This book outlines techniques used to persuade you by salesmen, hawkers, charities or people with hidden agendas.
It explains how these techniques can be used to manipulate and/or exploit you/others psychologically and why. There is example provided for each techniques and explained in detail.
This is a very effective resource to use in or against sales. Looking forward to reading more by Robert Cialdini.
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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Paperback – 4 August 2009
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Robert B Cialdini
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Robert B Cialdini
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Product details
- Publisher : HarperCollins US; Revised ed. edition (4 August 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 006124189X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0061241895
- Dimensions : 13.49 x 2.13 x 20.32 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Product description
Review
For marketers, this book is among the most important books written in the last ten years.--Journal of Marketing Research
The material in Cialdini's Influence is a proverbial gold mine.--Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
Influence should be required reading for all business majors.--Journal of Retailing
This book will strike chords deep in the hearts and psyches of all of us.--Best Sellers Magazine
The material in Cialdini's Influence is a proverbial gold mine.--Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
Influence should be required reading for all business majors.--Journal of Retailing
This book will strike chords deep in the hearts and psyches of all of us.--Best Sellers Magazine
From the Back Cover
Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say yes--and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book.
You'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader--and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.
About the Author
Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. holds dual appointments at Arizona State University. He is a W. P. Carey Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Regents' Professor of Psychology, and has been named Distinguished Graduate Research Professor. Dr. Cialdini is also president of Influence At Work, an international training and consulting company based on his groundbreaking body of research on the ethical business applications of the science of influence.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
6,159 global ratings
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TOP 1000 REVIEWER
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3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 24 March 2018
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This is a very powerful and important book discussing the power of motivation from a practical point of view. Written very simply, it shows how psychology can be used to get what you want without causing harm to anyone else.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 3 January 2019
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It is old now but still relevant. I indulged myself by having audible and kindle. A great way to take in the information even at 2x speed on audible.
4 people found this helpful
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TOP 500 REVIEWER
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Brilliant book that goes through the 6 techniques of influence in detail. Loved it
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 27 March 2020
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I have used this book to give me background knowledge on how people behave the way they do especially with regard to purchasing.
It contains many pertinent, real-life examples and ought to be read by anyone who ever buys or sells things - that is, everybody
It contains many pertinent, real-life examples and ought to be read by anyone who ever buys or sells things - that is, everybody
Reviewed in Australia on 22 May 2020
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This is a great insight into the world of persuasion and it’s use by compliance professionals and importantly it’s misuse by other more nefarious parties. Will be using this knowledge gained to help guide me through the increasingly information overloaded world we live in.
Reviewed in Australia on 16 May 2015
Verified Purchase
An interesting read. Started off really engaging and then became a bit repetitive about two thirds of the way in. He goes over the basic psychological influencers in quite a bit of detail with examples and studies which is really good. Worth reading if you are new to psychology or you're just interested in seeing what its all about.
5 people found this helpful
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to follow. Shows how we are influenced without our realising it and how to prevent it.
Reviewed in Australia on 3 September 2016Verified Purchase
Excellent book.
I learnt a lot.
Easy to follow. Shows how we are influenced without our realising it and how to prevent it.
I learnt a lot.
Easy to follow. Shows how we are influenced without our realising it and how to prevent it.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Stiven Skyrah
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you haven't read it, then you should.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2018Verified Purchase
Summary: This book can’t be summarized. It can only be very, very strongly recommended.
Recommended? YES. Buy it now if you haven’t read it.
Table of contents:
1 Weapons of Influence
2 Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take…and Take
3 Commitment and Consistency: Hobgoblins of the Mind
4 Social Proof: Truths Are Us
5 Liking: The Friendly Thief
6 Authority: Directed Deference
7 Scarcity: The Rule of the Few
Notes:
Below are my key takeaways and some interesting points, but I’m telling you. Buy it. Read it. Trust me.
* Expensive implies quality. Example: gems in a jewel case that weren’t selling were marked up and then sold at a “discount” to the markup (a price higher than the original price), and they sold like hotcakes.
* Power of contrast. Example: If you go into a men’s store they’ll try and sell you an expensive suit before the sell you the expensive jumper because the contrast makes the sweater appear more affordable.
* Reciprocity. Example: If someone buys you something (say, a Coke), you’re more likely to buy something from them (say, raffle tickets).
* Concession. Example: If someone tries to sell you something and you pass (say $5 of $1 raffle tickets), they’ll try and sell you something less, that you’ll end up buying because you feel bad (1 $1 raffle ticket). Another term used here is “reject then retreat.”
* Commitment leads to consistency leads to collaboration. Example: During the Korean war, the Chinese got American soldiers to make public commitments of various things. Then they made those commitments even more public, which the American soldiers had to stand by to be consistent. That consistency then led them down a path of minor forms of collaboration – without them really thinking about it as such.
* Writing something down, even privately, strengthens your commitment to something.
* People like and believe in commitment because their image and reputation are on the line (i.e. the Chinese concentration camp example above).
* People like more what they struggle to get, even if it’s not that good. Example: frats (hey, it’s in the book, don’t hate the messenger).
* People like to feel they have control over a decision – even if they really don’t.
* The power of social proof, or the idea that if others do it it’s good. Example: introverted pre-schoolers who saw introverted kids become social in a movie were more inclined to go play. Another example: cults. People follow the crowd because they believe in the “wisdom” of the crowd.
* Convince and you shall be convinced. Example: cults, where people who convince or convert others become more convinced (that’s why so many are evangelical).
* Assign responsibility if you want things done. Example: a stabbing that took place over many minutes had 38 witnesses…it happened cause everyone figured someone else would call the police.
* The power of copycats that’ll play on social proof. Example: if you find a wallet of someone like you and you’re more likely to return it (it’s true). Another (scary) example: more suicides when the press publicizes a suicide…more fatal “accidents” too.
* Liking is an important part of influence. Attractiveness, similarity (identity and context), compliments, contact & cooperation all can make someone more influential.
* The reason good cop/bad cop works is because the subject feels someone is on their side.
* Associations are powerful. Bearers of good news get treated well, and bad news get treated poorly. Examples: weathermen (or Roman messengers reporting lost battles!)
* People tend to defer to authority/experts. Examples: experiments involving shock therapy where people listened to a guy in a lab coat to inflict pain on another human being (incredible how strong this is).
* The power of connotations and context over content, and how it can imply authority. Titles and clothing do this.
* Gaining trust. Example: a waiter who advises against a more expensive item early in the meal will gain the trust of everyone at the table, and then he can suggest more expensive items and more items through the course of the meal.
* Scarcity is powerful. There’s a psychological reaction…people don’t want to lose their freedom and don’t want to lose. This plays to a second point: competition. Invite 3 used car buyers at the same time and you’ll sell the car faster. A cookie is more attractive if there are two of them than if there are 10 of them. (Always as yourself when something is scarce: will the cookie taste as good if there are 10 of them?). Plus, if you saw that the number went from 10 to 2, you want it even more. It can even lead to revolt…when something is given and then taken away, people get mad; if something is never given at all, they don’t know what they’re missing.
* “It appears that commitments are most effective in changing a person’s self-image and future behaviour when they are active, public, and effortful.”
* “The most influential leaders are those who know how to arrange group conditions to allow the principle of social proof to work maximally in their favour.”
* “Social proof is most powerful for those who feel unfamiliar or unsure of a specific situation and who, consequently, must look outside of themselves for evidence of how to best behave there.”
Recommended? YES. Buy it now if you haven’t read it.
Table of contents:
1 Weapons of Influence
2 Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take…and Take
3 Commitment and Consistency: Hobgoblins of the Mind
4 Social Proof: Truths Are Us
5 Liking: The Friendly Thief
6 Authority: Directed Deference
7 Scarcity: The Rule of the Few
Notes:
Below are my key takeaways and some interesting points, but I’m telling you. Buy it. Read it. Trust me.
* Expensive implies quality. Example: gems in a jewel case that weren’t selling were marked up and then sold at a “discount” to the markup (a price higher than the original price), and they sold like hotcakes.
* Power of contrast. Example: If you go into a men’s store they’ll try and sell you an expensive suit before the sell you the expensive jumper because the contrast makes the sweater appear more affordable.
* Reciprocity. Example: If someone buys you something (say, a Coke), you’re more likely to buy something from them (say, raffle tickets).
* Concession. Example: If someone tries to sell you something and you pass (say $5 of $1 raffle tickets), they’ll try and sell you something less, that you’ll end up buying because you feel bad (1 $1 raffle ticket). Another term used here is “reject then retreat.”
* Commitment leads to consistency leads to collaboration. Example: During the Korean war, the Chinese got American soldiers to make public commitments of various things. Then they made those commitments even more public, which the American soldiers had to stand by to be consistent. That consistency then led them down a path of minor forms of collaboration – without them really thinking about it as such.
* Writing something down, even privately, strengthens your commitment to something.
* People like and believe in commitment because their image and reputation are on the line (i.e. the Chinese concentration camp example above).
* People like more what they struggle to get, even if it’s not that good. Example: frats (hey, it’s in the book, don’t hate the messenger).
* People like to feel they have control over a decision – even if they really don’t.
* The power of social proof, or the idea that if others do it it’s good. Example: introverted pre-schoolers who saw introverted kids become social in a movie were more inclined to go play. Another example: cults. People follow the crowd because they believe in the “wisdom” of the crowd.
* Convince and you shall be convinced. Example: cults, where people who convince or convert others become more convinced (that’s why so many are evangelical).
* Assign responsibility if you want things done. Example: a stabbing that took place over many minutes had 38 witnesses…it happened cause everyone figured someone else would call the police.
* The power of copycats that’ll play on social proof. Example: if you find a wallet of someone like you and you’re more likely to return it (it’s true). Another (scary) example: more suicides when the press publicizes a suicide…more fatal “accidents” too.
* Liking is an important part of influence. Attractiveness, similarity (identity and context), compliments, contact & cooperation all can make someone more influential.
* The reason good cop/bad cop works is because the subject feels someone is on their side.
* Associations are powerful. Bearers of good news get treated well, and bad news get treated poorly. Examples: weathermen (or Roman messengers reporting lost battles!)
* People tend to defer to authority/experts. Examples: experiments involving shock therapy where people listened to a guy in a lab coat to inflict pain on another human being (incredible how strong this is).
* The power of connotations and context over content, and how it can imply authority. Titles and clothing do this.
* Gaining trust. Example: a waiter who advises against a more expensive item early in the meal will gain the trust of everyone at the table, and then he can suggest more expensive items and more items through the course of the meal.
* Scarcity is powerful. There’s a psychological reaction…people don’t want to lose their freedom and don’t want to lose. This plays to a second point: competition. Invite 3 used car buyers at the same time and you’ll sell the car faster. A cookie is more attractive if there are two of them than if there are 10 of them. (Always as yourself when something is scarce: will the cookie taste as good if there are 10 of them?). Plus, if you saw that the number went from 10 to 2, you want it even more. It can even lead to revolt…when something is given and then taken away, people get mad; if something is never given at all, they don’t know what they’re missing.
* “It appears that commitments are most effective in changing a person’s self-image and future behaviour when they are active, public, and effortful.”
* “The most influential leaders are those who know how to arrange group conditions to allow the principle of social proof to work maximally in their favour.”
* “Social proof is most powerful for those who feel unfamiliar or unsure of a specific situation and who, consequently, must look outside of themselves for evidence of how to best behave there.”
102 people found this helpful
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jay321
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not persuasively good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2018Verified Purchase
The book is 'okay'. The six areas the author identifies are interesting but there are two major issues with the book for me. Firstly, it is a bit rambling, you could have easily got all the principles and had a discussion around it in 100 pages. The second issue is that it is very American, so a lot of the examples talk about particular aspects of being in in American college and high school, baseball, that type of thing. I watch a lot of American programs but even with this it just made no sense at all. In this regard the book has failed to persuade me as to its merits (which is what the book is supposed to be an expert illustration).
54 people found this helpful
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Sue Cartwright
5.0 out of 5 stars
An invaluable series of lessons to be learned about self awareness
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2018Verified Purchase
A phenomenal book that provides example after example of how human beings are continuously duped into making automatic decisions without thinking them through, resulting in an invaluable series of lessons to be learned about self awareness.
Robert is a brilliant writer who well earns his accolade as the 'seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion' as he sets out how the five psychological principles of consistency, reciprocation, social proof, liking and scarcity direct human behaviour to give these tactics their power.
The ability for each of these principles to produce a distinct kind of automatic, mindless compliance from people to willingly say 'yes' without giving it a second thought is explained. Quite astounding and entertaining at the same time - a real eye opener and highly recommended for anyone who wants to take control over their decision making and indeed, understand how to achieve buy-in from others to do what they want them to do.
I first read this book in March 2012 and read it again this year as part of my research for my new blog.
What really caught my eye, the second time round, is the last chapter on Authority - How To Say No. This in view of the fact that it is now common knowledge that too many 'Social Media Consultants' who claim to be 'experts' are actually nothing of the kind.
Robert writes: 'We particularly mis-perceive the profound impact of authority (and its symbols)on our actions, we are at the disadvantage of being insufficiently cautious about its presence in compliance situations. A fundamental form of defence against this problem. When this awareness is coupled with a recognition of how easily authority symbols can be faked, the benefit will be a properly guarded approach to situations involving authority-influence attempts.'
He goes on to say that the best way to protect ourselves is to ask two questions: 1) Is this authority truly an expert? (to focus our attention on acquiring evidence of credentials and the relevance of those credentials to the topic in hand thus avoiding automatic deference), and 2) How truthful can we expect the expert to be here? (To focus on their trustworthiness in the situation as we seem to be swayed more by experts who seem to be impartial than by those who have something to gain by convincing us).
Robert is a brilliant writer who well earns his accolade as the 'seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion' as he sets out how the five psychological principles of consistency, reciprocation, social proof, liking and scarcity direct human behaviour to give these tactics their power.
The ability for each of these principles to produce a distinct kind of automatic, mindless compliance from people to willingly say 'yes' without giving it a second thought is explained. Quite astounding and entertaining at the same time - a real eye opener and highly recommended for anyone who wants to take control over their decision making and indeed, understand how to achieve buy-in from others to do what they want them to do.
I first read this book in March 2012 and read it again this year as part of my research for my new blog.
What really caught my eye, the second time round, is the last chapter on Authority - How To Say No. This in view of the fact that it is now common knowledge that too many 'Social Media Consultants' who claim to be 'experts' are actually nothing of the kind.
Robert writes: 'We particularly mis-perceive the profound impact of authority (and its symbols)on our actions, we are at the disadvantage of being insufficiently cautious about its presence in compliance situations. A fundamental form of defence against this problem. When this awareness is coupled with a recognition of how easily authority symbols can be faked, the benefit will be a properly guarded approach to situations involving authority-influence attempts.'
He goes on to say that the best way to protect ourselves is to ask two questions: 1) Is this authority truly an expert? (to focus our attention on acquiring evidence of credentials and the relevance of those credentials to the topic in hand thus avoiding automatic deference), and 2) How truthful can we expect the expert to be here? (To focus on their trustworthiness in the situation as we seem to be swayed more by experts who seem to be impartial than by those who have something to gain by convincing us).
12 people found this helpful
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Nitin Sachdeva
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poor paper quality
Reviewed in India on 24 January 2018Verified Purchase
Book content - excellent
Paper quality - Very bad. It is equivalent to quality that is available on road side or some times on traffic signals at max. 100 Rs.
Quality of paper must be improved, here paying extra in comparison to what is available on locations mentioned above.
Book not worth amount paid.
Paper quality - Very bad. It is equivalent to quality that is available on road side or some times on traffic signals at max. 100 Rs.
Quality of paper must be improved, here paying extra in comparison to what is available on locations mentioned above.
Book not worth amount paid.
51 people found this helpful
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Yash E
1.0 out of 5 stars
Despicable Print Quality. Great book. Don't bother buying here!
Reviewed in India on 12 July 2018Verified Purchase
The book is obviously a milestone and I started reading it in my Kindle. I wanted to have it in my collection and ordered the physical copy. Thanks to Amazon's service, I got the book very next day. To my surprise, the book is third rate cheap print you'd find on road sides and bus stations! It's not worth the price and shouldn't be spent more than Rs.100 for such a copy.
TL;DR
Awesome content. Horrible Copy. Great Service by Amazon. Returned!
TL;DR
Awesome content. Horrible Copy. Great Service by Amazon. Returned!
37 people found this helpful
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