build your authority in a more discreet, less bizarre manner.

Make sure you’ve got the basics covered – post-nominals on your email and social media profiles, testimonials from your recognised brands, memberships, sites and publications you’ve been featured in etc. And then look at some creative ways to create your authority.

I have a powerpoint slide that I use to introduce myself. The first picture to roll across the screen is of me with my family – my mum and dad, husband and two children. How did I slip in my authority? The picture was taken the day I received my MBA. There I am in my cap and gown, with my fancy degree from my fancy school.

The second photo is of the team at Recovery Partners with an award for being one of the greatest places to work in Australia – again, establishing authority.

The third photo to slide in is of my dog Schnitzel. It always gets a smile because who doesn’t love a cute dog pic?

Ask yourself: how can you demonstrate your authority?

?6. Scarcity

When influencing your clients and customers, you need to explain your benefits, uniqueness, and what they stand to lose. An excellent example is the The 5TH Watches. They release a limited number of watches on the fifth day of every month. In most cases, they sell out. By selling out of stock, there is no wastage, which is great for profits and landfill, and it’s socially and economically responsible.

There are four key ways you can use scarcity in your business:

1.?Short Supply – consider doing limited runs or limited numbers in courses.

2.?High Demand – be careful not to be too annoying. I find the constant pop-ups on sites about recent sales a distraction. It’s never worth compromising the consumer experience.

3.?Unique Opportunity – offer a unique code, a small VIP section etc.

4.?Limited Time – limited spaces in courses can increase the quality of teaching and create scarcity which drives demand.

Ask yourself: how can you create scarcity for your product and service?

Conclusion?

As you head back into the world a little more focused on how our brains can be persuaded, remember this – it should always be ethical. If you want to build an enduring business, it must be built on solving your customer’s problems, not slick sales tactics that will only get you so far.??

Favourite Quotes

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Albert Einstein

"The way to love anything is to realise that it might be lost."

G.K. Chesterton

"Follow an expert."

Virgil

"The main work of a trial attorney is to make a jury like his client."

Clarence Darrow

"Where all think alike, no one thinks very much."

Walter Lippmann

"It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end."

Leonardo Da Vinci

"But when we repeat 1 percent errors, day after day, by replicating poor decisions, duplicating tiny mistakes, and rationalising little excuses, our small choices compound into toxic results."

Dr Robert. B. Cialdini

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