Highlights from Robert Cialdini’s book Influence
Sep 30, 2022 . 4 min read . 89 views
Recently, I revisited Naval’s post on building specific knowledge.
I was looking for what he had said about getting better at sales. In his post, he mentioned reading Cialdini and doing Door-2-door sales.
While I might try out door-2-door sales soon this post is a summary of key highlights from Cialdini’s book “Influence”.
Cialdini lays out 8 principles to understand why people say “yes” and what makes people change their behaviour.
Principle 1: Reciprocation
People feel obligated to reciprocate a behaviour.
Examples:
- You invite me for an expensive lunch makes me feel obligated to invite you later to return the favour.
- You are mean to me allows me to be mean to you.
- The Krishna organization used this tactic by giving flowers to passersby on the street. Despite the discomfort, people are often willing to donate money to the organization to satisfy the need to return the bouquet.
Principle 2: Consitency & Commitment
Once we commit to something we want to make it happen.
Examples:
- You end up being in the wrong relationship even though breaking up may be the best option because you have made a public commitment
- You defend Joe Biden because you are a democrat even though there is evidence that he is not a good leader.
Principle 3: Social Proof
Everyone else is doing something, so you will do it too.
Examples:
- You study engineering because your best friend is doing the same.
- You smoke a cigarette because all your friends do the same.
Principle 4: Liking
People prefer saying yes to people they know and like.
Why does one person like another person?
1. Physical Attractiveness (Another person is physically attractive)
- You look great.
2. Similarity (share common background/interest)
- We both are engineers from India.
3. Compliments (one person complements the other person)
- I feel amazing when you say I look great.
4. Contact/Familiarity (we like what we know and fear what we don’t)
- I like you because you also like Cricket.
- I do not like you because you are conservative.
5. Cooperation (we like people who work with us)
- I like you because you are my co-founder
6. Conditioning & Association (everyone wants to be part of a winning team)
- I like you because you are so successful
Principle 5: Authority
People follow authority figures.
Examples:
- A person in a 3-piece suit looks more authoritative than a person in tees & shorts.
- A person with a PhD might be more learned than someone without a degree.
Principle 6: Scarcity
Opportunities seem more valuable when their availability is limited.
Examples:
- Black Friday Sale
- End of Semester examinations
- Once in a lifetime trip
Principle 7: Associations
People have preconceived notions about everything.
Examples:
- You get what you pay for, which makes one think that the higher-priced goods are of better quality.
- Souvenir shops often sell unpopular items by raising their prices instead of lowering them.
Principle 8: Prohibition
People want what they cannot have.
Examples:
- If I tell you there is something I want to tell you but I cannot tell you, your desire to know that is increased.
- Tinder uses this behaviour successfully to its advantage. It tells you when a person likes your profile but doesn't reveal their identity until you pay.