I find human interaction and psychology to be fascinating topics, and that is why I chose to read the book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini for my book report. The author, Robert Cialdini is an expert on the “science of influence” (Cialdini, 2009, p. viii). He discusses how he was always easily influenced to buy stuff that he did not really want, and so he wanted to do a deeper study into what it is that makes people agree to something (Cialdini, 2009). I have seen to many advertisements across many mediums, and have had many sales pitches thrown my way, so I too was interested in learning more about this. I do not think I am necessarily someone who easily agrees, as I am a more questioning person. In my job as a consultant I work on sales proposals and pitches, so I am also more interested in learning how to deliver a better pitch. This can also help in my personal life on how to be a better influencer to my friends and family and the community at large. The publisher for this book is HarperCollins Publishers. There have been several editions to this book, the original was published in 1984. The updates include additional study on persuasion, and they put examples given by readers from their experience (Cialdini, 2009). The book has been successful and has sold “more than four million copies”, the reviews are positive with many four and five star reviews (Influence: The Psychology, n.d.).
(Influence: The Psychology, n.d.).
The author’s style is conversational with many anecdotes and examples. There is a lot of wisdom to learn in this book, here are five principles which I found to be useful:
- Preceding events impact what comes after it, it’s called the “contrast principle” (Cialdini, 2009, p. 11). So if you tell someone something costs $100, and then bring the cost down to $30, they will perceive the $30 price tag to be a good deal. Compared to if you just said $30 to begin with.
- If you do someone a favor, they are more likely to do you a favor, this is the “rule for reciprocation” (Cialdini, 2009, p. 17). This is important in digital strategy, if you give out free information that people like, the are more likely to hire you.
- We are heavily influenced by those around us, if we see them do it, we are more likely to do it, this is called, “social proof” (Cialdini, 2009, p. 115). This is why word of mouth is powerful, if our friends go to a restaurant, we are more likely to go there.
- We follow those who have authority. If someone is in a high position, we are more likely to blindly follow whatever they say.
- People are more likely to take action on something if it is no longer going to be available, this is the “scarcity principle” (Cialdini, 2009, p. 238). An example of this that happened recently is with the coronavirus, toilet paper was sold out quickly in the stores because people wanted to stock up on it, because they thought they would not be able to get it anymore.
I enjoyed this book and it has many lessons that would be applicable in people’s lives. The principles are fairly easy to understand and can make a big difference for those trying to influence others. Also, if you can recognize these patterns in your day to day life, you can avoid being influenced in negative ways. This book is a bit out dated as technology has changed, new digital products introduce new paradigms. But the ideas in this book are timeless as far as face to face interactions go.
Author: Rishi Sanghavi
I am a Virginia based optimist and a newly minted blogger. I work for Capco as a Management Consultant and am in grad school at Georgetown studying Technology Management. In my free time I like to read, hit the gym, and travel.
References
Cialdini, Robert. 2009. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Kindle Edition. New York, NY. HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Kerievsky, Joshua. 2010, December 28. Bargain Hunting. Retrieved from https://www.industriallogic.com/blog/bargain-hunting/
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition. N.d. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X
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