Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e., uncovering which factors cause a person to say "yes" to another's request).
Written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research, Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and in other positions inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say "yes" Widely used in classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion.
Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.
"Robert Cialdini's book Influence is one of the most important of the last 50 years." - Dave Logan, CBS Money Watch
"Influence is Robert Cialdini’s revolutionary treatise on the science of decision-making." - Nature
"Arguably the best book ever on what is increasingly becoming the science of persuasion. Whether you're a mere consumer or someone weaving the web of persuasion to urge others to buy or vote for your product, this is an essential book for understanding the psychological foundations of marketing." - Goodreads.com
"This marvelous book explains in clear, practical language the ways in which we become persuaded. It offers excellent insights for those who sell, but even more importantly for all of us who negotiate and buy. ROGER FISHER, Director, Harvard Negotiation Project, Co-author of Getting to Yes
"For marketers, it is among the most important books written in the last 10 years." JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH
"The best sales tip I ever got was encouragement to read INFLUENCE by Dr. Robert Cialdini. It was so profound and insightful, I read it three times in a row." GREG RENKER, President, Guthy-Renker
"It would be marvelous reading for students taking Social Psychology." DAVID MYERS, Hope College
"The book is tremendously entertaining and very popular with students. It makes excellent reading for a Consumer Behavior or Advertising class." ALAN J. RESNIK, Portland State University
"INFLUENCE should be required reading for all business majors." JOURNAL OF RETAILING
"There are some books that are 'must reads' for entrepreneurs; some for marketers; some for salespeople; and some for programmers. And then there are a handful that everyone should read. IMHO, one such book is Influence: Science and Practice by Dr. Robert Cialdini, a psychology professor at Arizona State University." - Guy Kawasaki, author of Rules for Revolutionaries, The Art of the Start, Going Visual, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, and Hindsights.
AMAZON REVIEW:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A rare book that needs to be read by everyone.,
November 6, 2010
By Mehmet Gok "MBA PMP" (Toronto, ON Canada
This review is from: Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition) (Paperback)
Core Idea: Know the techniques of psychological influence to avoid becoming their victim.
In his introduction, Robert Cialdini admits he had always been an easy mark for salespeople, peddlers, and fundraisers. It had never been easy for him to just say "no" when asked to donate money. An experimental social psychologist, he began wondering about the actual techniques that are used to make a person agree to do something when normally they would not be interested. As part of his research, Cialdini answered newspaper ads for various sales training programs so that he could
learn at firsthand about persuasion and selling techniques. He penetrated advertising, public relations, and fundraising agencies in order to glean the secrets of the "psychology of compliance" from its professional practitioners.
The result is a classic work of both marketing and psychology that shows us why we are so vulnerable to persuasion, in the process telling us much about human nature.
This is a must read and one of the most cited books of all time in psychology, management and self-help area. In fact, according to my rankings this book is only second to Dr. Stephen R. Covey's seminal work "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"
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