Principles of persuasion

Principles of Persuasion digitalbloggers.com /home-based-business/principles-of-persuasion Nov 18, 2016 13 views Written by Dylan Cooper

Author Dylan Cooper

Articles written: 15 Joined: 06 October 2016 Niche: Home Based Business Internet and Businesses Online Self Improvement In his famous book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Professor Robert B. Cialdini examines the shortcuts people use to make decisions and takes this information to outline six key principles of persuasion.

This is a book I have been reading recently and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in how people make decisions. In the book, there is a focus on sales and advertising. However, the principles help explain not just what drives people to buy one brand of washing powder over another, but also how people make decisions about each other.

This makes for very interesting reading and if you read the book, you can't help but start to notice things about people's behaviour that you hadn't noticed before. You begin to see why people do some of the things they do.

Below is a brief summary of these principles. These are powerful principles so take care. They should be used to appeal to the nobler side of people, not to their weaknesses. Direct people in a way that is beneficial for them, not just for your own self interests.

Social Proof The principle of majority rule. If a lot of people are doing something, then others tend to believe it must be the right thing to do. It is why celebrities get paid millions to endorse a product. It is why otherwise clever school kids "fall in with the wrong crowd" and do things they know are stupid. Their friends are doing it, so why shouldn't they?

Further to this, the more the people we are watching are similar to us, the greater the influence they have on our behaviour.

Application-Creating a group or scene where a significant number of people seem to belong, is likely to attract yet more people who want to find out what they are missing.

Liking Maybe an obvious one if you think about it for 5 seconds but definitely much overlooked. We are more inclined to

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agree with and follow someone we know and like.

People tend to like those who are similar to them. The similarities could be background, interests, attitudes, age, views, achievements and many other things. Flattery is also very powerful as we tend to like people who like us.

Another factor is self-disclosure, as long as it is made at an appropriate time in a relationship and not too personal, too soon.

Application-Striving to work closely with somebody towards a common goal whilst being conscious of personal similarities and creating awareness of them, is a great way to develop trust and rapport.

Reciprocation We feel obliged to return the favour if somebody does something good for us. Interestingly, this usually holds true even when someone we don't actually like does us a favour.

Application-By giving a bit, you may receive. Taken a step further (though personally I feel this may start to border manipulation), studies show that reciprocation can be used by making big requests of people. Then when they turn that request down, they are more likely to consent to a smaller request.

Commitment and Consistency When somebody has made their mind up, they tend not to change it. This is re-inforced if they back it up with action or a statement. Interestingly, if somone agrees to purchase something and the price or terms change slightly afterward, they will often still go ahead.

Application-By gaining agreement to small requests or obvious facts, people have a tendancy to agree to larger reasonable requests later. Things they may not have readily agreed to if the larger request was made straight away.

Authority We tend to be obedient to authority figures. This is often true even when their wishes conflict with our personal beliefs or their requests don't seem to make a lot of sense. Studies have shown that just having symbols of authority can cause obedience in people. Examples are uniforms, professional titles or simply commanding speaking voices.

Application-To become more influential, it is wise to become an authority in an area of interest. People usually want to follow and learn from those with certainty in their beliefs and actions. Being an authority figure on a certain subject is likely to attract other people interested in that subject.

Scarcity This principle states that people perceive things that are rare or becoming rare, as more valuable and desirable than they would if they were readily accessible. The more we have to work for something, the less available it is to us, or the harder we have to compete for it, the more valuable we believe it to be.

Also, people feel greater desire for an item that has always been rare. One reason for this is because of the strong

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influence that fear of loss plays in people's decision making process.

Application-If you are trying to move a product or deliver a service, it is probably not a great idea to give the impression that the product or service is available in abundance and from anyone. You want your offerings to be special and unique to you or at least for some part of your service to be unique, even if the products are the same as the place next door.

Next Level The most powerful motivators occur when different principles of persuasion join forces-for example, when social proof combines with scarcity. A rare item, for example, becomes even more desirable when friends or colleagues are also competing for it.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is a great book and I thoroughly recommend it to people who are interested in learning how people make decisions.

For great online marketing training and how to start a profitable business online with no prior experience necessary, I recommend visiting here and claiming your free trial.

I'll be back with more information, insights and reviews soon! In the meantime, please share ideas and opinions and comment below.

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