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<\/span> 15 minute read\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span> Audio Available<\/p>\n Start free Snapreads trial<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Influence: Science and Practice is a psychology book examining the key ways people can be influenced by “Compliance Professionals”. Robert Beno Cialdini (born April 27, 1945) is the Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University and was a visiting professor of marketing, business and psychology at Stanford University, as well as at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The most important question you have to ask yourself when trying to sell someone a product is: How can I convince this person to buy what I am trying to sell? Successful salespeople are those who can sell things to people even when those people do not necessarily want those things immediately. That also includes convincing people to buy a more expensive version of a product that they do want. But how do we do this? First and foremost, you have to find a way to make the deal attractive to the buyer. You have to convince the buyer that the sale you are proposing is in his or her best interest But what does this mean exactly? Imagine you go into a jewelry store, planning to buy a watch. You have decided that your budget is $1000. You ask the salesman to show you some watches, and he brings out a selection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first watch he shows you is what you are looking for, it is a beautiful watch of excellent quality, but the price is $1500, so you don\u2019t buy it. The next one he shows you it’s only $800, but you don\u2019t like it very much It\u2019s what you want, but the price is $1200. Although this is more than your original budget, you decide to buy it anyway. So what happened here? Well very just, the salesman convinced you that the $1200 watch was a \u201cGood Deal\u201d because it gave you everything you liked about the $1500 wristwatch. Effectively he made you want the more expensive one and then offered you the slightly cheaper option only after showing you an opportunity IN That\u2019s how he got a \u201cGood Deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An interesting aspect of human interaction is the fact that as a group, human beings hate the feeling of being indebted to someone. Owing someone else something makes us instinctively uncomfortable, and we will go to quite some length to establish that discomfort goes away. It is a concept called \u201cReciprocity,\u201d and skilled salespeople can exploit this feeling. So how does this work exactly? Well, it\u2019s relatively simple. Reciprocity revolves around the idea that if someone gives you something you will instinctively want to give them something back. Because human beings are social creatures, we naturally want to maintain a balance between ourselves and others. Imagine a man painting caricatures on a pier as you have probably seen many times. These artists are masters at exploiting the concept of reciprocity. They will often target couples specifically and for example, do a free portrait of one person in the pair. They give this portrait ostensibly as a \u201cgift,\u201d but more often than not the couple will stop and pay money for the other person to have a picture done as well. That perfectly illustrates the idea of reciprocity. Paying for the second portrait resolves two situations at once. Firstly there is no longer a feeling of imbalance between the couple and the artist, and secondly, there is no longer an imbalance between the two people that make up the couple. Both of them have a portrait, and the artist has the money they wanted. That is reciprocity at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An interesting concept that is linked to the idea of Reciprocity is the concept of \u201cSocial Obligation.\u201d In any social group, certain acceptable situations or norms are specific to that group. Imagine a neighborhood where it is accepted that everyone must be quiet after a particular time at night. There is a sense that the people in that community are \u201cobliged\u201d to be quiet after that time. When someone does NOT stick to this arrangement, there is then a sense of social obligation that they in some way need to make up for that. They have in effect created a \u201cdebt\u201d for themselves. They now owe their neighbors something in return. Perhaps they will take them a gift of some sort or offer to babysit, but whatever the case may be, there will be an obligation to \u201cmake it right\u201d in some way. These Social Obligations are a powerful tool to be used by the successful salesman. Restaurants are in particular use of this principle quite often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many restaurants will offer specials. For example \u201cBuy one Main Course, Get One Free.\u201d While it may seem like they are merely giving food away, what is happening is something entirely different. You see, the profit margin on food means that buying one main course covers the costs for both. But because of the social obligations involved, the customers end up spending far more on drinks than they usually would have and because the profit margin on beverages is much higher than on food, the Restaurant makes more money than they otherwise would have. The idea of Social Obligation is a very subtle but compelling one and an essential tool in the arsenal of any successful salesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sign up<\/a> or Login<\/a> for the full summary<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/em> A well-known principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do. \u201d <\/em><\/p>\u2015 Robert B. Cialdini<\/strong>, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n With the Snapreads app, you get the key insights from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not hours or days. Our experts transform these books into quick, memorable, easy-to-understand insights you can read when you have the time or listen to them on the go.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Regardless of what you are selling or who you are selling it to, always find a way to make a deal that is good for both of you.<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nBeing in debt makes people uncomfortable. Find a way to make people feel like they owe you something.<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nPeople are much more likely to do something if it makes them look better in front of other people. Don\u2019t underestimate the power of social obligations.<\/strong>
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