Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Science of PERSUASION

The Science of PERSUASION - how to make the other person feel as if you are just like him/her. Here is how it works:

1. The Principle of Liking: People like those who like them - Uncover your real similarities with people and offer genuine praise
A. Similarity
B. Praise

2. The Principle of Reciprocity: Give what you want to receive – People repay in kind. Smile at someone and he smiles back! Give small gifts to everyone – that makes the other person oblidged.

3. The Principle of Social Proof: People follow the lead of similar others - Use peer power whenever it’s available. Taking testimonials from a similar and already satisfied customer and presenting it to another similar customer helps. Influence is often best exerted horizontally rather than vertically.

4. The Principle of Consistency: People align with their clear commitments - Make their commitments active, public, and voluntary. People should feel committed to what you want them to do. Some people stick to what they commit. Get things in written – Example, if someone commits to a date, ask him to email a memo summarizing things. AND written statements become more powerful when they are made public.

5. The Principle of Authority: People defer to experts – Expose your expertise; don’t assume it’s self-evident. Go to get-togethers to make such discussions which reveal your expertise from your mouth easier – not in a boastful way though.

6. The Principle of Scarcity: People want more of what they can have less of – Highlight unique benefits and exclusive information. Use ‘Loss language’ which says b) works better than a). a) If you do this, then you get this. b) If you do not do this, then you lose all of this. Also, exclusive information is better than widely available data. Eg: This is persuasive: “ I just got this report today. It wont be distributed until next week, but I want to give you an earl look at what it shows” and watch how your listeners lean forward! But remember, not to deceive anyone in this.

Use these 6 principles in combination.

REF: Harnessing the Science of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
- Harvard Business Review Article
Pub. Date: October 01, 2001

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