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Influence Summary
About Influence Book
The foundational and wildly popular go-to resource for influence and persuasion—a renowned international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold—now revised adding: new research, new insights, new examples, and online applications.
In the new edition of this highly acclaimed bestseller, Robert Cialdini—New York Times bestselling author of Pre-Suasion and the seminal expert in the fields of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these insights ethically in business and everyday settings. Using memorable stories and relatable examples, Cialdini makes this crucially important subject surprisingly easy. With Cialdini as a guide, you don’t have to be a scientist to learn how to use this science.
You’ll learn Cialdini’s Universal Principles of Influence, including new research and new uses so you can become an even more skilled persuader—and just as importantly, you’ll learn how to defend yourself against unethical influence attempts. You may think you know these principles, but without understanding their intricacies, you may be ceding their power to someone else.
Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion:
- Reciprocation
- Commitment and Consistency
- Social Proof
- Liking
- Authority
- Scarcity
- Unity, the newest principle for this edition
Understanding and applying the principles ethically is cost-free and deceptively easy. Backed by Dr. Cialdini’s 35 years of evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific research—including a three-year field study on what leads people to change—Influence is a comprehensive guide to using these principles to move others in your direction.
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Ever wonder why TV shows use laugh tracks? -People are more likely to laugh when they hear others laughing
Short Summary
6 WEAPONS of Influencing People :
- RECIPROCITY
- CONSISTENCY
- SOCIAL PROOF
- LIKING
- AUTHORITY
- SCARCITY
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RECIPROCITY
- When someone gives us something, we feel obliged to repay them back. It’s for this reason that people are more likely to say “Yes” to your request when you first give them a small gift or perform a small favour (People will be nice if you’re nice to them).
- Something as small as a pen has been shown to influence people well beyond its monetary value.
- For example, according to the American Disabled Veterans organisation, mailing out a simple appeal for donations produces an 18% success rate; but, enclosing a small gift--personalized address labels--boosts the success rate to 35%.
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CONSISTENCY
- It is quite simple, our nearly obsessive desire to be and to appear consistent with what we have already done (Commitment).
Toy Companies Strategy:
- Advertise one kind of a toy. Parents promise their kids they will buy it for them
- Before Christmas they don’t offer it, saying sold out. Buying some other toy.
- In Jan and Feb when it was previously quiet, they release it. Parents already made their commitments now have to buy it.
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Cialdini breaks down the art of persuasion into six principles: reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity.
The Power of Persuasion
"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini is a fascinating book that explores the science of influence and how people can use various techniques to persuade and influence others. The book provides insights into the different factors that influence people's decisions, including social proof, authority, and scarcity.
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Reciprocity: Give to Receive
People feel obliged to repay others who have done them a favor.
Offer value without expecting anything in return to initiate the principle of reciprocity.
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Commitment and Consistency: Stay True to Your Word
People feel pressure to act consistently with their beliefs and commitments.
Encourage small commitments that lead to bigger commitments.
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The Secret Formula to Influence Like a Pro
You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want.
ZIG ZIGLAR
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1. Give First to Get Back
- When you do something nice, people feel like they should return the favor.
- Example: A free sample makes someone more likely to buy.
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2. Stay Consistent
- People want their actions to match their promises.
- Example: If someone agrees to a small favor, they’re more likely to agree to a bigger one later.
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Reciprocation
The Give and Take, Take, Take: give a little something to get something bigger and better in return, later, as people feel obliged to return initial favors.
The Rejection-Then-Retreat tactic is used to convince people to accept an offer by first making a much more outrageous one, which they refuse, feeling emotionally compelled to accept the second, more reasonable one.
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Commitment and Consistency
People want to appear consistent in their actions, but “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
The “low-ball” and “foot-in-the-door” techniques are used to get us to spend more by making us agree to an initially reasonable deal, followed by slowly spiking up the prices. Our subconscious desire of consistency pushes us to see the deal through, even though the price has risen to something we would not have initially accepted.
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Social Proof
Safety in numbers: argumentum ad populum, social proof, or our belief that what the masses are doing must be correct and what we should be doing, too.
This is true especially when uncertainty is at play. We are more inclined to follow the lead of a similar individual to us more so than a dissimilar one. The “Werther” effect describes the influence the behavior of others has on us.
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