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The Science of Persuasion : A Summary
Dr. Robert Cialdini
Summarised by Alan Phua
Advisors Alliance
Terence’s Division
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Content Page
Abstract 3
Introduction 4-5
Principle 1 : The Principle of Liking 6-7
Principle 2 : The Principle of Reciprocity 8
Principle 3 : The Principle of Social Proofing 9-11
Principle 4 : The Principle of Consistency 12-13
Principle 5 : The Principle of Authority 14-15
Principle 6 : The Principle of Scarcity 16-17
Conclusion 18
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Abstract
This summary serves to be an archive of my study in the science of persuasion and is meant
to be shared and circulated to the benefit of those who wish to know the secret of how top
persuaders are able to move and influence their persuasion prospects.
In the book “Influence : Science and Practise” by Dr. Robert Cialdini outlines 6 crucial
principles of persuasion that when harnessed and applied into action, can tilt the favour of
persuasion to our side. The irony of it all is that we regularly practice these 6 principles on a
day to day basis without us actually being aware of it. The moment you gain the awareness
of these 6 principles, you unlock a secret into the power that is persuasion.
In this summary, I will attempt to translate what I have learnt from his book and showcase
how these ideas and/or principles can aid us in our daily business by showcasing some case
studies on the application of said principles. I will justify it with some of my personal
experiences as well as occurrences I have come across in my daily life whereby these
principles are effectively applied.
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Introduction
It is said some people have it, some people just don’t, that gift of the gab, that smooth
talking, slippery tongue that some sales people possess. What exactly is it? What makes
them so persuasive in their day-to-day abilities that nothing seems quite impossible for
them to achieve? Just by talking alone, they can move, shake and influence people to not
only listen to what they have to say, but to take action as well.
Believe it or not, we all possess this innate ability, we practice it on a daily basis without us
being consciously aware of it. But there is no denying that if you hold the key to this
powerful skill to persuade, you can pretty much get anything you want.
Whether is it you need to get something done, or make your prospect or client take a
certain course of action, all this can be possible if you know how to apply the Principles of
Persuasion.
Principles of what?!
Persuasion – It is more of a science rather than an art. After many years of undercover study
at top car dealerships, fund raising organizations and telemarketing companies, Dr. Robert
Cialdini has condensed his study into 6 basic Principles of Persuasion that I will be sharing in
this summary. These principles are
1) Principle of Liking – People like people who like them
2) Principle of Reciprocity - People often feel compelled to return a favor
3) Principle of Social Proofing - People do what others do
4) Principle of Consistency - People often do what they say they’ll do
5) Principle of Authority - People prefer to listen to Experts
6) Principle of Scarcity - People want more of what they can have less of
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In this summary you will be introduced to these 6 basic principles based upon my own
understanding and interpretation of it. However based on my own research, its application
should come pretty naturally to those who understand the core fundamentals of these
principles.
The reasons why these ideas will appeal to you not only stems from the fact that Dr. Robert
Cialdini, is the Regent’s Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, he has also
invested many years of extensive research into the behavioral sciences of the human mind.
In addition, these ideas will appeal to predictably deeply rooted human needs within all of
us.
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Principle 1 : The Principle of Liking
People like those who like them
Naturally when it comes to talking to people, we tend to talk more with people whom we
like, and inversely, people who like us. It fills a certain societal need within us to seek for
acceptance amongst our acquaintances.
This is clearly evident when we prospect our warm market, we find, that if we speak to
people that like us, we have a higher closure rate then speaking to those we don’t or know
whom do not like us very much. The fact is, when these people buy from us, they buy
because they wish to please us, not just themselves.
But if we are in a situation whereby our relationship with the prospect isn’t as warmed up as
it needs to be, how can we then create that feeling of “likeness” to get them to take a
course of action? Simple
Similarity and Praise.
Controlled research has identified several factors that reliably increase the chances of
someone liking us, but these 2 principles stand out the most.
Similarity practically creates an immediate bond between us and a persuasion prospect.
The similarities need not be huge, simple similarities like hobbies, their tastes can have a
profound impact on how someone likes us. Think back, our closest friends tends to be
people whom we have the most real similarities with right?
How then can we create the platform to find out similarities? The answer – Informal
conversations, ask the prospect specific questions, like what do they like to d, their favorite
soccer team, what kind of sports they play and maybe even what kind of food they like to
eat. The important thing is to establish this bond or bridge early because it creates a sense
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of goodwill and trustworthiness in every subsequent encounter. The bottom line is : The
more similarities you can uncover and build, the better chances the prospect will like you!
Praise – The other reliable generator of affection and to make someone like you is praise.
Once you have uncovered the similarities between the both of you, praise him sincerely
about it, whether it is his taste in clothes, his choice of soccer team, or that you respect him
for making a certain decision. Praise is the key to Charming and Disarming your prospect.
People like to hear positive remarks about themselves, so the more sincere praises you give
a person, the higher chance he’ll like you.
The moment you are able to make a prospect like you, it will be easy to make them value
what you value, just by the momentum generated from the bonds created.
Power Phrases :
“Mr. Dan, I generally respect fans of clubs like Newcastle or Arsenal whereby the teams do
not usually do well, but the fact that you stick with them so ardently tells me that you must
indeed be a loyal fan of theirs, for that I respect you”
“Hey Lawrence, I really like your taste in clothes, if only I have your tastes, do you think you
can teach me how you choose your clothes so that I can learn from you?”
“Mrs Lim, I like to work with people who have a lot of insurance because you prove to me
that you are someone who believes in protecting what you value, and I value that very
much.”
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Principle 2 : The Principle of Reciprocity
People often feel compelled to return a favor
The basic idea of this principle is very simple – Give others what you want to receive. The
law of abundance states that The more you give, the more you will receive. And its true!
Many a time we are faced with a situation whereby we have a stalemate and no one seems
to want to make the first move, break the stalemate by giving yourself the advantage of the
first move.
By the simple act of giving alone, you generate a certain feeling of indebtedness in your
prospect and that compels them to want to repay this debt. Think back, when someone has
given you a treat, you feel compelled to want to give him a treat back right? This whole
principle relies on our in build need to return a favor, especially if it’s a kind gesture in kind
or otherwise.
We can use this to our advantage, by combining the power of making someone like us and
at the same time, giving them a gift, we usher the prospect into a zone whereby they feel
uncomfortable if they do not repay back the kindness. Often when someone cancels on our
appointment, I see it as an advantage because I know I now have the advantage of seeking
that he “repay” me back the appointment, this feeling builds up and eventually he will feel
compelled to not only repay back the debt, but also to over-compensate his inability to keep
to the appointment by going an extra mile – in our case, maybe buy a bigger premium policy
to return to the “status quo” between me and him.
By giving our prospect a personalized thesis with name, birthday and picture in it, we create
a massive feeling of indebtedness in them that will make them very willing to listen to what
we have to say. By applying this knowledge, we can truly get what we want by giving people
what they want.
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a sngle candle, and the life of the candle will not be
shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared”
-Buddha
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Principle 3 : The Principle of Social Proofing
People do what others do
Perhaps to me, the most power principle in all 6 is the power of social proofing. It is all
around us, and in every form possible. Whether is it the queue at the restaurant, the reason
why people also go for something that everyone is going for – the whole ideology behind
what a “fad” is is grounded solidly in social proofing?
Even the government regularly employs the power of social proofing to get everyone in
order and in line. The basic fundamental idea is this : IF EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT, WHY
NOT YOU?
Humans are social creatures, we are in build to do things as a collective group, as a society.
Unless someone has a very strong resolve, the average person will generally follow the
actions of others, if it has been proven to be effectively and widely accepted.
Think back on your most recent big ticket purchase, be it an iPad, iPhone, or TV. Why did
you buy it? What was one other compelling reason why you bought it? Apart from the fact
that you needed it? Like most people, you bought it because someone probably said its
good, it was worth the money and you probably felt convinced that it was a good product
just based on their reviews alone – That is the power of social proofing
If we understand how to adapt this principle into our presentation, it can make the whole
difference between getting the sale and not getting it. Consider these two phrases
1) I am recommending you this policy because I think that it fits your requirements
against
2) Our friends, Tom and Linda chose to take up this policy from me because they both
feel that it fits the requirements that they are concerned about.
What a difference just by changing few words make! The context is exactly the same, but
the effect is so different! Just by reading the two phrases alone, I believe you felt a certain
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compulsion to know more about it, to know why both Tom and Linda decide to take up the
policy. Right?
Evidence of Social Proofing is all around us, in fact the entire premise of advertising is based
solidly on social proofing. The more you can convince someone that your product or service
is widely accepted, widely popular, widely recognized, the more chances you create for
yourself to persuade your prospect into buying in to your idea.
Advertisers often use client testimonials to prove that their products do work, regardless
whether or not these testimonials turn out to be fakes or scripted, the fact is, it works!
How about those of us who are just starting out and do not have a readily accessible source
of testimonials to back us up, or do not have common friends with whom we can use this
principle on? Its simple. You can go around this problem by using a few key phrase to give
the perception of Social Proofing :
My Top Clients / My Top Referrals
Again, consider the example illustrated above, instead of saying
3) I am recommending you this policy because I think that it fits your requirements
You can say this -
4) My top clients / My Top referrals / Millions of Singaporeans take up this policy
because they see the value in…..(benefit of policy)
Crucially, it is always important to Step out of “I” and start referring to other people, to give
the sense of social proofing, so its no longer a “I and You” situation, but rather a “You
against them” situation.
If they choose not to take up the idea, then they will feel as if they are “Losing out” or is
turning his/her back on a widely accepted idea. This can create a degree of discomfort
within them and the only “comfortable” solution is to take up the solution everyone else
does that is to buy in to your idea.
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In promoting our services, it is also important to reference other people and making sure
that your prospect refers other people to you based on social proofing. To achieve this, we
can consider making our friends say this
“Are you looking to buy insurance? My friend Alan Phua is very good at what he does and he
can definitely help you, like how he has helped me and my friends”
This incorporates effectively, the principle of social proofing and gives the referral a sense
that you are trustworthy, credible and good at what you do. So go forth and try this
principle out, it is the surest fastest way to get people to listen to you more effectively .
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Principle 4 : The Principle of Consistency
People often do what they say they’ll do
Think back on a situation when you made a commitment to a friend, whether is it for a
dinner or a movie date, and you weren’t able to honor or make it for the agreed
appointment – how did it make you feel? Like most people, you would have felt very “bad”
and uncomfortable right?
Herein lies the fundamental concept of the Principle of Consistency. We will always do what
we say we’ll do, because if we don’t, we will be view negatively as being untrustworthy, un-
credible and just down right dis-interested.
No one wants to feel this way, but if we want to harness this principle, we must make our
prospect feel that if they don’t follow through, they will feel the exact same emotions we
don’t want to feel.
People are good at Talking the talk, but many fail to walk the walk. The problem always lies
in the follow through, so how do we overcome this problem of getting people to follow
through with their commitments?
Simple, again, it all boils down to using a few key phrases incorporated into the conversation
that will make them do Public Commitments. Once someone has made a certain public
commitment, should they back out on it, they will feel a sense of guilt and discomfort. To
make our prospect say a public commitment, we need to incorporate certain words into the
conversation. Consider these two examples
1) Tom, this Friday we’ll be going to Chuans house, see you there at 8pm ok?
against
2) Tom, this Friday is Chuan’s house, can I count on you to be there at 8pm?
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Say you are in Tom’s shoes, which question will you find it harder to answer? Definitely the
2nd
one as opposed to the 1st
one. Because just the inclusion of “count on you” alone,
makes this question a public commitment.
Ask yourself, if you answered “Yes” to both questions, which one will you more likely follow
through with? And if you didn’t which one will you feel most uncomfortable with?
Crucially, we need people who can follow through with their commitments and to achieve
this, we need to “Shepard” them into a situation whereby if they should retrograde on their
commitment, not only will they feel a general sense of discomfort, but also a feeling of
indebtedness to you. (Refer to The Principle of Reciprocity).
Power Phrases :
“…..Can I count on you to be there?”
“…..Will you be there? “
“…….can you promise me to give it some serious thought about it?”
“……Thank you for giving me your word.….i know I can always count on you”
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Principle 5 : The Principle of Authority
People prefer to listen to experts
This principle is also known as the Principle of Expert Endorsement, whereby you get an
expert, either in a related field or by virtue of popularity alone, to vouch and testify for your
product or services. This principle ties in very closely with Principle 3 – The Principle of Social
Proofing.
Imagine if you can harness the power of Social Proofing with the power of Authority, your
power to persuade will literally jump right through the roof!
Think Michael Jordan, Think Michael Schumacher, Think Tiger Woods, Think even
McDonalds. All these names listed above are all closely related to the companies they
endorse for – Nike, Ferrari, Nike Golf and the Olympics. Wait! Isn’t Michael Schumacher no
longer driving for Ferrari but for Mercedes Benz instead? YES! But his authority affiliation
with Ferrari is so strong that even though he has stopped driving for them, Ferrari is still
often associated with him and vice-versa! And is Ferrari a good brand name? And is Michael
Schumacher a good driver? YES TO BOTH!
But Olympics? What has Olympics got to do with the world’s biggest fast-food chain that is
generally accepted to be selling unhealthy food? Do you think that the athletes are gobbling
down copious amounts of Big Macs during the Olympics? Of course not! But McDonalds
rides upon the name and prestige of the Olympics by declaring it to be the Official Sponsor
of the Olympic games. People will think that “If the Olympics can accept McDonalds as their
sponsor, they must surely not be as bad as they say it is!” The end result? McDonalds get
increased patronage during Olympic events, just based on the Principle of Expert
Endorsement alone.
What I have showcased is how this principle can work in our favour – by tweaking certain
facts about us, we can create the perception that if an expert or authority listens to us, then
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surely we must be making a lot of sense. To achieve this, it is all about how you phrase
certain things.
Say for example you are running a sponsorship program and you want to get more clubs
interested, instead of saying
1) I am interested in sponsoring you club, can I speak to you about it?
Say
2) I am the exclusive sponsorship provider for the Accountancy Club, can I speak to you
about sponsoring your club?
Not only does it tilt the Principle of Social Proofing in your favor, it gives the perception that
if the Accountancy Club is willing to work with you, then surely you must be doing
something right!
Also if you have top class clients who are at the top of their fields, that is even better! Make
sure your prospect knows it! So instead of saying
1) I have a client who purchased this policy, would you like to consider it?
say
2) My top client, Mr. Richard Ho who is a top architect in Singapore, purchased this
policy from me because he felt that it was a fit to his requirements.
We effectively kill 2 birds with a stone – Social Proofing and Expert Endorsement. The more
you can get experts to endorse your idea, the stronger your persuasive power is.
Think back on Chuan, when he often promotes his 100 Great Quotes book, he often says
that he received responses from the likes of Warren Buffet, Lee Kuan Yew, Neil Armstrong
and institutions like Raffles Institution. In their own rights, they are experts in their own
fields, and it gives the perception, that if they can read and respond to him, why not us?
Normal citizenry? He is harnessing the power of Expert Endorsement and Authority.
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Principle 6 : The Principle of Scarcity
People want more of what they can have less of
Studies after studies have conclusively shown that the more items or opportunities are seen
to be scarce, the more valuable it is perceived to be by people. Think back on the last time
you went to a sale, is it any wonder that it is usually on the last day of the sale that people
will throng the shop and take whatever they can? The basic fundamental principle is in work
here.
Humans are innately “kiasu” It is not a uniquely Singaporean trait but a general innate
characteristic in all of us. Some of us have it more than the others, but it is in all of us. Why
then do you think advertisers often manipulate this by advertising products as being
“Limited Stock” or “Running out fast”? It is to spur us into taking action to get our share of
the pie, whether the product actually benefits us or not is inconsequential!
By actively informing our prospect that the window of opportunity is fast closing in on
something makes one more compelled to take action on it. To turn this principle into our
advantage, you can let our prospect know knowledge which may not be widely accessible to
them and the trick to being in such a situation is by using the word “Secret” .
Instead of saying :
1) Do you want to know how you can plan for your finances?
against
2) Would you like to know the secret how many financially free people are able to plan
for their finances?
Again, the difference is stark and obvious. Both context are the same, but the inclusion of
the word “secret” gave it a very “mysterious feel about it”, that the information you’ll be
sharing is privileged to your prospect. It is no secret that the top selling books have in a way
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of another, the word “Secret” or points to a certain “Secret” in them. Top-sellers like “The
Secret” all make use of this principle.
Also, to make oneself seem scarce, we can tilt this to our advantage by not readily accepting
any appointment requests. Remember, people value more of what they can have less of. So
when someone asks you
“Are you free next week to meet up?”
Instead of saying
“Yes! I am free anytime, just call me!”.
Say –
“Let me check on my schedule first and get back to you, I am quite packed the next week to
be honest”
The second response not only creates an impression of scarcity, it sends a subconscious
message that if you are busy, then surely you must be in demand because either you are
doing very well in your business or you have a lot of people who want to see you. This
achieves a few objectives,
1) It creates instant credibility
2) People will be less compelled to “waste your time”
3) Prospects will value the time you have allocated to them and will make full use of it
4) Prospect will understand that you are a busy man and will usually try to expedite all
matters pertaining to what you want to discuss about.
Again, as with all matters pertaining to interpersonal relationships, one should never
endeavor to cheat our lie to their prospects by creating false facts. Always be mindful that
when practicing these principles, to always make sure the source is from your own personal
experience and you have not lied in anyway to the prospect. Should you be uncovered, all
credibility as well as goodwill generated will be lost.
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Conclusion
Robert Cialdini’s book has provided adequate insights into the power of persuasion, that
when harnessed and applied properly, can make a whole world of a difference. I have
personally tried some of these principles, not just in my work but also in my daily affairs and
I can attest to its efficacy.
However risks are often associated with such persuading tactics as you must be sure never
to cross boundaries such as resorting to cheating or lying to put certain principles across. It
is often easy to inflate certain words and ideas to harness the power, but always be mindful
that once the prospect uncovers it, the credibility that is lost is often hard to regain. So
while we are actively practicing our persuasion skills, we must be sincere, genuine and
truthful about it as well.
I hope this summary will help serve as an enticing introduction into the science of
persuasion and like many others, will find it a useful resource in many days weeks, months
and years to come.
Thank You!