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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say "yes"—and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book.
You'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.
You'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Robert B. Cialdini
74 books2,500 followersDr. Robert Cialdini has spent his entire career researching the science of influence earning him an international reputation as an expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation.
His books including, Influence: Science & Practice, are the results of years of study into the reasons why people comply with requests in business settings. Worldwide, Influence has sold over 2 million copies. Influence has been published in twenty-five languages. His most recent co-authored book, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive, has been on the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Best Seller Lists.
In the field of influence and persuasion, Dr. Cialdini is the most cited living social psychologist in the world today.
Dr. Cialdini received his Ph.D from the University of North Carolina and post doctoral training from Columbia University. He has held Visiting Scholar Appointments at Ohio State University, the University of California, the Annenberg School of
Communications, and the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University. Currently, Dr Cialdini is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.
Dr. Cialdini is President of INFLUENCE AT WORK, an international consulting, strategic planning and training organization based on the Six Principles of Influence.
His books including, Influence: Science & Practice, are the results of years of study into the reasons why people comply with requests in business settings. Worldwide, Influence has sold over 2 million copies. Influence has been published in twenty-five languages. His most recent co-authored book, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive, has been on the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Best Seller Lists.
In the field of influence and persuasion, Dr. Cialdini is the most cited living social psychologist in the world today.
Dr. Cialdini received his Ph.D from the University of North Carolina and post doctoral training from Columbia University. He has held Visiting Scholar Appointments at Ohio State University, the University of California, the Annenberg School of
Communications, and the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University. Currently, Dr Cialdini is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.
Dr. Cialdini is President of INFLUENCE AT WORK, an international consulting, strategic planning and training organization based on the Six Principles of Influence.
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December 4, 2013
Summary: This book can’t be summarized. It can only be very, very strongly recommended.
Recommended? YES. Buy it now if you haven’t read it.
Table of contents:
1 Weapons of Influence
2 Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take…and Take
3 Commitment and Consistency: Hobgoblins of the Mind
4 Social Proof: Truths Are Us
5 Liking: The Friendly Thief
6 Authority: Directed Deference
7 Scarcity: The Rule of the Few
Notes:
Below are my key takeaways and some interesting points, but I’m telling you. Buy it. Read it. Trust me.
* Expensive implies quality. Example: gems in a jewel case that weren’t selling were marked up and then sold at a “discount” to the markup (a price higher than the original price), and they sold like hotcakes.
* Power of contrast. Example: If you go into a men’s store they’ll try and sell you an expensive suit before the sell you the expensive sweater, because the contrast makes the sweater appear more affordable.
* Reciprocity. Example: If someone buys you something (say, a Coke), you’re more likely to by something from them (say, raffle tickets).
* Concession. Example: If someone tries to sell you something and you pass (say $5 of $1 raffle tickets), they’ll try and sell you something less that you’ll end up buying because you feel bad (1 $1 raffle ticket). Another term used here is “reject then retreat.”
* Commitment leads to consistency leads to collaboration. Example: During the Korean war, the Chinese got American soldiers to make public commitments of various things. Then they made those commitments even more public, which the American soldiers had to stand by to be consistent. That consistency then led them down a path of minor forms of collaboration – without them really thinking about it as such.
* Writing something down, even privately, strengthens your commitment to something.
* People like and believe in commitment because their image and reputation is on the line (ie the Chinese concentration camp example above).
* People like more what they struggle to get, even if it’s not that good. Example: frats (hey, it’s in the book, don’t hate the messenger).
* People like to feel they have control over a decision – even if they really don’t.
* The power of social proof, or the idea that if others do it it’s good. Example: introverted pre-schoolers who saw introverted kids become social in a movie were more inclined to go play. Another example: cults. People follow the crowd because they believe in the “wisdom” of the crowd.
* Convince and you shall be convinced. Example: cults, where people who convince or convert others become more convinced (that’s why so many are evangelical).
* Assign responsibility if you want things done. Example: a stabbing that took place over many minutes had 38 witnesses…it happened cause everyone figured someone else would call the police.
* The power of copycats that’ll play on social proof. Example: if you find a wallet of someone like you and you’re more likely to return it (it’s true). Another (scary) example: more suicides when the press publicizes a suicide…more fatal “accidents” too.
* Liking is an important part of influence. Attractiveness, similarity (identity and context), compliments, contact & cooperation all can make someone more influential.
* The reason good cop/bad cop works is because the subject feels someone is on their side.
* Associations are powerful. Bearers of good news get treated well, and bad news get treated poorly. Examples: weathermen (or Roman messengers reporting lost battles!)
* People tend to defer to authority/experts. Examples: experiments involving shock therapy where people listened to a guy in a lab coat to inflict pain on another human being (incredible how strong this is).
* The power of connotations and context over content, and how it can imply authority. Titles and clothing do this.
* Gaining trust. Example: a waiter who advises against a more expensive item early in the meal will gain the trust of everyone at the table, and then he can suggest more expensive items and more items through the course of the meal.
* Scarcity is powerful. There’s a psychological reaction…people don’t want to lose their freedom, and don’t want to lose. This plays to a second point: competition. Invite 3 used car buyers at the same time and you’ll sell the car faster. A cookie is more attractive if there are two of them than if there are 10 of them. (Always as yourself when something is scarce: will the cookie taste as good if there are 10 of them?). Plus, if you saw that the number went from 10 to 2, you want it even more. It can even lead to revolt…when something is given and then taken away, people get mad; if something is never given at all, they don’t know what they’re missing.
* “It appears that commitments are most effective in changing a person’s self-image and future behavior when they are active, public, and effortful.”
* “The most influential leaders are those who know how to arrange group conditions to allow the principle of social proof to work maximally in their favor.”
* “Social proof is most powerful for those who feel unfamiliar or unsure in a specific situation and who, consequently, must look outside of themselves for evidence of how to best behave there.”
Recommended? YES. Buy it now if you haven’t read it.
Table of contents:
1 Weapons of Influence
2 Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take…and Take
3 Commitment and Consistency: Hobgoblins of the Mind
4 Social Proof: Truths Are Us
5 Liking: The Friendly Thief
6 Authority: Directed Deference
7 Scarcity: The Rule of the Few
Notes:
Below are my key takeaways and some interesting points, but I’m telling you. Buy it. Read it. Trust me.
* Expensive implies quality. Example: gems in a jewel case that weren’t selling were marked up and then sold at a “discount” to the markup (a price higher than the original price), and they sold like hotcakes.
* Power of contrast. Example: If you go into a men’s store they’ll try and sell you an expensive suit before the sell you the expensive sweater, because the contrast makes the sweater appear more affordable.
* Reciprocity. Example: If someone buys you something (say, a Coke), you’re more likely to by something from them (say, raffle tickets).
* Concession. Example: If someone tries to sell you something and you pass (say $5 of $1 raffle tickets), they’ll try and sell you something less that you’ll end up buying because you feel bad (1 $1 raffle ticket). Another term used here is “reject then retreat.”
* Commitment leads to consistency leads to collaboration. Example: During the Korean war, the Chinese got American soldiers to make public commitments of various things. Then they made those commitments even more public, which the American soldiers had to stand by to be consistent. That consistency then led them down a path of minor forms of collaboration – without them really thinking about it as such.
* Writing something down, even privately, strengthens your commitment to something.
* People like and believe in commitment because their image and reputation is on the line (ie the Chinese concentration camp example above).
* People like more what they struggle to get, even if it’s not that good. Example: frats (hey, it’s in the book, don’t hate the messenger).
* People like to feel they have control over a decision – even if they really don’t.
* The power of social proof, or the idea that if others do it it’s good. Example: introverted pre-schoolers who saw introverted kids become social in a movie were more inclined to go play. Another example: cults. People follow the crowd because they believe in the “wisdom” of the crowd.
* Convince and you shall be convinced. Example: cults, where people who convince or convert others become more convinced (that’s why so many are evangelical).
* Assign responsibility if you want things done. Example: a stabbing that took place over many minutes had 38 witnesses…it happened cause everyone figured someone else would call the police.
* The power of copycats that’ll play on social proof. Example: if you find a wallet of someone like you and you’re more likely to return it (it’s true). Another (scary) example: more suicides when the press publicizes a suicide…more fatal “accidents” too.
* Liking is an important part of influence. Attractiveness, similarity (identity and context), compliments, contact & cooperation all can make someone more influential.
* The reason good cop/bad cop works is because the subject feels someone is on their side.
* Associations are powerful. Bearers of good news get treated well, and bad news get treated poorly. Examples: weathermen (or Roman messengers reporting lost battles!)
* People tend to defer to authority/experts. Examples: experiments involving shock therapy where people listened to a guy in a lab coat to inflict pain on another human being (incredible how strong this is).
* The power of connotations and context over content, and how it can imply authority. Titles and clothing do this.
* Gaining trust. Example: a waiter who advises against a more expensive item early in the meal will gain the trust of everyone at the table, and then he can suggest more expensive items and more items through the course of the meal.
* Scarcity is powerful. There’s a psychological reaction…people don’t want to lose their freedom, and don’t want to lose. This plays to a second point: competition. Invite 3 used car buyers at the same time and you’ll sell the car faster. A cookie is more attractive if there are two of them than if there are 10 of them. (Always as yourself when something is scarce: will the cookie taste as good if there are 10 of them?). Plus, if you saw that the number went from 10 to 2, you want it even more. It can even lead to revolt…when something is given and then taken away, people get mad; if something is never given at all, they don’t know what they’re missing.
* “It appears that commitments are most effective in changing a person’s self-image and future behavior when they are active, public, and effortful.”
* “The most influential leaders are those who know how to arrange group conditions to allow the principle of social proof to work maximally in their favor.”
* “Social proof is most powerful for those who feel unfamiliar or unsure in a specific situation and who, consequently, must look outside of themselves for evidence of how to best behave there.”
April 20, 2017
Another one of those business books where it's a good read if you haven't read any others from the same genre but with the same basically formula where they keep repeating information that can be condensed down into a few pages and which every other business book will tell you but of course they'll rephrase it. If you haven't ever thought much about the influence of the way you talk to people and vice versa I'm sure this can be very eye opening. If you're pretty self aware or have contemplated how difference in you behavior can affect that of others then you're going to just find most of the things in these books to be obvious.
October 6, 2021
I do not read a lot of books about business/non-fiction but I sometimes find some really shinny gems. I had this book for a while but I kept avoiding it, thinking it is another of those badly written self-help books. How wrong I was. Influence is very well documented, thoroughly researched and well organised summary of what are the key factors that influence our decisions. The big five are: Reciprocation, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority, Scarcity. Most of the examples were revelatory, interesting and relevant for each reader. Most of the information presented was backed by important studies in the field of Human Behaviour. Some of the results were common sense but many of them were surprising. Each chapter presented ways to protect ourselves from the people who use the five principles to trick us. .
February 23, 2016
I don't understand why so many people rated this book so highly.
--It panders to the audience by using overly simple language and repeating the same idea 5 times to make sure that the reader really understood. Example (from memory): "People are heavily influenced by society. Society shapes our choices. Our choices are influenced by the people around us. There are countless examples of one's choices being swayed by his or her peers." Thanks, I got it the first time.
--The first and second "weapons of influence" were interesting and thought-provoking. Reciprocity and consistency. The third to sixth weapons were just plain obvious. Social proof, i.e. a group's preference influences your own? No shit. Liking, i.e. someone similar to be more persuasive to you? OK, obvious. Authority, i.e. power leads to persuasive ability? [sarcastic] Wow! Scarcity, i.e. perceiving scarcity leads to increased desire of a resource? Mildly surprising.
--The author must have read about the device of repetition just before writing this book and used the book for practice. The amount of times that he used "click, whirr" to illustrate the metaphor or playing a tape in our heads to produce automatic action made me want to scream! (Also, cassette tapes were out of style by the time I was in high school...)
--His choice phrase for people who consciously used these "weapons of influence" were ... wait for it ... "COMPLIANCE PRACTITIONERS"!!! Just call them "influencers" or something less vomit-inducing, buddy.
--The author "updated" the edition for the printing in 2007. He should have just done a reprint with a new foreword or something, because the result of the update is a total failure. 90% of the references are still from the mid-80's or before. A discussion about the future of communicating with computer has one puny line added to it about how everyone uses the Internet now.
To be fair, some of the conclusions drawn and the research presented were very interesting. But the feel of the writing was so juvenile and repetitive that I can't recommend this book to anyone. I'm sure there are much better books on the topic.
--It panders to the audience by using overly simple language and repeating the same idea 5 times to make sure that the reader really understood. Example (from memory): "People are heavily influenced by society. Society shapes our choices. Our choices are influenced by the people around us. There are countless examples of one's choices being swayed by his or her peers." Thanks, I got it the first time.
--The first and second "weapons of influence" were interesting and thought-provoking. Reciprocity and consistency. The third to sixth weapons were just plain obvious. Social proof, i.e. a group's preference influences your own? No shit. Liking, i.e. someone similar to be more persuasive to you? OK, obvious. Authority, i.e. power leads to persuasive ability? [sarcastic] Wow! Scarcity, i.e. perceiving scarcity leads to increased desire of a resource? Mildly surprising.
--The author must have read about the device of repetition just before writing this book and used the book for practice. The amount of times that he used "click, whirr" to illustrate the metaphor or playing a tape in our heads to produce automatic action made me want to scream! (Also, cassette tapes were out of style by the time I was in high school...)
--His choice phrase for people who consciously used these "weapons of influence" were ... wait for it ... "COMPLIANCE PRACTITIONERS"!!! Just call them "influencers" or something less vomit-inducing, buddy.
--The author "updated" the edition for the printing in 2007. He should have just done a reprint with a new foreword or something, because the result of the update is a total failure. 90% of the references are still from the mid-80's or before. A discussion about the future of communicating with computer has one puny line added to it about how everyone uses the Internet now.
To be fair, some of the conclusions drawn and the research presented were very interesting. But the feel of the writing was so juvenile and repetitive that I can't recommend this book to anyone. I'm sure there are much better books on the topic.
May 27, 2012
Six "weapons of influence"
1)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. Ethopia had been reciprocating for the diplomatic support Mexico provided when Italy invaded Ethopia in 1937.
2)Commitment and Consistency - If people commit, verbally 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.
3)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.
4)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.
5)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.
6)Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
1)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. Ethopia had been reciprocating for the diplomatic support Mexico provided when Italy invaded Ethopia in 1937.
2)Commitment and Consistency - If people commit, verbally 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.
3)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.
4)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.
5)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.
6)Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
May 20, 2023
"Click and the appropriate tape is activated; whirr and our rolls the standard sequence of behaviors."
Kind of scary how simple the principles of this one are... One of the main objectives of the books is said to be preparing the average person against compliance tacticians but I have a feeling that it's the latter who'll use the book more...
Review to come.
Kind of scary how simple the principles of this one are... One of the main objectives of the books is said to be preparing the average person against compliance tacticians but I have a feeling that it's the latter who'll use the book more...
Review to come.
January 26, 2008
I put this book under "dangerous knowledge." Cialdini, still a top consultant in this field, has a tiny disclaimer at the end of the book saying how he's aware that this knowledge could be misused, but doesn't go much further.
I see this stuff abused all the time, to spin democracies to go to war, to sell us products and services we don't really need and much, much more.
I've been wanting to start an ethics institute around this topic. Interested? Write me!
I see this stuff abused all the time, to spin democracies to go to war, to sell us products and services we don't really need and much, much more.
I've been wanting to start an ethics institute around this topic. Interested? Write me!
November 12, 2017
ممتع ممتع ممتع لم استمتع بقراءة كتاب هكذا منذ مدة طويلة. لدى الانسان كما لدى الحيوان اليات استجابة تلقائية تجعله بدون تفكير يتصرف بطريقة معينة كرد فعل. وهذا يجعل المستغلين والملاعبين يستخدمون هذه الاليات لتحقيق الربح المادي او لتحقيق مصالحهم. وهذه الاليات هي
-قانون التبادل. الانسان كائن اجتماعي يتبادل الخدمات والمساعدات مع الاخرين. لكن المشكل يكمن عندما تقدم له هدية او مساعدة هو ليس بحاجة لها لاشعاره
انه مدين للاخر. وهذا يجعله يوافق على طلبات كان سيرفضها في حالته الطبيعية دون تاثير الدين
-قانون التباين. كل شيء غال هو جيد/ جمال امراة عادية يبدو باهثا امام عارضات الازياء ومعايير الجمال الذي يتم ترويجه في الاعلام/ البائع يجب ان يعرض على المشتري السلعة الغالية اولا ثم السلع الرخيصة لانه في حالة العكس ستبدو السلعة الاعلى ثمنا جد جد جد غالية
-قانون التنازل. رفضك للطلب الاول لاحدهم يجعلك بدون ارادتك تقبل طلبه الثاني الذي هو في حقيقة الامر الطلب المقصود
-قانون الثبات. الانسان لكي يظهر امام الاخرين بمنظر السوي الذي يمكن الوثوق به يجب ان يبقى ثابتا على مبادئه وافكاره وقراراته لكي لا يظهر بمظهر المشتت المجنون المزاجي المتقلب. وهنا المتلاعب يستغل ذلك لصالحه حيث يرمي له كرة منخفضة ويجعله يتخد قرارا غير مناسبا وعندما يكتشف ذلك يكون قد فات الاوان للتراجع
-البرهان الاجتماعي من الصعب التفكير في كل شيء لذا فان اغلب الاشخاص مقلدون وليس مبدعون. واتباع ما يقوم به الاخرون يعطي شعورا بالامان ان تسلك طريقا يسلكه الجميع يعني انه الطريق الصحيح. وهذا يستخدمه المستغل عندما يجعلك تظن ان هناك رواجا واقبالا على منتوج ما
-قانون المحبة. مهما حاولنا الانكار جمال الشكل يؤثر على طريقة تصرفنا. فالجميل يبدو اكثر صدقا اكثر لطفا اكثر ذكاء اكثر جاذبية لذا بدون ارادتنا نحبه اكثر نتعاطف معه اكثر ونساعده اكثر... نحن لا نحب من يختلف معنا نحب من يشبهنا من يشاركنا اهتماماتنا واذواقنا وافكارنا الدينية والسياسية...مهما قلنا اننا لا نحب النفاق فنحن في واقع الامر نحب المديح والاطراء والشعور باننا محط اعجاب الاخرين واهتمامهم... نحن نحب ان نربط انفسنا بالفائزين دوما ولا نحب الخاسرين وهذا يسمى مبدا الترافق مثلا عندما يربح فريق كرة قدم وطنك فهذا يشعرك بالافتخار ويعزز شعور الانتماء لديك كانك انت من ربحت فالانسان يربط نفسه بوطنه وعائلته وقبيلته... / مثال اخر اعلان سيارة معها عارضة جميلة تلقى اهتماما اكبر من اعلان سيارة بدون عارضة... هذا يجعل المستغلين
يستخدمون اشخاص شكلهم جميل لترويج سلعهم واشخاص يشبهون المستهلك المستهدف
-قانون السلطة. نحن نخضع للسلطة منذ طفولتنا المدرسة ثم نكبر فنخضع لسلطة الطبيب والمحامي والاستاذ هذا يعطل ملكات التفكير ويجعلنا نخضع للاوامر. لذا في الاعلانات قد يستخدمون ممثلا يلعب دور طبيب لكي يثبت فائدة منتوج معين
-قانون الندرة. كلما قل تواجد شيء زادت قيمته حتى لو كان طابع بريدي بدون فائدة وكلما زادت المنافسة على منتوج زاد الاقبال عليه وكلما وجدت مصاعب ومشاكل للحصول على شخص نحبه كبر في اعيننا وكلما تم حظر معلومة زادت الرغبة في الوصول اليها. كل هذا يستعمل كوسيلة لترويج السلع
...
-قانون التبادل. الانسان كائن اجتماعي يتبادل الخدمات والمساعدات مع الاخرين. لكن المشكل يكمن عندما تقدم له هدية او مساعدة هو ليس بحاجة لها لاشعاره
انه مدين للاخر. وهذا يجعله يوافق على طلبات كان سيرفضها في حالته الطبيعية دون تاثير الدين
-قانون التباين. كل شيء غال هو جيد/ جمال امراة عادية يبدو باهثا امام عارضات الازياء ومعايير الجمال الذي يتم ترويجه في الاعلام/ البائع يجب ان يعرض على المشتري السلعة الغالية اولا ثم السلع الرخيصة لانه في حالة العكس ستبدو السلعة الاعلى ثمنا جد جد جد غالية
-قانون التنازل. رفضك للطلب الاول لاحدهم يجعلك بدون ارادتك تقبل طلبه الثاني الذي هو في حقيقة الامر الطلب المقصود
-قانون الثبات. الانسان لكي يظهر امام الاخرين بمنظر السوي الذي يمكن الوثوق به يجب ان يبقى ثابتا على مبادئه وافكاره وقراراته لكي لا يظهر بمظهر المشتت المجنون المزاجي المتقلب. وهنا المتلاعب يستغل ذلك لصالحه حيث يرمي له كرة منخفضة ويجعله يتخد قرارا غير مناسبا وعندما يكتشف ذلك يكون قد فات الاوان للتراجع
-البرهان الاجتماعي من الصعب التفكير في كل شيء لذا فان اغلب الاشخاص مقلدون وليس مبدعون. واتباع ما يقوم به الاخرون يعطي شعورا بالامان ان تسلك طريقا يسلكه الجميع يعني انه الطريق الصحيح. وهذا يستخدمه المستغل عندما يجعلك تظن ان هناك رواجا واقبالا على منتوج ما
-قانون المحبة. مهما حاولنا الانكار جمال الشكل يؤثر على طريقة تصرفنا. فالجميل يبدو اكثر صدقا اكثر لطفا اكثر ذكاء اكثر جاذبية لذا بدون ارادتنا نحبه اكثر نتعاطف معه اكثر ونساعده اكثر... نحن لا نحب من يختلف معنا نحب من يشبهنا من يشاركنا اهتماماتنا واذواقنا وافكارنا الدينية والسياسية...مهما قلنا اننا لا نحب النفاق فنحن في واقع الامر نحب المديح والاطراء والشعور باننا محط اعجاب الاخرين واهتمامهم... نحن نحب ان نربط انفسنا بالفائزين دوما ولا نحب الخاسرين وهذا يسمى مبدا الترافق مثلا عندما يربح فريق كرة قدم وطنك فهذا يشعرك بالافتخار ويعزز شعور الانتماء لديك كانك انت من ربحت فالانسان يربط نفسه بوطنه وعائلته وقبيلته... / مثال اخر اعلان سيارة معها عارضة جميلة تلقى اهتماما اكبر من اعلان سيارة بدون عارضة... هذا يجعل المستغلين
يستخدمون اشخاص شكلهم جميل لترويج سلعهم واشخاص يشبهون المستهلك المستهدف
-قانون السلطة. نحن نخضع للسلطة منذ طفولتنا المدرسة ثم نكبر فنخضع لسلطة الطبيب والمحامي والاستاذ هذا يعطل ملكات التفكير ويجعلنا نخضع للاوامر. لذا في الاعلانات قد يستخدمون ممثلا يلعب دور طبيب لكي يثبت فائدة منتوج معين
-قانون الندرة. كلما قل تواجد شيء زادت قيمته حتى لو كان طابع بريدي بدون فائدة وكلما زادت المنافسة على منتوج زاد الاقبال عليه وكلما وجدت مصاعب ومشاكل للحصول على شخص نحبه كبر في اعيننا وكلما تم حظر معلومة زادت الرغبة في الوصول اليها. كل هذا يستعمل كوسيلة لترويج السلع
...
August 18, 2024
Interesting (but slightly saddening) how our tendencies to seek mental shortcuts in decision-making are consistently exploited by marketeers. Many open doors, but well structured and with a lot of fascinating examples
Ah the comforts of mindless consistency
Definitely one of the most interesting and useful MBA reads! 👨🏽🎓📈💰
This will be more a brain dump than a fully structured review but Robert B. Cialdini argues that there are 7 archetype ways in which people can influence each other:
These 7 tactics to get people doing what you want are:
- Reciprocity
- Liking
- Social proof
- Commitment and consistency
- Authority
- Scarcity
- Unity
General
Foundationally these are based on automatic behavior and compliance responses we all have.
An example would be a rule of thumb, like Expensive equals Good, with price alone becoming an indicator for quality. Which on average is generally true but can be easily misused by marketeers. Marketeers and sales people are called by Cialdini in Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion confusingly compliance professionals, which to me in a professional setting, dealing with banks and insurers, is something very different.
Judgemental heuristics - mental shortcuts based on stereotypes to make decisions faster and easier
Contrast principle, expensive products first make follow up products conceptually less expensive for potential buyers (anchoring)
If you want things to stay as they are, things need to change
Reciprocity
People like to believe what they like to believe
Reciprocity can serve to overcome (dis)liking of a person.
Thanking someone by saying “If the reverse ever happens I am sure you’d do the same” capitalises on reciprocity in an almost unthinking way.
Political donations being enormously correlated to favors by elected politicians to special interest groups. Free samples handed out in experiments increased purchasing chances by 42%
Solving a small problem for a guest promptly creates higher satisfaction than a seamless experience in a hotel.
Concessions need to be mirrored due to social demands, start high and move to your wanted offer to leverage this technique. However if the first request is not seen as realistic this effect does not work.
Contrast, ask for more, show something expensive, and then move to the objective you really want
Liking
People don’t sue doctors they like
Good-looking equals good through a halo effect, similarity, compliment people (praise does not need to be accurate to work).
Altercasting, compliment someone on a trait you want him or her to show more of, give the person a reputation (hard worker, conscientious, creative, reliable) to live up to, making saying no very hard. Interesting technique for any manager (or even spouse) to start using.
Familiarity creates greater liking, repeat a lie (or more neutrally called a narrative) often enough and people on average start to like the concept more. However exposure to frustating situations creates the opposite effect.
Good cop, bad cop is also a clear example of this principle, as are shoot the messengers, guilt by association, horn effect.
People assume we have the same personality traits as our friends.
Positive credit card experiences lead to higher spending if people just see the logos at their tip tray, even if they pay with cash.
Eating food with someone increases liking, with negative odors reducing liking.
Connect oneself via we and name dropping with winners and via they remove oneself from losers (often seen in sports).
Check if liking developed quicker than expected and if so, separate the object/service from the vendor in terms of merit/cost evaluation.
Social proof
To get along, you go along
Social proof, increasing selling of products (like restaurant options) by labelling them as most popular
Netflix most popular series becoming more viral because of the publication of the ranking
Queues at restaurants and nightclubs drive higher revenues
Recruiting for sales people due to high demand of vehicles increased sales of cars as well
Remove uncertainty and articulate what help you need from who to ensure social proof is not turned against oneself (people ignore emergencies if they are unsure about situations).
Validity and feasibility being communicated by social proof (it’s reasonable and feasible for me to do).
Peer-suasion, with observing similar people driving compliance much more effective than expert opinions
Capitalise on future growth and social proof, join the winning team!
Authority
Authority: persons in authority within an organization versus persons with authority about a subject (can overlap).
Reference a negative in a proposal before mentioning the key positives to establish credibility and trustworthiness. Like Buffet, mention a mistake, making your succes more credible.
Or a waiter who says: that dish is not that good tonight, maybe take “slightly cheaper dish x”. Showing himself as an expert and as someone on the side of the customer, leading higher conversion on wine recommendations (much higher in value) later on during the dinner.
Scarcity
Opportunities seem more valueable when they are less available
Scarcity, using loss aversion as a tool to get people to appreciate an asset more when there is a risk that they will lose it/not be able to obtain it
“We have a deal, which we will loose if you don’t agree” increases close rates of divorce settlements enormously
Make people unable to think through purchase decisions
Limited supply appeals are more effective than limited time appeals
People feel they lose freedoms, inciting actions. With teenagers and kids at two this is also very clear.
Response to banned information is both wanting it more and being more favorable towards the information.
If the information about scarcity of a product is scarce/limited itself, the incremental effect can be very big on sales
But off course you are free to decline has a strong impact on sales as well, giving the consumer a feeling of choice
Improvements in economic circumstances, followed by reversals, lead to revolutions and domestic uprising more often than full-on, linear economic degradation
When it comes to freedoms it’s more dangerous to have given for a limited time than not haven given freedoms at all.
It’s amazing how strongly people react when you try to take something away, even if they never use it.
Use loss-leaders, where people buy indiscriminate to offset the feeling of loss, having missed an especially good deal, combining scarcity and rivalry.
Schedule viewings at the same time to ensure high conversion (something real estate agents know all too well).
Satisfaction with function of scarce products doesn’t change, e.g. a scarce cookie is not evaluated as tastier. Evaluate if a product has a social value or if you want it primarily for its function.
Commitment and consistency
Desire to be and appear consistent, when someone was asked to watch stuff in an experiment they ran after a thief 95% of the time, versus 20% initially
Toy manufacturers supplying “it-toys” less before Christmas to cash in on parents their promises in January and February (with parents naturally buying different, but similar toys before Christmas as a compensation to their kids).
What was it that made you choose me? Can also be used in a job interview and increases conversion by 10% to 19%
Small, in themselves harmless, commitments can change self image and future behavior, with simple petition signing increasing later donations and actions enormously
Foot in the door strategy and slippery slope tactics
Saying that your negotiation partner is known for fairness and being reasonable increased the chance of them acting this manner.
Ask people to set goals for themselves and ask them to write them down/make those public, to ensure commitment. Even just making the customer filling out an order form decreases returns.
Secret ballots versus hand raising makes juries and committees make people more likely to switch positions
Will you please call us when you can’t make it? in terms of formulation versus Call us when you can’t make it decreased no shows at restaurants by 2/3.
People who go through pain and efforts to get something value it more, explaining hazing ceremonies. Large rewards are antithetical to this, as they allow subjects to rationalise that they only did the act for the reward or due to the circumstances, going against the concept of a person willingly and freely committing to a course of action.
Low balling, ensuring a customer commits to a purchase, and than change the terms later when the customer already rationalised the purchase
People above 50 show highest desire to be (seem as) consistent
Unity
Tribalism is human nature.
Newest section and least clear to me as a concept.
Unity, that person is one of us (compared to reciprocity towards people who are like me). Think of a family member with a number of hobbies and preferences different to oneself, but who still is much closer in felt identity than people more similar to us.
Affinity schemes, people trying to profit of other people of their ethnicity
Racial backgrounds of elite referees influences the calling fouls at a statistical significant level
Emphasizing partnerships and friendships is more powerful to persuade than threats or a rational approach.
Dogs and their bosses being cross species influenced to yawn
Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger using the language of unity, aligning themselves fully with their shareholders. Or in 2015: I’ll tell you what I would tell my family on the future of Berkshire Hathaway
Walking in sync and singing together leads to higher level of cooperation and sacrifice
80% of songs have romance as a topic, showing the link between singing and emotions
Reciprocal self disclosure, taking turns, forms an enormous level of depth in relationships, even when used with test subjects who don’t know each other at all.
Suffering together creates bonds as well, as even Shakespeare notes in Henry V
Ikea effect, people growing attached to what they had a hand in creating
Asking for advice leads to higher feelings of co-creation and support.
Ah the comforts of mindless consistency
Definitely one of the most interesting and useful MBA reads! 👨🏽🎓📈💰
This will be more a brain dump than a fully structured review but Robert B. Cialdini argues that there are 7 archetype ways in which people can influence each other:
These 7 tactics to get people doing what you want are:
- Reciprocity
- Liking
- Social proof
- Commitment and consistency
- Authority
- Scarcity
- Unity
General
Foundationally these are based on automatic behavior and compliance responses we all have.
An example would be a rule of thumb, like Expensive equals Good, with price alone becoming an indicator for quality. Which on average is generally true but can be easily misused by marketeers. Marketeers and sales people are called by Cialdini in Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion confusingly compliance professionals, which to me in a professional setting, dealing with banks and insurers, is something very different.
Judgemental heuristics - mental shortcuts based on stereotypes to make decisions faster and easier
Contrast principle, expensive products first make follow up products conceptually less expensive for potential buyers (anchoring)
If you want things to stay as they are, things need to change
Reciprocity
People like to believe what they like to believe
Reciprocity can serve to overcome (dis)liking of a person.
Thanking someone by saying “If the reverse ever happens I am sure you’d do the same” capitalises on reciprocity in an almost unthinking way.
Political donations being enormously correlated to favors by elected politicians to special interest groups. Free samples handed out in experiments increased purchasing chances by 42%
Solving a small problem for a guest promptly creates higher satisfaction than a seamless experience in a hotel.
Concessions need to be mirrored due to social demands, start high and move to your wanted offer to leverage this technique. However if the first request is not seen as realistic this effect does not work.
Contrast, ask for more, show something expensive, and then move to the objective you really want
Liking
People don’t sue doctors they like
Good-looking equals good through a halo effect, similarity, compliment people (praise does not need to be accurate to work).
Altercasting, compliment someone on a trait you want him or her to show more of, give the person a reputation (hard worker, conscientious, creative, reliable) to live up to, making saying no very hard. Interesting technique for any manager (or even spouse) to start using.
Familiarity creates greater liking, repeat a lie (or more neutrally called a narrative) often enough and people on average start to like the concept more. However exposure to frustating situations creates the opposite effect.
Good cop, bad cop is also a clear example of this principle, as are shoot the messengers, guilt by association, horn effect.
People assume we have the same personality traits as our friends.
Positive credit card experiences lead to higher spending if people just see the logos at their tip tray, even if they pay with cash.
Eating food with someone increases liking, with negative odors reducing liking.
Connect oneself via we and name dropping with winners and via they remove oneself from losers (often seen in sports).
Check if liking developed quicker than expected and if so, separate the object/service from the vendor in terms of merit/cost evaluation.
Social proof
To get along, you go along
Social proof, increasing selling of products (like restaurant options) by labelling them as most popular
Netflix most popular series becoming more viral because of the publication of the ranking
Queues at restaurants and nightclubs drive higher revenues
Recruiting for sales people due to high demand of vehicles increased sales of cars as well
Remove uncertainty and articulate what help you need from who to ensure social proof is not turned against oneself (people ignore emergencies if they are unsure about situations).
Validity and feasibility being communicated by social proof (it’s reasonable and feasible for me to do).
Peer-suasion, with observing similar people driving compliance much more effective than expert opinions
Capitalise on future growth and social proof, join the winning team!
Authority
Authority: persons in authority within an organization versus persons with authority about a subject (can overlap).
Reference a negative in a proposal before mentioning the key positives to establish credibility and trustworthiness. Like Buffet, mention a mistake, making your succes more credible.
Or a waiter who says: that dish is not that good tonight, maybe take “slightly cheaper dish x”. Showing himself as an expert and as someone on the side of the customer, leading higher conversion on wine recommendations (much higher in value) later on during the dinner.
Scarcity
Opportunities seem more valueable when they are less available
Scarcity, using loss aversion as a tool to get people to appreciate an asset more when there is a risk that they will lose it/not be able to obtain it
“We have a deal, which we will loose if you don’t agree” increases close rates of divorce settlements enormously
Make people unable to think through purchase decisions
Limited supply appeals are more effective than limited time appeals
People feel they lose freedoms, inciting actions. With teenagers and kids at two this is also very clear.
Response to banned information is both wanting it more and being more favorable towards the information.
If the information about scarcity of a product is scarce/limited itself, the incremental effect can be very big on sales
But off course you are free to decline has a strong impact on sales as well, giving the consumer a feeling of choice
Improvements in economic circumstances, followed by reversals, lead to revolutions and domestic uprising more often than full-on, linear economic degradation
When it comes to freedoms it’s more dangerous to have given for a limited time than not haven given freedoms at all.
It’s amazing how strongly people react when you try to take something away, even if they never use it.
Use loss-leaders, where people buy indiscriminate to offset the feeling of loss, having missed an especially good deal, combining scarcity and rivalry.
Schedule viewings at the same time to ensure high conversion (something real estate agents know all too well).
Satisfaction with function of scarce products doesn’t change, e.g. a scarce cookie is not evaluated as tastier. Evaluate if a product has a social value or if you want it primarily for its function.
Commitment and consistency
Desire to be and appear consistent, when someone was asked to watch stuff in an experiment they ran after a thief 95% of the time, versus 20% initially
Toy manufacturers supplying “it-toys” less before Christmas to cash in on parents their promises in January and February (with parents naturally buying different, but similar toys before Christmas as a compensation to their kids).
What was it that made you choose me? Can also be used in a job interview and increases conversion by 10% to 19%
Small, in themselves harmless, commitments can change self image and future behavior, with simple petition signing increasing later donations and actions enormously
Foot in the door strategy and slippery slope tactics
Saying that your negotiation partner is known for fairness and being reasonable increased the chance of them acting this manner.
Ask people to set goals for themselves and ask them to write them down/make those public, to ensure commitment. Even just making the customer filling out an order form decreases returns.
Secret ballots versus hand raising makes juries and committees make people more likely to switch positions
Will you please call us when you can’t make it? in terms of formulation versus Call us when you can’t make it decreased no shows at restaurants by 2/3.
People who go through pain and efforts to get something value it more, explaining hazing ceremonies. Large rewards are antithetical to this, as they allow subjects to rationalise that they only did the act for the reward or due to the circumstances, going against the concept of a person willingly and freely committing to a course of action.
Low balling, ensuring a customer commits to a purchase, and than change the terms later when the customer already rationalised the purchase
People above 50 show highest desire to be (seem as) consistent
Unity
Tribalism is human nature.
Newest section and least clear to me as a concept.
Unity, that person is one of us (compared to reciprocity towards people who are like me). Think of a family member with a number of hobbies and preferences different to oneself, but who still is much closer in felt identity than people more similar to us.
Affinity schemes, people trying to profit of other people of their ethnicity
Racial backgrounds of elite referees influences the calling fouls at a statistical significant level
Emphasizing partnerships and friendships is more powerful to persuade than threats or a rational approach.
Dogs and their bosses being cross species influenced to yawn
Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger using the language of unity, aligning themselves fully with their shareholders. Or in 2015: I’ll tell you what I would tell my family on the future of Berkshire Hathaway
Walking in sync and singing together leads to higher level of cooperation and sacrifice
80% of songs have romance as a topic, showing the link between singing and emotions
Reciprocal self disclosure, taking turns, forms an enormous level of depth in relationships, even when used with test subjects who don’t know each other at all.
Suffering together creates bonds as well, as even Shakespeare notes in Henry V
Ikea effect, people growing attached to what they had a hand in creating
Asking for advice leads to higher feelings of co-creation and support.
December 4, 2013
Required reading for all marketing professionals. The book details the most common approaches to influencing the decisions of others, backed up by the authors time spent infiltrating direct marketing companies and the like. Offers handy hints on how to spot when you're being manipulated and how to handle it.
A very enjoyable read, should leave you much more aware of how you're being played next time you're in the market for a used car.
A very enjoyable read, should leave you much more aware of how you're being played next time you're in the market for a used car.
March 11, 2020
Да си го кажем направо - някои хора не мислят много. Не защото ги боли глава, а просто защото са прости. Това което сложните (т.е. тия дето не са прости) хора рядко забелязват обаче е, че и те самите често не мислят много.
Това е поради устройството на мозъка ни и начина, по който е организирана работата му - в много ситуации той предлага автоматични, бързи реакции и решения, вместо бавни, сложни и обмислени. Което е логично, като се замислиш - тия от пещерните ни предци, които много са се замисляли над това какъв ще да е тоя шум в храстите, вместо направо да бягат, са били изядени от саблезъби тигри отдавна.
Склонността на хората да вземат инстинктивни решения, да правят оценки без замисляне, да избират автоматично в различни ситуации е отдавна известна на тия, които си изкарват хляба с това да убеждават.
Политици, търговци и бизнесмени може да не са наясно с невробиологията и невропсихологията на човешкия мозък, но от хиляди години намират и използват техники, с които да се възползват от "автоматичния" му режим за да убедят притежателите му да направят каквото те желаят.
Дали с хитро подбрани въпроси политикът ще те подтикне към определени емоции по даден въпрос, дали продавачът на коли ще ти праща картичка за Коледа всяка година за да ти стане симпатичен, дали най-евтиното кисело мляко в големите магазини ще е със съвсем безлична кофичка, за да не го купи никой, който може да си позволи по-скъпо...
Влияние - психологията на убеждаването е страхотна книга за решенията които вземаме всеки ден и начина, по който (не) мислим. И как да почнем да мислим или поне да се опитаме (щото инстинктите не са в главата ни от хиляди години случайно).
Това е поради устройството на мозъка ни и начина, по който е организирана работата му - в много ситуации той предлага автоматични, бързи реакции и решения, вместо бавни, сложни и обмислени. Което е логично, като се замислиш - тия от пещерните ни предци, които много са се замисляли над това какъв ще да е тоя шум в храстите, вместо направо да бягат, са били изядени от саблезъби тигри отдавна.
Склонността на хората да вземат инстинктивни решения, да правят оценки без замисляне, да избират автоматично в различни ситуации е отдавна известна на тия, които си изкарват хляба с това да убеждават.
Политици, търговци и бизнесмени може да не са наясно с невробиологията и невропсихологията на човешкия мозък, но от хиляди години намират и използват техники, с които да се възползват от "автоматичния" му режим за да убедят притежателите му да направят каквото те желаят.
Дали с хитро подбрани въпроси политикът ще те подтикне към определени емоции по даден въпрос, дали продавачът на коли ще ти праща картичка за Коледа всяка година за да ти стане симпатичен, дали най-евтиното кисело мляко в големите магазини ще е със съвсем безлична кофичка, за да не го купи никой, който може да си позволи по-скъпо...
Влияние - психологията на убеждаването е страхотна книга за решенията които вземаме всеки ден и начина, по който (не) мислим. И как да почнем да мислим или поне да се опитаме (щото инстинктите не са в главата ни от хиляди години случайно).
April 30, 2016
A couple of months ago, I read somewhere that when it comes to the psychology of persuasion and influence, Cialdini is the “daddy” of this subject. I chuckled and moved on. But then, a few days ago I found myself in a bookstore holding this book and heading to the counter. I came back home, and devoured it chapter by chapter, awestruck and flabbergasted by the sheer brilliance of the psychology of persuasion. Cialdini is no novice, apart from being an academic scholar and researcher who conducted innumerable experiments over the course of his career; He spent three years, in field, researching for this book. He entered into programs offered by different business enterprises and marketing agencies to train sales staff and dealers in ‘the art of persuasion’. Cialdini explains the science at work behind the curtains of this ‘art show’ in this book.
We live in a consumer society. Our markets survive and thrive on mass consumption of products that are neither necessities nor luxury, but still they find their way to our homes right through our pockets. Why and how it happens, how we are convinced and persuaded to do something we really don’t need or want to do? Why in certain situations we are unable to fight the temptation to buy something we have no use of? How exactly do we fall for these marketing gimmicks? This book has the answer.
For our convenience, our brain has evolved some fixed-action patterns, patterns that we follow almost blindly without any recourse to reason or logic. Why we do this? Because our brain has been programmed this way and because by doing this we don’t have to think too hard, it seems natural and effortless, almost as if it is the most obvious and right thing to do. This ‘shortcut’ of ours is exploited, almost everyday by people who are trying to sell us something.
Cialdini repeatedly uses the term ‘click, whirr’, which explains our behavior patterns when we encounter a situation for which we have a ‘programmed reaction’. What the situation does is that it appeals to our conscious mind with a red-flag-signal. A file is ‘clicked open’ as a result, and ‘whirr’… out rolls the standard sequence of behaviors.
The other important principles that marketing agents employ to get our assent are: Reciprocation, Commitment and Consistency, Friendliness, Authority and Scarcity.
These are the shortcuts our brain is evolved to rely upon for making quick smart decisions, and it is by manipulating these very ‘click, whirr’ responses that we are compelled to say yes, even when we don’t want or need to.
The synthesis of his entire research has been divided and assembled in 7 chapters. Each chapter explaining, through case studies, social experiments, research and psychological analysis of human behavior, different methods and tact with which we are convinced to do or not do a certain thing.
This book has a lot in common with Daniel Kahnemans’ “Thinking, fast and slow” which is one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend these two books to anyone who is interested in behavioral psychology.
June 6, 2021
لماذا اشتريت هذا المُنتج؟
لأنني احتاجه.
هكذا يجب أن تكون الإجابة، بسيطة ومباشرة. بدلاً من ذلك، تواجهنا أحياناً بعض الإجابات الظريفة:
لماذا اشتريت المُنتج؟
كان آخر قطعة متوفرة.
كان هناك تخفيض كبير على ثمنه.
قدم لنا المتجر الكثير من العينات المجانية.
كان هناك ازدحام شديد على شراءه.
كانت البائعة جميلة / كان البائع لطيفاً.
حسب رأي كالديني، نميل نحن البشر إلى استخدام بعض الاختصارات في اتخاذ القرار بدلاً من التفكير المعقد في كل مسألة تعرض لنا. وعليه فإننا نعتاد على إصدار ردود أفعال معينة عند التعرض لمحفزات معينة. مثلاً عندما يعطينا أحدٌ شيئأً فإننا نحاول أن نعطيه بالمثل. إذا شعرنا أن ثمة شيء أصبح نادراً، ترتفع قيمته في أذهاننا...إلخ. بناءً على هذه القواعد، تتم عمليات الإقناع التجارية وغيرها. يهدف الكتاب إلى سرد هذه القوانين مع أمثلة عليها ،متبوعة بنصائح لتجنب الوقوع في شراكها. يحتوي الكتاب على قصص حصلت للكاتب وكذلك رسائل من القراء يؤكدون فيها على أفكار الكتاب.
أغلب التقنيات الواردة في الكتاب معروفة ولكن من المفيد استيعاب المبادئ التي بُنيت عليها، طرق تطبيقها والتغلب عليها. ظننت أن الكتاب يتحدث عن أساليب الإقناع بصفة عامة لكن الكتاب ركّز على التطبيقات التسويقية بشكل خاص. أضف إلى ذلك أن أساليب التسويق تطورت بشكل مخيف منذ صدور الكتاب. ومع ذلك فأنني أضمن أنك ستصبح بائعاً أكثر براعة، وزبوناً أكثر حذقاً إذا قرأت هذا الكتاب وطبقت ما فيه.
لأنني احتاجه.
هكذا يجب أن تكون الإجابة، بسيطة ومباشرة. بدلاً من ذلك، تواجهنا أحياناً بعض الإجابات الظريفة:
لماذا اشتريت المُنتج؟
كان آخر قطعة متوفرة.
كان هناك تخفيض كبير على ثمنه.
قدم لنا المتجر الكثير من العينات المجانية.
كان هناك ازدحام شديد على شراءه.
كانت البائعة جميلة / كان البائع لطيفاً.
حسب رأي كالديني، نميل نحن البشر إلى استخدام بعض الاختصارات في اتخاذ القرار بدلاً من التفكير المعقد في كل مسألة تعرض لنا. وعليه فإننا نعتاد على إصدار ردود أفعال معينة عند التعرض لمحفزات معينة. مثلاً عندما يعطينا أحدٌ شيئأً فإننا نحاول أن نعطيه بالمثل. إذا شعرنا أن ثمة شيء أصبح نادراً، ترتفع قيمته في أذهاننا...إلخ. بناءً على هذه القواعد، تتم عمليات الإقناع التجارية وغيرها. يهدف الكتاب إلى سرد هذه القوانين مع أمثلة عليها ،متبوعة بنصائح لتجنب الوقوع في شراكها. يحتوي الكتاب على قصص حصلت للكاتب وكذلك رسائل من القراء يؤكدون فيها على أفكار الكتاب.
أغلب التقنيات الواردة في الكتاب معروفة ولكن من المفيد استيعاب المبادئ التي بُنيت عليها، طرق تطبيقها والتغلب عليها. ظننت أن الكتاب يتحدث عن أساليب الإقناع بصفة عامة لكن الكتاب ركّز على التطبيقات التسويقية بشكل خاص. أضف إلى ذلك أن أساليب التسويق تطورت بشكل مخيف منذ صدور الكتاب. ومع ذلك فأنني أضمن أنك ستصبح بائعاً أكثر براعة، وزبوناً أكثر حذقاً إذا قرأت هذا الكتاب وطبقت ما فيه.
February 2, 2018
Yesterday I had to kill a couple hours, and happened to have this tiny audiobook on my phone. it turned out to be an instructive read.
The author offered six principles of influence, i.e. getting people to comply or say yes: reciprocation, scarcity, authority, consensus, commitment and liking. he identified three agents who apply these principles with various degree of success, a bungler, a smuggler, and a sleuth; this was an alternative approach to give application tips than, say, using to-do and not-to-do lists.
The examples were mostly business cases, although according to the author the principles also apply to other facets of life.
Here are some practical tips included:
-One can sell more expensive item by showing the top-of-the-line first and then working down.
-When someone thanks you for a sizable favor you did him, instead of saying "it was nothing", say "listen, you'd do the same for me" to remind the person to reciprocate in the future.
-When selling something, highlight the benefits the person stands to lose by not choosing your product, as people are more motivated by the thought of losing something than that of gaining something.
-A leader, instead of simply using a poll, should communicate to the team that each member's input will be a factor into the equation of a decision, although might not be the deciding factor.
-A commitment will most likely produce lasting changes when it's active, public and voluntary.
-The factors that lead to liking: similarity, praise and Cooperation.
I would not disagree that those are little more than common sense, and one must have read iterations of them in other psychology self-help books.
Also the six principles are no way exhaustive in the arts of influencing.
And yet this was a nice little framework, and to me, there would have certainly been less fun ways to pass time than listening to this book.
The author offered six principles of influence, i.e. getting people to comply or say yes: reciprocation, scarcity, authority, consensus, commitment and liking. he identified three agents who apply these principles with various degree of success, a bungler, a smuggler, and a sleuth; this was an alternative approach to give application tips than, say, using to-do and not-to-do lists.
The examples were mostly business cases, although according to the author the principles also apply to other facets of life.
Here are some practical tips included:
-One can sell more expensive item by showing the top-of-the-line first and then working down.
-When someone thanks you for a sizable favor you did him, instead of saying "it was nothing", say "listen, you'd do the same for me" to remind the person to reciprocate in the future.
-When selling something, highlight the benefits the person stands to lose by not choosing your product, as people are more motivated by the thought of losing something than that of gaining something.
-A leader, instead of simply using a poll, should communicate to the team that each member's input will be a factor into the equation of a decision, although might not be the deciding factor.
-A commitment will most likely produce lasting changes when it's active, public and voluntary.
-The factors that lead to liking: similarity, praise and Cooperation.
I would not disagree that those are little more than common sense, and one must have read iterations of them in other psychology self-help books.
Also the six principles are no way exhaustive in the arts of influencing.
And yet this was a nice little framework, and to me, there would have certainly been less fun ways to pass time than listening to this book.
July 1, 2019
Not a runaway train of rapturousness like 1776, Moneyball, or Outliers, but like Anna Karenina it seems to encompass all of life and address all of life's important issues.
I would recommend this to anyone, and will definitely listen to it again.
I tired one of his techniques on a colleague I had been chasing for week, and it worked like a charm within an hour, so 1 for 1.
I would recommend this to anyone, and will definitely listen to it again.
I tired one of his techniques on a colleague I had been chasing for week, and it worked like a charm within an hour, so 1 for 1.
September 11, 2019
Psychological studies like a Malcolm Gladwell style. It's taken me a long time to get through it.
Unfortunately a bunch of the topics mentioned I've learned from taking Psychology in University.
It had interesting information but I feel it really drags on each topic.
Clothiers know to sell the most expensive item first because the accessories are cheaper in comparison and they're more likely to buy them as well. Instead of buy cheap, then expensive.
When you ask for a favour don't just say can I print out these copies and jump in line? instead use the magic word "because, because I'm in a rush. It's effective just using the word because. Even if you say because I need to print these people would still allow you to jump the line.
Unfortunately a bunch of the topics mentioned I've learned from taking Psychology in University.
It had interesting information but I feel it really drags on each topic.
Clothiers know to sell the most expensive item first because the accessories are cheaper in comparison and they're more likely to buy them as well. Instead of buy cheap, then expensive.
When you ask for a favour don't just say can I print out these copies and jump in line? instead use the magic word "because, because I'm in a rush. It's effective just using the word because. Even if you say because I need to print these people would still allow you to jump the line.
September 25, 2024
Yesterday, I received a packet addressed to my late father from the Boys Town charity full of greeting cards, two pens, and other free gifts. I suspected the charity had an angle to doing this and my suspicions were confirmed when I read this book's chapter on reciprocation as a means to manipulate people by making them feel obligated by giving free gifts. The methods of influence discussed in the book are used from everyone from Chinese Communists to used car salespeople. I am not the wisest person in the world but I can be wised up by writers like Robert B. Cialdini. I never knew televangelist Billy Graham used ringers to put money in collection plates in order to get others at his crusades to cough up money or how high demand Christmas toys are understocked until they miraculously appear in abundance come January. These marketers use sophisticated ploys that exploit the human mind's tendency to go automatic rather than do any thinking. This was an enlightening and fascinating book that everyone must at least skim over.
August 25, 2013
رغم أن الكتاب في مجال التأثير وإغراء الناس( وليس إقناعهم) إلا أنه يعتبر مرجع جيد في مجال علم النفس الاجتماعي. أسلوبه جميل وواضح وأمثلته متنوعة حية مشاهدة. وأما تلك التي من عالم الأسماك والمخلوقات البرية فممتعة :-)
أظن أن المهتمين بعلم النفس الاجتماعي لن يجدوا فيه جديدا ولكن ترتيبا لبعض الأفكار. اللهم إلا أن يكونوا ابتدءوا به
أظن أن المهتمين بعلم النفس الاجتماعي لن يجدوا فيه جديدا ولكن ترتيبا لبعض الأفكار. اللهم إلا أن يكونوا ابتدءوا به
September 11, 2016
It's sometimes insightful but it seems to be written for a "young adult" reader and it seems to pander to the audience. I keep finding myself wishing it were better researched and better reasoned. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that such a popular book is so loaded with conventional wisdom and random assumptions presented as quasi-scientific.
What made me about apoplectic is that his fifth edition continues his inaccurate presentation of the Catherine Genovese myth despite that it has been widely discredited.
It's kind of disappointing. I'd recommend it to people as being worth reading but I strongly wish it were more academically rigorous. It's not nice to say but the guy comes across sometimes as kind of flaky and not that smart. Perhaps he's just as much of a chump when it comes to ideas as he says he is when it comes to complying with the requests of other people.
By the last couple of chapters I couldn't stand it anymore. I basically quickly skimmed them. The chapters on Authority and Scarcity are all over the place. The fifth edition, with its extensive editing, shouldn't be this sloppy. I think it would have been better if he had simply rewritten it because aside from all of the forced conclusions and so forth, the mixture of outdated references and haphazardly injected contemporary material feels schizophrenic.
It's hard not to dislike this guy just for his inane bio on the back cover as it is vomit-inducingly cutesy.
What made me about apoplectic is that his fifth edition continues his inaccurate presentation of the Catherine Genovese myth despite that it has been widely discredited.
It's kind of disappointing. I'd recommend it to people as being worth reading but I strongly wish it were more academically rigorous. It's not nice to say but the guy comes across sometimes as kind of flaky and not that smart. Perhaps he's just as much of a chump when it comes to ideas as he says he is when it comes to complying with the requests of other people.
By the last couple of chapters I couldn't stand it anymore. I basically quickly skimmed them. The chapters on Authority and Scarcity are all over the place. The fifth edition, with its extensive editing, shouldn't be this sloppy. I think it would have been better if he had simply rewritten it because aside from all of the forced conclusions and so forth, the mixture of outdated references and haphazardly injected contemporary material feels schizophrenic.
It's hard not to dislike this guy just for his inane bio on the back cover as it is vomit-inducingly cutesy.
August 9, 2007
Social Proof - People will do things that they see other people are doing. For example, in one experiment, one or more accomplices would look up into the sky; the more accomplices the more likely people would 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.
Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware–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.
Reciprocity - People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing.
Commitment and Consistency - If people agree to make a commitment toward a goal or idea, they are more likely to honor that commitment. However, if the 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.
Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts.
Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware–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.
Reciprocity - People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing.
Commitment and Consistency - If people agree to make a commitment toward a goal or idea, they are more likely to honor that commitment. However, if the 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.
Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts.
November 14, 2022
Бас л хүн бүр уншууштай ном. Та хүсээгүй эсвэл төлөвлөөгүй худалдан авалт хийх бүртээ, бусдын ятгалаганд орох болгондоо яаж яваад "за" эсвэл "тэгье" гэж хэлэхэд хүрснээ гайхдаг бол энэ номыг санал болгоё. Бусдын далд ятгалганд өртөхгүй байх, бусдыг өөрийн талд эргүүлэх маш олон арга байдгаас хамгийн ихээр хэрэглэгддэг хэдийг нь тайлбарлан өгүүлсэн. Маш сонирхолтой сэтгэлзүйн ном байна аа.
За тэгээд заримаас нь дурдаад явчихъя өө.
1. Contrast буюу харьцуулалтын зарчим
Хүний тархи гэдэг аль болох хялбархнаар шийдвэр гаргах арга замыг хайж байдаг гэнэ. Тиймээс аливаа шийдвэрийг гаргахдаа өмнө нь тааралдаж байсан жишээтэй хариуцуулж үзсэний дараа шийдвэрээ гаргадаг байна. Мэдээж энэ процесс ихэнхдээ далд ухамсрын төвшинд явагдах тул та яг яагаад нэгийг нөгөөгөөс нь илүүд үзэх болсоноо анзаардаггүй өнгөрдөг. Жишээ нь: Үл хөдлөх хөрөнгийн реалтор үйлчлүүлэгчдээ эхлээд нилээн үнэтэй хэдий ч үзэмж чанар муутай байшин үзүүлнэ. Үүний дараа өмнөх байшинг бодвол хамаагүй чанартай ч үнэ мөн хямдавтар байшинг үзүүлэхэд үйлчлүүлэгчид 2 дахь шууд л таалагдах болно. Мөн тасаалгааны темпертуртай ус эхлээд гараа халуун усанд дүрсний дараа хүйтэн мэт санагдах боловч хүйтэн усанд дүрсний дараа халуун мэт санагддаг шүү дээ. Энэ мэт яг хүссэн зүйлээ авахын тулд түүнээсээ арай илүү үнэтэйг санал болгоод үүний дараа яг өөрийн хүссэнээ хэлэхэд эхнийхийг зөвшөөрөөгүй ч 2 дахь хүсэлтийг хүлээн авах магадлал тун өндөрсөх төдийгүй нөгөө хүн маань бидэнд дарааллан татгалзсан хариу өгөхийг хүсэзхгүй тул ихэвчлэн зөвшөөрөхөд хүрдэг гэнэ.
2. Reciprocity буюу Аяганы хариу өдөртөө зарчим
Их бага нь хамаагүй ч та эхлээд өгчихвөл дараа нь өөр том зүйлийг авахад илүү дөхөмтэй болно гэсэн үг. Та өөрөө ч мэдэлгүйгээр бусдаас авсан тусламжийнхаа хариуг заавал хариу барихаар хичээдэг шүүдээ. Яг энэ чанар угаас хүн төрөлхтний ясанд шингэсэн байдаг тул нөлөөлөл хамгийн өндөртэй нь орох байх шүү.
3. Commitment and Consistency буюу Эр хүн хэлсэндээ Эмээлт морь харайсандаа зарчим
Хүмүүс ямар нэг байдлаар бусдад амлалт өгсөн бол ихэвчлэн түүнийгээ биелүүлэхийг хичээдэг чанартай. Энэ нь дээрх зүйр үг шиг улс үндэстэн бүрт үүх түүхээс нь мах цусанд шингээстэй байдаг зарчмыг ашиглан та өөрийн муу зуршлаасаа гарч болох юм. Жишээлбэл тамхинаас гарахаар шийдсэн тухайгаа аль болох олон хүнд мэдэгдсэний дараа оролдого амжилттай болох магадлал хамаагүй ихэснэ гэсэн үг.
4. Social Proof
5. Liking: The friendly thief
6. Authority
7. Scarcity буюу онцгой эсвэл ховор байх тусмаа эрэлт ихэснэ
За тэгэхээр би гэдэг хүн өдөр тутамд хэн нэгний ятгалганд автан өөрийн хүсээгүй зүйлдээ зөвшөөрөхөд хүрдэг юм байна. Өөрт хэрэггүй эсвэл хэрэгцээнээсээ хэтэрсэн хэмжээний хүнс, ногоо, хувцас худалдан авах, гоо сайхны бараанаас эхлээд л янз бүрийн үйлчилгээнд.
Харин одоо бол уншсан мэдлэгтээ тулгуурлан илүү ухаалаг, бодолтой шийдвэр гаргах болно оо. хохо :)
Ер нь та ч гэсэн уншаад үзээрэй. Их хэрэгтэй ном байна.
За тэгээд заримаас нь дурдаад явчихъя өө.
1. Contrast буюу харьцуулалтын зарчим
Хүний тархи гэдэг аль болох хялбархнаар шийдвэр гаргах арга замыг хайж байдаг гэнэ. Тиймээс аливаа шийдвэрийг гаргахдаа өмнө нь тааралдаж байсан жишээтэй хариуцуулж үзсэний дараа шийдвэрээ гаргадаг байна. Мэдээж энэ процесс ихэнхдээ далд ухамсрын төвшинд явагдах тул та яг яагаад нэгийг нөгөөгөөс нь илүүд үзэх болсоноо анзаардаггүй өнгөрдөг. Жишээ нь: Үл хөдлөх хөрөнгийн реалтор үйлчлүүлэгчдээ эхлээд нилээн үнэтэй хэдий ч үзэмж чанар муутай байшин үзүүлнэ. Үүний дараа өмнөх байшинг бодвол хамаагүй чанартай ч үнэ мөн хямдавтар байшинг үзүүлэхэд үйлчлүүлэгчид 2 дахь шууд л таалагдах болно. Мөн тасаалгааны темпертуртай ус эхлээд гараа халуун усанд дүрсний дараа хүйтэн мэт санагдах боловч хүйтэн усанд дүрсний дараа халуун мэт санагддаг шүү дээ. Энэ мэт яг хүссэн зүйлээ авахын тулд түүнээсээ арай илүү үнэтэйг санал болгоод үүний дараа яг өөрийн хүссэнээ хэлэхэд эхнийхийг зөвшөөрөөгүй ч 2 дахь хүсэлтийг хүлээн авах магадлал тун өндөрсөх төдийгүй нөгөө хүн маань бидэнд дарааллан татгалзсан хариу өгөхийг хүсэзхгүй тул ихэвчлэн зөвшөөрөхөд хүрдэг гэнэ.
2. Reciprocity буюу Аяганы хариу өдөртөө зарчим
Их бага нь хамаагүй ч та эхлээд өгчихвөл дараа нь өөр том зүйлийг авахад илүү дөхөмтэй болно гэсэн үг. Та өөрөө ч мэдэлгүйгээр бусдаас авсан тусламжийнхаа хариуг заавал хариу барихаар хичээдэг шүүдээ. Яг энэ чанар угаас хүн төрөлхтний ясанд шингэсэн байдаг тул нөлөөлөл хамгийн өндөртэй нь орох байх шүү.
3. Commitment and Consistency буюу Эр хүн хэлсэндээ Эмээлт морь харайсандаа зарчим
Хүмүүс ямар нэг байдлаар бусдад амлалт өгсөн бол ихэвчлэн түүнийгээ биелүүлэхийг хичээдэг чанартай. Энэ нь дээрх зүйр үг шиг улс үндэстэн бүрт үүх түүхээс нь мах цусанд шингээстэй байдаг зарчмыг ашиглан та өөрийн муу зуршлаасаа гарч болох юм. Жишээлбэл тамхинаас гарахаар шийдсэн тухайгаа аль болох олон хүнд мэдэгдсэний дараа оролдого амжилттай болох магадлал хамаагүй ихэснэ гэсэн үг.
4. Social Proof
5. Liking: The friendly thief
6. Authority
7. Scarcity буюу онцгой эсвэл ховор байх тусмаа эрэлт ихэснэ
За тэгэхээр би гэдэг хүн өдөр тутамд хэн нэгний ятгалганд автан өөрийн хүсээгүй зүйлдээ зөвшөөрөхөд хүрдэг юм байна. Өөрт хэрэггүй эсвэл хэрэгцээнээсээ хэтэрсэн хэмжээний хүнс, ногоо, хувцас худалдан авах, гоо сайхны бараанаас эхлээд л янз бүрийн үйлчилгээнд.
Харин одоо бол уншсан мэдлэгтээ тулгуурлан илүү ухаалаг, бодолтой шийдвэр гаргах болно оо. хохо :)
Ер нь та ч гэсэн уншаад үзээрэй. Их хэрэгтэй ном байна.
July 4, 2022
OT: Influence: Science and Practice
(first published in 1984)
This book deals with the techniques used to get people to agree to something, and with the psychological processes behind it. It also shows how to defend against certain communication techniques, or how to use them yourself to achieve the desired outcome in negotiations. But not only in a professional context. The content of this book is useful for all types of situations in which you interact with people, or even just process information that is brought to you with the intent of getting a certain reaction.
It’s the third time I’ve been reading this. It was first brought to my attention by a colleague a little over a decade ago, and I’m still a little baffled by his decision to lend me his copy. After all our respective jobs meant that we were often pitted against each other in negotiations. I guess he was just pretty confident in his negotiation skills. He told me he reads the book once a year.
Cialdini’s book looks at what he calls the six weapons of influence:
1. Reciprocation
2. Commitment and consistency
3. Social proof
4. Friendship/liking
5. Authority
6. Scarcity
There are others. But he sees those six as the most effective ones. And he has studied them for quite some time. The main point, as I take it, is that we are living in an age where we have access to more and more information all the time. Therefore we often have to rely on short-cuts to come to decisions. And while this is working just fine most of the time, sometimes someone comes along who knows how these short-cuts work and tries to exploit them. Watch out for those guys!
Some of the things described in this book are quite obvious. And Cialdini also uses repetition to drive home his point. However, after reading this for a third time already, and also considering I’ve been working in an environment where I was trained extensively in all matters of communication, I can’t really blame the book for not telling me something new. At this point it’s a little hard to tell how much of this seems obvious to me because of previous reads, or previous training, or just because it’s, well, obvious. But I remember clearly how I gobbled it all up, when I read this for the first time, and it��s also clear to me that some of it has made its way into how I use to communicate ever since.
This third read was a nice refresher. And it was again fun, mainly because of Cialdini’s humorous and sometimes self-deprecating approach to the subject matter, a certain fascination with his methods of research and study, and most of all because of all the real-life examples he uses to illustrate the concept. A couple of those are well-known instances of people having done something that seems to be completely illogical at first. Until you understand who or what made them do it. Other examples of such behavior you will not have heard of, but they also are often quite entertaining. Many of them are fascinating and some are also shocking or even tragic. Sometimes our short-cuts can trip us up badly. Sometimes it’s just about seeing the signs. The shortest way to a decision is not always the best one.
(first published in 1984)
This book deals with the techniques used to get people to agree to something, and with the psychological processes behind it. It also shows how to defend against certain communication techniques, or how to use them yourself to achieve the desired outcome in negotiations. But not only in a professional context. The content of this book is useful for all types of situations in which you interact with people, or even just process information that is brought to you with the intent of getting a certain reaction.
It’s the third time I’ve been reading this. It was first brought to my attention by a colleague a little over a decade ago, and I’m still a little baffled by his decision to lend me his copy. After all our respective jobs meant that we were often pitted against each other in negotiations. I guess he was just pretty confident in his negotiation skills. He told me he reads the book once a year.
Cialdini’s book looks at what he calls the six weapons of influence:
1. Reciprocation
2. Commitment and consistency
3. Social proof
4. Friendship/liking
5. Authority
6. Scarcity
There are others. But he sees those six as the most effective ones. And he has studied them for quite some time. The main point, as I take it, is that we are living in an age where we have access to more and more information all the time. Therefore we often have to rely on short-cuts to come to decisions. And while this is working just fine most of the time, sometimes someone comes along who knows how these short-cuts work and tries to exploit them. Watch out for those guys!
Some of the things described in this book are quite obvious. And Cialdini also uses repetition to drive home his point. However, after reading this for a third time already, and also considering I’ve been working in an environment where I was trained extensively in all matters of communication, I can’t really blame the book for not telling me something new. At this point it’s a little hard to tell how much of this seems obvious to me because of previous reads, or previous training, or just because it’s, well, obvious. But I remember clearly how I gobbled it all up, when I read this for the first time, and it��s also clear to me that some of it has made its way into how I use to communicate ever since.
This third read was a nice refresher. And it was again fun, mainly because of Cialdini’s humorous and sometimes self-deprecating approach to the subject matter, a certain fascination with his methods of research and study, and most of all because of all the real-life examples he uses to illustrate the concept. A couple of those are well-known instances of people having done something that seems to be completely illogical at first. Until you understand who or what made them do it. Other examples of such behavior you will not have heard of, but they also are often quite entertaining. Many of them are fascinating and some are also shocking or even tragic. Sometimes our short-cuts can trip us up badly. Sometimes it’s just about seeing the signs. The shortest way to a decision is not always the best one.
August 1, 2020
I read this book a second time--not realizing that I had read it 35 years ago! Again, I can give it a 5-star rating. This is a top-notch book on psychology, and seems quite comprehensive on the subject of how we are persuaded to do things. The book is fascinating and engaging.
Here are a few of the ways we are persuaded:
Reciprocation
Consistency acts as a shield against thought, and can be exploited. The book contains numerous examples of how we strain to stay consistent. Maybe, this is why so many Trump-supporters cannot break away from this fascist in the White House. Another important technique is to first obtain a small commitment, followed by ever-increasing commitments.
Social Proof
People look to others for guidance in their behaviors. It is so interesting that people will help others in distress if there are just a few bystanders. But if there are many bystanders, they won't think of helping, assuming others will step in.
Many copycat suicides are disguised as accidents. As a result, many innocent people also die in the resulting so-called "accidents".
Laugh tracks used to be very popular in TV shows. But they aren't new. In 1820, opera houses were hiring people who would applaud to instigate audience reactions. The phony applause grew to include laughing and weeping on cue, as well as calls of "encore".
Association Principle
People like to be associated with celebrities and famous events. For example, after the 1980 American Olympic hockey team victory over Russia's team, scalpers swarmed outside the hockey arena. They were selling $100 for a pair of ticket stubs.
During a California referendum on smoking in public places, a woman in LA was overheard saying: "It's a real tough decision. They've got big stars speaking for it, and big stars speaking against it. You don't know how to vote."
Scarce Commodity
My favorite example is a sales tactic used by toy sellers, with artificially-created scarcity. Parents promise their children a favored toy for Christmas. The toy is not available in toy stores before Christmas, so parents end up buying a substitute toy. Later, after the Christmas season, children remind their parents of their promise. So, parents have to return to the stores and buy the originally-promised toy!
Another marvelous story is about how the author's brother sold cars while in school. He advertised a car, and had three prospective buyers make appointments to see the car at the same time. This created intense competition due to scarcity. The buyers failed to realize that the competition's increased pressure had nothing to do with the merits of the car. People don't stop to think that the joy of a scarce commodity is NOT in experiencing it, but in POSSESSING it.
I cannot overstate how much fun this book is. Maybe this review will INFLUENCE you to read it! :-)
Here are a few of the ways we are persuaded:
Reciprocation
Consistency acts as a shield against thought, and can be exploited. The book contains numerous examples of how we strain to stay consistent. Maybe, this is why so many Trump-supporters cannot break away from this fascist in the White House. Another important technique is to first obtain a small commitment, followed by ever-increasing commitments.
Social Proof
People look to others for guidance in their behaviors. It is so interesting that people will help others in distress if there are just a few bystanders. But if there are many bystanders, they won't think of helping, assuming others will step in.
Many copycat suicides are disguised as accidents. As a result, many innocent people also die in the resulting so-called "accidents".
Laugh tracks used to be very popular in TV shows. But they aren't new. In 1820, opera houses were hiring people who would applaud to instigate audience reactions. The phony applause grew to include laughing and weeping on cue, as well as calls of "encore".
Association Principle
People like to be associated with celebrities and famous events. For example, after the 1980 American Olympic hockey team victory over Russia's team, scalpers swarmed outside the hockey arena. They were selling $100 for a pair of ticket stubs.
During a California referendum on smoking in public places, a woman in LA was overheard saying: "It's a real tough decision. They've got big stars speaking for it, and big stars speaking against it. You don't know how to vote."
Scarce Commodity
My favorite example is a sales tactic used by toy sellers, with artificially-created scarcity. Parents promise their children a favored toy for Christmas. The toy is not available in toy stores before Christmas, so parents end up buying a substitute toy. Later, after the Christmas season, children remind their parents of their promise. So, parents have to return to the stores and buy the originally-promised toy!
Another marvelous story is about how the author's brother sold cars while in school. He advertised a car, and had three prospective buyers make appointments to see the car at the same time. This created intense competition due to scarcity. The buyers failed to realize that the competition's increased pressure had nothing to do with the merits of the car. People don't stop to think that the joy of a scarce commodity is NOT in experiencing it, but in POSSESSING it.
I cannot overstate how much fun this book is. Maybe this review will INFLUENCE you to read it! :-)
August 10, 2009
So, I've read a fair amount of the literature about group dynamics and social influence, and taught classes that discussed and used it. So I thought I'd know much of what was in this book already. While I was familiar with some of it, there were a number of tricks I hadn't noticed, and excellent descriptions of the ones I had, complete with explanations. Definitely worth reading!
Influence describes the six categories of techniques that have the potential to influence us without our conscious awareness. One, for example, is the mark of authority -- people are more likely to follow directions and suggestions given by someone with a title (Dr., Judge) than otherwise. The same applies to suggestions given by people who dress as if they are in the successful upper-class, or who are acknowledged authorities in some field (it doesn't have to be the one under discussion). What makes the book interesting (besides the highly useful listing of techniques and defenses) is the additional research -- including the surveys showing that people *are* in fact completely unaware that they're doing it. When asked about an experiment, they will insist that the given technique won't work, but when actually involved in the experiment, will fall for it almost every time. Really interesting stuff.
I read recently that if you trace the locations (by location-aware cell phones) of a small population in an American city over a 6-month period, on average, the movement collapses into standard predator patterns. ( http://www.citeulike.org/user/sjc/art... ). This says something profound about the reasons we give for our behavior vs. the underlying causes. Cialdini sheds some light on these differences by pointing out some other areas where our thoughts don't match our actions, and explaining the unconscious shortcuts we use to help us function in our daily lives.
Plus, it's got some great tricks to get out of being pressured into buying stuff or contributing to charities you don't like. :D
Influence describes the six categories of techniques that have the potential to influence us without our conscious awareness. One, for example, is the mark of authority -- people are more likely to follow directions and suggestions given by someone with a title (Dr., Judge) than otherwise. The same applies to suggestions given by people who dress as if they are in the successful upper-class, or who are acknowledged authorities in some field (it doesn't have to be the one under discussion). What makes the book interesting (besides the highly useful listing of techniques and defenses) is the additional research -- including the surveys showing that people *are* in fact completely unaware that they're doing it. When asked about an experiment, they will insist that the given technique won't work, but when actually involved in the experiment, will fall for it almost every time. Really interesting stuff.
I read recently that if you trace the locations (by location-aware cell phones) of a small population in an American city over a 6-month period, on average, the movement collapses into standard predator patterns. ( http://www.citeulike.org/user/sjc/art... ). This says something profound about the reasons we give for our behavior vs. the underlying causes. Cialdini sheds some light on these differences by pointing out some other areas where our thoughts don't match our actions, and explaining the unconscious shortcuts we use to help us function in our daily lives.
Plus, it's got some great tricks to get out of being pressured into buying stuff or contributing to charities you don't like. :D
April 4, 2021
This book would stand out more if it was titled "How People Can Scam You." It is filled with useful information about tactics that manipulate you into agreeing to or buying something you normally wouldn't have. The author cites studies demonstrating these tactics work. The author also provides dramatized stories of these tactics applied in different situations. People are familiar with many of the advertising tactics, such as posing an attractive model next to a car or using celebrity spokespersons to promote their product. Despite knowing it's a gimmick, people are still influenced by it. This book provides many examples of these manipulation tactics and explains why they work. By reading this book, you'll become more conscious of how others (salespersons, politicians, and businesspersons) may be trying to manipulate you.
Read
November 6, 2020This book was particularly interesting to read immediately after Simon Sinek's 'Start With Why', in which is outlined the difference between tactics of inspirational leadership vs those of manipulative coercion. Many of the strategies outlined in this book are tactics of psychological manipulation and therefore beneficial only for immediate, short term, impulsive human response. This book therefore is NOT one to be read by anyone intending to develop effective, long-term and ethical leadership skills, but IS still an extremely important general read for learning our innate automatic psychological triggers that can be used against us, and how we can recognise these triggers so that we can fight them.
July 15, 2018
The techniques described in this book are very fundamental to our psychology and the way Cialdini has explained them in a lucid manner is commendable. It requires a deep understanding of the subject to be able to bring such perspicuity to a subject area. In his almost story-like narrative, the author has at times over-communicated or repeatedly emphasized a particular phrase often to benefit of the reader.
As a reader, you may feel that you already know some of these tricks of the trade, but then author brings out specific edge cases where a particular influence approach may fail because you just are trying to blindly apply the technique without understanding those edge cases.
A must-read book for anyone looking to come across as a person who gets the buy-ins she or he wants. Obviously, a mere reading of this book won't make you a master. But taking specific notes and applying them in your real life is what matters.
As a reader, you may feel that you already know some of these tricks of the trade, but then author brings out specific edge cases where a particular influence approach may fail because you just are trying to blindly apply the technique without understanding those edge cases.
A must-read book for anyone looking to come across as a person who gets the buy-ins she or he wants. Obviously, a mere reading of this book won't make you a master. But taking specific notes and applying them in your real life is what matters.
April 18, 2010
This is a terrible book. Granted, I understand Cialdini is held in high regard for his analysis of "compliance professionals" but I found this book tedious, boring, and rife with self-reverance. It is by no means a 21st treatise on how influence works. I don't even recommend this as a historical example of how salespeople and other influence experts may have been taught; it's that bad.
March 8, 2021
I avoided reading this book for a long time because I thought it was a manual for physiological manipulation.
Instead, I find it is an interesting look at the psychology of persuasion. How it works, how it it abused, and how to protect yourself from manipulation.
Instead, I find it is an interesting look at the psychology of persuasion. How it works, how it it abused, and how to protect yourself from manipulation.
March 28, 2015
'Know Thyself' is not just a catchy cliché, it was for centuries a central spiritual imperative. Reading books like this only remind one of why it is so important. Even with modern psychology the average person understands so very little about themselves, their drives, why they do what they do, why they like what they like, that they are easily manipulated and exploited. You could say that it is even better if the person fallaciously believes they do know themselves and are confident in that understanding, these are even more gullible than the naiveté.
Robert Cialdini dissects all the different tactics that marketers have known for years on how to get people to do things they initially had no desire for. Through careful analysis and explanation he goes one by one over these techniques and how to counter them. The author's impetus for even conducting this study a sincere desire to understand himself better because of how many times he had been duped, sold, tricked, conned and convinced into purchasing/doing things against his true wishes.
These Weapons of Influence are
1- Reciprocation (feeling indebt to return a favor)
2- Commitment and Consistency (People naturally don't like change, they want predictability)
3- Social Proof (If everyone is doing it, that is proof enough)
4- Liking (We are more susceptible to being influenced by those we like)
5- Authority (Many are more than happy to put blind faith in authority)
6- Scarcity (Ahh the central tenet of Economics, also has a powerful emotional appeal)
Robert Cialdini dissects all the different tactics that marketers have known for years on how to get people to do things they initially had no desire for. Through careful analysis and explanation he goes one by one over these techniques and how to counter them. The author's impetus for even conducting this study a sincere desire to understand himself better because of how many times he had been duped, sold, tricked, conned and convinced into purchasing/doing things against his true wishes.
These Weapons of Influence are
1- Reciprocation (feeling indebt to return a favor)
2- Commitment and Consistency (People naturally don't like change, they want predictability)
3- Social Proof (If everyone is doing it, that is proof enough)
4- Liking (We are more susceptible to being influenced by those we like)
5- Authority (Many are more than happy to put blind faith in authority)
6- Scarcity (Ahh the central tenet of Economics, also has a powerful emotional appeal)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,846 reviews