Robert Cialdini is an expert in the field of influence and persuasion. His contribution to the study of successful sales and marketing tactics is well recognized.
Cialdini provides a framework outlining why people are influenced to behave in a certain manner.
If you have done sales or marketing for any length of time, I am sure you will recognize the truth in his fascinating findings, which I have listed below.
6 key principles of persuasion
Reciprocity - People tend to return a favor, thus the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing. In his conferences, he often uses the example of Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars in humanitarian aid to Mexico just after the 1985 earthquake, despite Ethiopia suffering from a crippling famine and civil war at the time. Ethiopia had been reciprocating for the diplomatic support Mexico provided when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. The good cop/bad cop strategy is also based on this principle.
Insofar as free samples, a fascinating insight: the scientific observation that free samples can often "cheapen" the value of the product they are intended to sell. In other words, if the product is not of value enough to sell on it's own merit, there must be a reason, IE others don't want it. Subliminally, this indicates that since others don't want it there must be a problem with it, and if others don't want it the product must be undesirable.
It's a play on the principles of "social proof", outlined below, and it's also an interesting twist on the "scarcity" angle. And, it has significant implications for those making pricing decisions, namely that reducing the price may not always lead to improved sales. Reducing the price indicates to the public that a product is not in demand and is therefore not socially desirable, and can in fact hurt sales.
Commitment and Consistency - If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, they are more likely to honor that commitment because of establishing that idea or goal as being congruent with their self image. 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 works because the buyer has already decided to buy. Cialdini notes Chinese brainwashing on American pow's to rewrite their self image and gain automatic unenforced compliance. See cognitive dissonance.
Social Proof - People will do things that they see other people are doing. For example, in one experiment, one or more confederates would look up into the sky; bystanders would then look up into the sky to see what they were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people were looking up that they stopped traffic. See conformity, and the Asch conformity experiments.
Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts. Cialdini cites incidents such as the Milgram experiments in the early 1960s and the My Lai massacre.
Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware in what might now be called viral marketing. People were more likely to buy if they liked the person selling it to them. Some of the many biases favoring more attractive people are discussed. See physical attractiveness stereotype.
Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
Golden quotes: "consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative", and "the best way to ride a horse is in the direction it is going". In other words, don't try to change a stubborn personality all at once; get into their thinking and "steer" them in the direction you want to take them.
