Several days ago I was trying to persuade my "other half" that our next vacation should be in Italy. Since I am dealing with someone for whom Canada is his only venture out of our country, I decided I need to brush up on my persuasion skills. Persuasion is a form of social influence. Dictionary.com defines the word "persuade" as "to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging" or "to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding". In his book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" Robert B. Cialdini, an expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation, defined six "weapons of influence":
1. Reciprocation - People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing.
2. Commitment and Consistency - If people commit, verbally or in writing, they are more likely to honor that commitment. Even if the original incentive or motivation is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue to honor the agreement. For example, in car sales, suddenly raising the price at the last moment often works because the buyer has already decided to buy.
3.Social Proof - People tend to do what other people are doing.
4. Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts. An example is the My Lai massacre.
5.Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people whom they like. For example, it has been proven that people are more likely to buy if they like the person selling.
6.Scarcity - A perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
Our library has several new items about the art of persuasion in the new business and non-fiction book areas::
Persuasion IQ: the 10 skills you need to get exactly what you want by Kurt W. Mortensen.
Yes!: 50 secrets from the science of persuasion by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini.
Good in a room: how to sell yourself (and your ideas) and win over any audience by Stephanie Palmer.
IInfluencing like Jesus: 15 biblical principles of persuasion by Michael Zigarelli with Carolyn Stanford Goss.