Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion (New and Expanded) Paperback

The general premise is that we humans, despite our highly evolved mental models and social awareness, still carry with us certain patterns and programs of behavior that compliance practitioners (salespeople and people who take advantage of our shortcuts to manipulate our behavior or sell us product) can and do exploit regularly to sell us product or induce certain desired behavior.Cialdini documents a number of these, divided by chapter: Appealing to authority, scarcity, social norms like reciprocity and liking, similarity, and a number of others. He describes the concept, breaks it down into many tactics used in marketing or sales, then backs up the claim with case studies and scientific research, tracing back to journals of psychology, business, marketing, social science, and many other fields with published papers and data.1. Levers of Influence: (Power) Tools of the TradesCalled fixed-action patterns, they can involve intricate sequences of behavior, such as entire courtship or mating rituals. A fundamental characteristic of these patterns is that the behaviors composing them occur in virtually the same fashion and in the same order every time. It is almost as if the patterns were installed as programs within the animals. When a situation calls for courtship, the courtship program is run; when a situation calls for mothering, the maternal-behavior program is run. Click, and the appropriate program is activated; run, and out rolls the standard sequence of behaviors. (3)Just as the cheep-cheep sound of turkey chicks triggered an automatic mothering response from mother turkeys, even when it emanated from a stuffed polecat, so the word because triggered an automatic compliance response from Langer’s subjects, even when they were given no subsequent reason to comply. Click, run, (5)It is easy to fault the tourists for their foolish purchase decisions, but a close look offers a kinder view. These were people who had been brought up on the rule "You get what you pay for" and had seen the rule borne out over and over in their lives. Before long, they had translated it to mean expensive=good. The expensive=good stereotype had worked well for them in the past because normally the price of an item increases along with its worth; a higher price typically reflects higher quality.…people reported expecting the drink to work better when it cost $1.89 versus $0.89; and, remarkably, the mere expectation fulfilled itself. (7)Psychologists have uncovered a number of mental shortcuts we employ in making our everyday judgments. Termed judgmental heuristics, these shortcuts operate in much the same fashion as the expensive=good rule, allowing for simplified thinking that works well most of the time but leaves us open to occasional, costly mistakes. … Consider, for example, the shortcut rule that goes, "If an expert said so, it must be true." (9)Sell the suit first, because when it comes time to look at sweaters, even expensive ones, their prices will not seem as high in comparison. (18)Presenting an inexpensive product first and following it with an expensive one makes the expensive item seem even more costly—hardly a desirable consequence for sales organizations. … it is possible to make the price of the same item seem higher or lower depending on the price of a previously presented item. (19)2. Reciprocation: The Old Give and TakeIn half of the [McDonald’s] locations, the children of adult customers received a balloon as they left the restaurant. In the other half of the locations, the children received a balloon as they entered. The total family check rose by 25 percent when the balloon was given first, Tellingly, this included a 20 percent increase in the purchase of coffee—and item children are unlikely to order. Why? As i can attest, a gift to my child is a gift to me. (32)In true jujitsu fashion, a promoter who provides free samples can release the natural indebting force inherent in a gift, while innocently appearing to have only the intention to inform. (38)Despite the impressive force the rule of reciprocation commands, there is a set of conditions that magnifies that force even more: when the first gift is customized, and thereby personalized, to the recipient’s current needs or preferences. (42)There is a strong cultural pressure to reciprocate a gift, even an unwanted one, but there is no such pressure to purchase an unwanted commercial product. (46)A small initial favor can produce a sense of obligation to agree to a substantially larger return favor. (47)First, compared to the two other approaches, the strategy of starting with an extreme demand and then retreating to the more moderate one produced the most money for the person using it. … The requester’s concession within the rejection-then-retreat technique caused targets not only to say yes more often but also to feel more responsible for having "dictated" the final agreement. (65)It appears that an agreement that has been forged through the concessions of one’s opponents is quite satisfying. With this in mind, we can begin to explain the second previously puzzling feature of the rejection-then-retreat tactic—the ability to prompt its victims to agree to further requests. Because the tactic uses a requester’s concession to bring about compliance, the victim is likely to feel more satisfied with the arrangement as a result. It stands to reason that people who are satisfied with a given arrangement are more likely to be willing to agree to similar arrangements.3. Liking: The Friendly ThiefPresented with the common crisis and realizing the need for unified action, the boys organized themselves harmoniously to find and fix the problem before day’s end. (100)The crucial procedure was the researcher’s imposition of common goals on the groups. It was the cooperation required to achieve the goals that finally allowed the rival group members to experience one another as reasonable fellows, valued helpers, friends, and friends of friends. When success resulted from the mutual efforts, it became especially difficult to maintain feelings of hostility toward those who had been teammates in the triumph. (101)The essence of the jigsaw route to learning is to require that students work together to master the material to be tested on an upcoming examination. This end is accomplished by grouping students into cooperating teams and giving each student only part of the information—one piece of the puzzle—necessary to pass the test. Under this system, the students must take turns teaching and helping othe another. Everyone needs everyone else to do well. (101)The nature of bad news infects the teller. There is a natural human tendency to dislike a person who brings us unpleasant information, even when that person did not cause the bad news. (107)Other research indicates that odors so slight that they escape conscious awareness can still be influential. People judged photographed faces as more versus less likable depending on whether they rated the faces while experiencing subliminal pleasant or unpleasant odors. (114)Ivan Pavlov… He found that he could get an animal’s typical response to food (salivation) to be directed toward something irrelevant to food (a bell) merely by connecting the two things in the animal’s experience. If the presentation of food to a dog was always accompanied by the sound of a bell, soon the dog would salivate to the bell alone, even when there was no food to be had. (115)The big mistakes are likely to come when we like the person making the request… separate the dealer from the merits of the deal. (124)Physical attractiveness engenders a halo effect that leads to the assignment of other traits such as talent, kindness, and intelligence.We like people who are like us, and we are more willing to say yes to their requests, often in an unthinking manner. (124)Compliments generally enhance liking, and hence, compliance. Two particularly useful types of genuine compliments are those delivered behind the recipients back and those selected to give the recipient a reputation to live up to, by continuing to perform the desired behavior. (125)Increased familiarity through repeated contact with a person or thing is yet another factor that normally facilitates liking… One positive circumstance that works especially well is mutual and successful cooperation. (125)4. Social Proof: Truths Are UsThis principle states that we determine what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct. Importantly, the principle applies to the way we decide what constitutes correct behavior. (129)The high-demand information was "slipped into" an ad to recruit salespeople. Its notable success fits with evidence that people are more likely to be persuaded by information, including social-proof information, when they think it is not intended to persuade them. (134)In short, persuasive communications should avoid employing information that can normalize undesirable conduct. (187)Many people who play the horses have surprisingly little knowledge of racing or betting strategy. … People who are uncertain of how to bet the race look to the tote board to see which horse the early bettors have decided is a favorite, and they follow. (196 - Reader’s Report)Therefore, simply pointing to the popularity of an item elevates its popularity. (197)When people are unsure, when the situation is ambiguous, they are more likely to attend to the actions of others and to accept those actions as correct. (197)When communicators are not able to use existing social proof because their idea, cause, or product does not have widespread support, they may be able to harness the power of future social proof by honestly describing trending support, which audiences expect to continue. (198)People believe, correctly, that the crowd is typically right. (462)98 percent of online shoppers prioritize authentic customer reviews most when making purchase designs. (462)The scientific literature is clear that attention to the actions of others is intensified under conditions of uncertainty because those actions serve to reduce the uncertainty. (463)5. Authority: Directed DeferenceThe title MD carries significantly more authority when placed in the visual content of a white coat. (222)People judge those dressed in higher quality apparel, even higher quality T-shirts, as more competent than those in lesser quality attire—and the judgments occur automatically, in less than a second. (223)Five stars is too good to be true. … When the average rating moves past the optimal 4.2 to 4.7 range, purchasers become suspicious that the ratings are phony and are less likely to buy. (230)Negative reviews establish credibility. … The presence of a negative review adds some credibility to product evaluations. In fact, if a site includes some negative reviews, the conversion rate jumps by 67 percent.Verified buyers are gold as reviewers. Verified buyers, who have been confirmed to be previous online purchasers (rather than paid reviewers), are viewed as more credible. (230)First, if there is a drawback to be acknowledged, it should be presented relatively early in a message so the credibility it provides will color the rest of the appeal. (230)6. Scarcity: The Rule of the FewPeople are intensely motivated to make choices designed to avoid losing something of value—to a much greater extent than choices designed to obtain that thing. (244)Apparently, the fact that the news about the scarcity information was itself scarce made it especially persuasive. (267)Part of the problem is that our typical reaction to scarcity hinders our ability to think. When we watch as something we want becomes less available, a physical agitation sets in. (283)The joy is not in the experiencing of a scarce commodity but in the possessing of it. (285)In such cases, it is vital to remember that scarce things do not taste or feel or sound or ride or work any better because of their limited availability. (285)According to the scarcity principle, people assign more value to opportunities that are less available. The use of this principle for profit can be seen in such compliance techniques as the "limited number" and "deadline" tactics, wherein practitioners try to convince us that if we don’t act now, we will lose something of value. This engages the human tendency for loss aversion—that people are more motivated by the thought of losing something than by the thought of gaining something of equal value. (289)The scarcity principle holds for two reasons. First, because things difficult to attain are typically more valuable, the availability of an item or experience can serve as a shortcut cue to its quality; and, because of loss aversion, we will be motivated to avoid losing something of high quality. Second, as things become less accessible, we lose freedoms. According to psychological reactance theory, we respond to the loss of freedoms by wanting to have them (along with the goods and services connected to them) more than before. (289)7. Commitment and Consistency: Hobgoblins of the MindThey start prior to Christmas with attractive TV ads for certain special toys. The kids, naturally, want what they see and extract Christmas promises for these items from their parents/ Now here’s where the genius of the companies’ plan comes in: they undersupply the stores with the toys they’ve gotten the parents to promise. Most parents find those toys sold out and are forced to substitute other toys of equal value. The toy manufacturers, of course, make a point of supplying the stores with plenty of these substitutes. Then, after Christmas, the companies start running the ads again for the other, special toys. (301)Once you have publicly stated that all is well, it becomes much easier for the solicitor to corner you into aiding those for whom all is not well… The theory behind this tactic is that people who have just asserted that they are doing/feeling fine—even as a routine part of a sociable exchange— will consequently find it awkward to appear stingy in the context of their own admittedly favorable circumstances. (305)Something special happens when people put their commitments on paper: they lie up to what they write down. (320)"Make a specific commitment, use social media to broadcast it and use the internal pressure you then feel to get you to follow through." ~Alicia Morga, Ebox 7.1 (323)If, rather than streaming along in accordance with our prior decisions and deeds, we stopped to think through the merits of each new action before performing it, we would never have time to accomplish anything significant. (350)In individualistic nations, such as the United States and those of Western Europe, the focus is on the self, whereas, in more collectivistic societies, the focus is on the group. (360)Not all commitments are equally effective in producing consistent future action. Commitments are most effective when they are active, public, effortful, and viewed as internally motivated (voluntary), because each of these elements changes self-image. (361)That is, people often add new reasons and justifications to support the wisdom of commitments they have already made. (361)8. Unity: The "We" Is the Shared MeIn an interesting twist, knowing someone else has tried to take our perspective in an interaction leads us to greater perceived self-other overlap with our perspective-taker, along with more liking and goodwill; apparently, the consequences of perspective-taking can be mutual. (424)In a major surprise, people in the organizations using "we" language to convey ethical responsibilities were significantly more likely to engage in illegal conduct during their tenure. (429)The experience of acting together in unison or coordination is a second fundamental factor leading to a sense of unity with others. Shared musical experience is one way people can act together and feel consequent unity. Other ways involve repeated reciprocal exchange, joint suffering, and co-creation. (436)9. Instant Influence: Primitive Consent for an Automatic AgeMore and more frequently, we find ourselves in the position o lower animals—with a mental apparatus unequipped to deal thoroughly with the intricacy and richness of the external environment… we have created our own deficiency by constructing a radically more complex world. (442)I recommended against the purchase of any product featured in a faked "unrehearsed interview" ad and urged that we send the product manufacturers letters detailing the reason and suggesting they dismiss their advertising agency. (443)We should boycott brands found to be planting phony reviews on product rating sites—and spread the word on social media. In short, we should be willing to use shame, threat, confrontation, censure, tirade, nearly anything, to retaliate.The blitz of modern daily life demands that we have faithful shortcuts, sound rules of thumb in order to handle it all. These are no longer luxuries; they are out-and-out necessities that figure to become increasingly vital as the pulse quickens. (444)OVERALL I ENJOYED+ Index is good, comprehensive, easy for reference.+ Well-written prose that doesn’t presume or condescend.+ Layperson language with clever examples.+ Applicable to daily life, not only in in sales, product development, and leadership, but also in relationships.+ Backed by science, with citations to research papers in literature, not pop science or press+ Comments on things we may not even be aware of affecting us, simply because we are animals with brains evolved to respond in click-run (knee-jerk) fashion. Believable premise in modern life, helping us combat devious compliance practitioners out to get our money or loyalty by any means possible.MAIN ISSUES- Chapters too long, some requiring multiple weeks to complete if reading for only 15-30 minutes a night. Could have been broken down further into more bite-sized pieces.- Too many outlandish examples: group beliefs of a day of reckoning, UFOs, mass suicides by drunk driving, religious cults that bordered on extremism.This should be required reading for people who make purchasing decisions or appeals to customers, because it trains us to see patterns and blind spots where we are otherwise susceptible to manipulation. It also suggests alternative strategies for us that might be received with more honesty and less skepticism, like (truthfully) labeling our restaurant’s most popular dish as "Most Popular" or "Customer Favorite," featuring (real) negative reviews on a product page to build trust and authenticity, or starting off public statements with self-deprecating shows of humility and weakness, thereby building trust through transparency. (examples given: Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, etc.)

Guy Kawasaki氏がTEDの講演（の動画）で勧めていたので読んでみました。人の意思決定に大きな影響を与える要素として７つ原則を挙げ、一つずつ章ごとに説明していきます。自分自身の経験に照らし合わせながら読むと「なるほどなぁ…」と思うことが沢山あり、最後まで楽しく読むことができました。例えば、茶葉の販売イベント（ルピシアのグラン・マルシェ）では、入場時にセンスの良い記念品がもらえるのですが、これは本書で言う「Reciprocation」の原則（他人に何かしてもらった時にはお返しをしたくなる人の性質）を期待していることが分かりますし、イベント会場のみの限定商品を用意するのは「Scarcity」の原則（手に入りにくいものはきっと良いものだろうと思う人の性質）を期待していることが分かります。また、「一番人気」や「売上第一位」との表示は「Social Proof」の原則（皆が良いと言っているものはきっと良いものだろうと思う人の性質）を、「バイヤーお勧め」との表示は「Authority」の原則（専門家が良いと言っているものはきっと良いものだろうと思う人の性質）を期待しているだと思います。著者のRobert Cialdini氏は、人がそれらの７つの原則を使って意思決定すること、人がそれらの原則を使って相手の行動を促すことは非難しておらず、それらの原則を使おうとして「嘘をつく」ことを厳しく非難しています。上記のルピシアの例で言うと、もし仮に、イベント後にもお店で販売する予定にも拘らず「イベント限定」とうたって販売したら、それは厳しい非難に値するでしょう。これだけ情報が溢れかえる世の中になり、人がそれらの７つの原則を使わずにすべての意思決定を行うことは不可能なので、それらの原則を悪用することを決して許してはならないと強く主張しております。洋書としては、具体的事例が豊富で読み易いと思いますが、なにせ400頁以上もあるので、読み終わるのに４ヶ月もかかってしまいました。途中で飽きることはありませんでしたが…

I like everything😇👍 have’nt finish it yet but im liking it so far😇

訳本を持っていますが、英語の勉強にもなると思って原著を購入。思った通り一石二鳥でした。