Cialdini's 6 Principles of Persuasion

Cialdini's 6 Principles of Persuasion

🔥 Persuasion is an important skill. Many have assumed that this tool is beyond their grasp, available only to the charismatic and the eloquent. Research over the past decades, though, shows that persuasion is governed by six principles that can be taught and applied. These are the Principles of Persuasion of Cialdini:

Principle #1 LIKING
How to establish liking? Uncover real similarities and offer genuine praise.
Controlled research has identified several factors that contribute to liking, but two stand out as especially compelling - similarity and praise.
- Similarity literally draws people together. People are more likely to follow someone similar to them than someone who is not. Informal conversations during the workday create an ideal opportunity for managers to discover at least one common area of enjoyment. The important thing is to establish the bond early because it creates a presumption of goodwill and trustworthiness in every subsequent encounter.
- Praise, the other generator of affection, both charms and disarms. Experimental data shows that positive remarks about another person's traits, attitude, or performance reliably generates liking in return. Managers can also use praise to repair a damaged or unproductive relationship.
Principle #2 RECIPROCITY
How to establish reciprocity? Give what you want to receive.
Managers can elicit the desired behaviour from coworkers and employees by displaying it first. Reciprocity confers a genuine first-mover advantage on anyone who is trying to foster positive attitudes and productive personal relationships in the office. Whether it's a sense of trust, a spirit of cooperation, or a pleasant demeanour, leaders should model the behaviour they want to see from others.
Principle #3 SOCIAL PROOF
How to establish social proof? Use peer power whenever it's available.
Persuasion can be effective when it comes from peers. The science supports what most sales professionals already know, testimonials from satisfied customers work best when the customer and the prospective share similar circumstances. Influence is often best exerted horizontally rather than vertically.
Principle #4 CONSISTENCY
How to establish consistency? Make people's commitments active, public, and voluntary.
Research has showed that most people, once they take a stand or go on record in favour of a position, prefer to stick to it. There's strong empirical evidence to indicate that a choice made actively - one that's spoken out loud or written or otherwise made explicit - is considerably more likely to direct someone's future conduct than the same choice left unspoken. Research also suggests that written statements become even more powerful when they're made public, as most people wish to appear consistent to others.
Principle #5 AUTHORITY
How to establish authority? Expose your expertise; don't assume it's self-evident.
A well-selected expert offers a valuable and efficient shortcut to wise decisions in our complex life. Some questions, be they legal, financial, medical, or technological, require so much specialised knowledge to answer, we have no choice but to rely on experts.
Since there's good reason to defer to experts, leaders should take pains to establish their own expertise before attempting to exert influence. During the preliminary conversation before most meetings, there is always an opportunity to touch lightly on your relevant background and experience as a natural part of a sociable exchange. This initial disclosure of personal information gives you a chance to establish expertise early in the game, so that when the discussion turns to the business, what you say will be accorded the respect it deserves.
Principle #6 SCARCITY
How to establish scarcity? Highlight unique benefits and exclusive information.
Study after study shows that items and opportunities are seen to be more valuable as they become less available. Exclusive information is more persuasive than widely available data. Loss language also figures far more heavily in decision-making than gain language. However, no offer of exclusive information, no exhortation to act now or miss this opportunity forever should be made unless it is genuine.

The 6 fundamental principles are relatively easy for most people to grasp. Actually applying them is more difficult and requires talent and practicing. Leaders can apply them in combination to compound their impact.
To achieve a long-term effect, managers should also use theses principles with ethics, otherwise, the organisation can't function properly with ill trust and cooperation.
Source: Cialdini, R., 2001. Harnessing the Science of Persuasion. Harvard Business Review.

Comments by date▼

Comments by rating

Rating

Tendekai Dzinamarira
Manager, Zimbabwe

The 6 Principles of Persuasion in Sales (Selling)

These commonly known principles of influencing skills or Principles of Persuasion (POP) by Robert Cialdini can be taken as the basis for discussing, investigating and proving how the influencing skills works in sales / selling.

According to Robert Cialdini the six principles influence customers to say YES to any product or service offered to them, namely reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, likability, authority and scarcity.

The Six Sales Influencing Skills

RECIPROCATION
Reciprocity is the first sales influencing principle that people in sales (management) and marketing ought to know and understand. This "quid pro quo" principle is based on the concept that one has to give something to get something in return. It's a natural predisposition of human behavior to repay in kind a previously obtained favor. When a customer receives something from a seller, for example gifts, goods or good customer care or treatment, the same customer feels obligated to return the favor - sometimes through making purchases. However it should be highlighted that this does not imply that marketers and sales team should always focus on giving gifts to their prospects but on the way they treat their customers bearing in mind that 'you reap what you sow' (Karma).

Points to note
- The seller should be the first to give something that is exclusively for the benefit of the buyer.
- The giving gesture should not be too obvious and should be perceived as an extra mile effort by the buyer.
SOCIAL PROOF
Customers are particularly susceptible to social proof when they are feeling uncertain about their purchase intentions or decisions. They often find safety in numbers, for example buying and eating in a restaurant if it is busy. Social proof is important in sales as it reduces the fear of the unknown that often holds prospects from buying. Therefore the sales team should work towards showing their prospects the social proof value of their products or services. Examples of social proof includes the 'Trusted By' list displayed by most consultancy companies on their websites, the use of social influencers to endorse company products or services, and a "Manager's Special"-tag displayed on selected products in a restaurant etc.

Point to note
- Some customers make purchases decisions through imitating what other customers are doing or buying.
- More on Social Proof as a Marketing Tool.
SCARCITY
It is a human nature that when a preson believes that something is in short supply, he or she tends to want it more. The same applies when customers perceive that something is popular and is in short supply. They often try by all means to seize the opportunity to possess it. Hence the sales team should grasp the potency of using the limited number technique for example the limited quantity offer and the deadline technique that is the limited time offer.

Points to note
- Customers perceive products or services that are difficult to obtain or attain as typically more valuable.
- As products or services become less accessible, customers lose freedom hence responding by wanting to have them more than before (The Psychological Reactance Theory).
- More on Scarcity Marketing.
COMMITMENT OR CONSISTENCY
Customers have certain impressions of themselves basing on their personal needs and traits. As an example some impressions can lead customers to consider themselves as risk takers, introverts, extroverts or secure investors. The duty of the sales personnel is to identify groups of customers early and connect them with their relevant labels, products or services, for example connecting a low risk taker with a secured insurance product.

Points to note
- It is important to secure an intial commitment that will enable customers to become more willing to make purchase decisions that are in line with their prior commitment.
- The more the sales team encourages customers to adhere to their labels, products or services, the more commitment is created.
LIKING
The more the customers like the seller, the easier the seller can close the sale by persuading them to buy. Cialdini asserts that customers are more likely to say YES to those they know and like. Sales teams should understand customer interests first, and then find a common ground which will enable them to establish a likability connection.

Points to note
- Sales teams should get their prospects to like them first through having friendly connections with their customers and through creating associations that the customers can link them with.
- It is equally important to note that almost every competitor will be building a likability relationship with their customers as well - hence the need to do it well in order to remain competitive.
AUTHORITY
Sales teams can persuade customers better if the customers perceives them as knowledgeable and credible about the product, service offering or the subject matter. Therefore the sales team should leverage on their authenticity and industry knowledge and strength to gain market traction.

Points to note
- There is high likelihood of winning a YES from customers if they perceive the seller as an expert and authentic in a particular field. Examples can be how patients trust doctors and legal clients trust lawyers.
- How to Become an Authority as a Consultant?.

Be that as it may, sales teams should however not let customers to feel and think there are being manipulated by these influencing skills the sales team might possess. This then implies that the sales team should apply the influencing skills ethically in business and any other setting.

I'm looking forward to any builds. What are your experiences in using these principles?

Sources
Robert B. Cialdini (1993), "Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion", Harper Collins
Robert B. Cialdini (2021), "Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion", Harper Collins
Robert B. Cialdini ( 2016), "Pre-suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade", Random House
Noah J. Goldstein et al. (2008), "Yes! : 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive", Simon and Schuster.