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1 The Science of Persuasion : A Summary Dr. Robert Cialdini Summarised by Alan Phua Advisors Alliance Terence’s Division

Power of Persuasion

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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!