Social Influence and Persuasion

I had the opportunity to attend a presentation given by Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" last week. His contention is that there are scientifically proven universal tenets of human social influence and persuasion that can be used in speech and in marketing copy to open the minds of your audience to the benefits of your case. This is especially true in times of uncertainty. Here are the six he mentioned:

Reciprocation – people are obligated to give back to you what you provide to them. Give first to open minds and ears and only then should you ask for something. Presuasion instead of Persuasion

Scarcity – people want more of the things that there are less of. People are more powerfully affected by losing something than by gaining something. Employ language that spurs people to avoid loss.
- Ex: If you fail to do this, you will lose
- Ex: Calculate the amount of money you are wasting by not using our products.
- Ex: Bose Speakers - “New Features” versus “See What You've Been Missing”

Authority – if an expert says it, it must be true. Studies show that the credible communicator is the most successful. Credible means both knowledgeable and trust worthy. You must make your credentials known. This is best done ahead of time via a letter of introduction or get a mutual 3rd party to introduce you.
- Before you mention the strongest element of your case admit a weakness – this establishes immediate credibility. Avis and L'Oreal examples
- Berkshire Hathaway always begins their annual statements with a mis-step
- Likewise, build this formula into individual statements by changing the sequence of your words. Put the positive aspect of your statement after the word “but”
- GM CEO said, “We've built a plan to succeed, BUT we have a long way to go.” It should've been “We have a long way to go, but we have a plan to succeed.”

Consensus – people are likely to follow the lead of a) many others and b) similar others.
- Ex: “If operators are busy please call again”
- Ex: “The majority of our customers are saving $X”

Consistency

Friendship/Liking

In times of uncertainty:
- People tend to freeze and not make decisions
- People become very loss averse - Scarcity

Scarcity and Exclusivity of Information
- No one has this information yet
- This is exclusive information available for only a limited time
- Information value decays over time so you need to act on it NOW