The Dynamics of Persuasion

• There are six universal principles of influence that operate regardless of the venue

– Whether asked to buy a car, volunteer for a fundraiser, or approve a budget, individuals respond positively based on a few rules of persuasion

The Dynamics of Persuasion

• Understanding the ethical use of influence empowers all parties in a transaction

• The seller informs the buyer into “yes”

• The buyer avoids blind compliance

Types of Influence Agents

• The Bungler– Doesn’t know the principles– Fumbles away opportunities

• The Smuggler– Knows the principles but misuses them– Causes loss through dishonesty

• The Sleuth– Knows and looks for natural principles at work– Alerts the other party– Informs him or her into “yes”

• Top performers spend more time in creating a favorable context for the request than in making the request

• Creating a favorable context by the way we communicate increases the likelihood of a positive response.

• How you present the merits of your offering is a significant factor

Ethics

• The ethics of influence mean being honest, maintaining integrity, and being a sleuth, not a smuggler (or a bungler)

• Customers are our business partners and moving them to buy goods and services is not exploitation or manipulation– It is building mutually beneficial relationships

through the use of ethical influence

The Six Principles

• Reciprocation

• Scarcity

• Authority

• Consistency

• Consensus

• Liking

Reciprocation

• Universally the unwritten rule is to give back to others who have given us something

• “Doing lunch at Market Street”• Waiters & Mints• Post it notes: hand written – 69%

– Blank – 43%, None – 34%• Reciprocal Concessions• MOMENT OF POWER – occurs right after someone says

“no”; Seizing the moment must be immediate

Reciprocation

• “Door in the face” rather than “foot in the door”

• If you retreat from the situation you lose; If you retreat in the situation you win.

The Six Principles

• Reciprocation

• Scarcity

• Authority

• Consistency

• Consensus

• Liking

Scarcity

• People desire what is less available– Oldsmobile in 2001– “Hot” toy in limited supply

• New Coke (54% blind, 6% branded)

• Unique features unavailable elsewhere

• Missing Out– Losing versus gaining

The Six Principles

• Reciprocation

• Scarcity

• Authority

• Consistency

• Consensus

• Liking

Authority

• Expertise & Knowledge are powerful• Credibility

– “Established 1927”– We’re # 1

• Testimonials & Introductions– “Third party” more credible– You can’t “toot your own horn”

• Milgram (1974)

Authority

• The moment you walk into a meeting, it is too late to present your credentials – seen as self-serving.

• Two sided argument– Acknowledge weakness first– “But” is the magic word

The Six Principles

• Reciprocation

• Scarcity

• Authority

• Consistency

• Consensus

• Liking

Consistency

• Human beings are deeply motivated to be or appear to be consistent

• The power of commitment

– “Please call” versus “will you call?” – affirmation is a “public commitment”

– Active, public and voluntary

– Will you vote tomorrow? Why or why not?

• 100% said they would vote.

• Election day: asked – 86.7%; not asked -- 61.5%

• Which features? Write a list.

• Will you support my initiative? Say why.

The Six Principles

• Reciprocation

• Scarcity

• Authority

• Consistency

• Consensus

• Liking

Consensus

• Following the lead of others

• “Social Proof”

• Two friends smoke = 1000 % increase in likelihood

• “Our most popular item”

• “We’re #1” (again)

• Testimonials

Consensus

• Re-use towels

– 1. Environmental reasons (38%)

– 2. Will donate savings to environmental cause (36%)

– 3. Hotel already donated – “Will you join us?” (42%)

– 4. Most guests reuse at least once. (48%)

• “If our lines are busy, please call again” or “operators are standing by”??

• Petrified Forest

• One means we use to determine what is correct is to find out what other people think is correct.

• The greater number of people who find an idea correct, the more the idea will be correct.

• Pluralistic ignorance: each person decides that since nobody is concerned, nothing is wrong

• Similarity: social proof operates most powerfully when we observe people just like us

The Six Principles

• Reciprocation

• Scarcity

• Authority

• Consistency

• Consensus

• Liking

Liking

• Positive Connections

– Tupperware gone from Target – it’s the people, not the product

• Common interests create a bond!

• Compliments (flattery?) – true or untrue – is successful

• Opportunities for cooperation

• Similarities – Survey request

– Similar name (Robert Ames gets request from Bob James) – 56% . Others 30%.

Other Hints

• Indirect approach– “I like to tell customers”– When this happened last year, I

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