Download Influences and persuasions

Influence Clients to Use Your Services Using
THE SIX PILLARS OF
PERSUASION
Dr. Robert Cialdini
 Developed The Six Principles of Persuasion
 Based on social research
 The Principles are scientifically-proven
tactics that can be used to leverage the
likelihood that people will say "yes" to
requests and suggestions
Compliance practitioners
 Cialdini identifies what he calls “compliance
practitioners”, such as salesmen, fund raisers,
con artists and advertisers.
 Apprenticed himself to the “persuasion trades”
by actually going to work in
 Sales for encyclopedias, vacuum-cleaners, cars
 Fund raising
 Recruiting
 Advertising
Marketer’s Tool Kit
 These are approaches to help influence our
clients in our favor – to use our good services
 To help our clients influence their customers
in their favor to buy their goods and services
Decision Making Short Cuts
Because of overwhelming cues for decision making, animals
and people evolve to recognize short cuts.
 Based on Research on Fixed Action Patterns
 Some are innate, some are learned
 Triggers of compulsive behavioral response
 Fish story
 Baby grabbing parents finger
 High quality is triggered by high price
 Anti Aging Face Creams
 Perfume
 Vodka
“Just Because”
Favor Short Cut
 A 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.
 Cialdini’s Because Experiment
 Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use I use the Xerox machine?
60% √
 Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use I use the Xerox machine,
because I’m in a rush?
94% √
 Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use I use the Xerox machine,
because I need to make some copies?
93% √
Weapons of automatic influence
 Cialdini distilled and organized the thousands
of tactics he observed down into a handful of
basic techniques that he calls “weapons of
automatic influence.”
 Each of them is based on a human
psychological principle that has the
 “…ability to produce a distinct kind of automatic,
mindless compliance from people, that is, a
willingness to say yes without thinking first.”
Commonalties of Influence Tools
All share:
 A nearly mechanical process by which it can be activated
 Tremendous power that can be exploited by anyone who
knows how to use it
 People consistently underestimate how effective it is
 They work even when we know they’re in operation.
Because these techniques work so well, Cialdini
emphasizes how vulnerable we are to anyone who knows
and uses them.
The 6 Pillars of Persuasion
 Reciprocity - returning a “favor”
 Commitment and Consistency - honoring a previous

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agreement or statement
Social Proof - do what other people are doing
Authority - do what the person with the highest
title/rank, the fanciest car, or the nicest clothes says
Liking - follow the advice/instructions of people you like
or are attracted to
Scarcity - perceived scarcity generates demand
Reciprocity

R – Reciprocity: If someone gives something to us first, we are
likely to respond with a bigger favor… e.g., giving someone a project
who has been generous to you with information.
 We feel very uncomfortable not repaying someone who has given us
a gift or done us a favor.
 This feeling of indebtedness generally originates from one of three
sources:



favors,
gifts, or
concessions.
 People feel obligated to give back or repay those who have given to
them. The simplest way to invoke this principle: be the first to give...
information, contacts, access, praise, etc.
Commitment and Consistency
 People prefer to live up to their previously-stated beliefs
and previously-held commitments. [Insurance company
story]
 Invite Research Buyers to make a statement about their
belief about Qualitative Research that would predispose
them to a professional consultant
 e.g., it’s important to follow the lead of the consumer in an open
ended discussion rather than forcing him/her to follow a highly
structured questionnaire in the guise of a guide.
 Or the best Qualitative Researcher acts as a consultant who
suggests the best approach to the problem
 Then re-contact them with call to action for QRCA/AQR
or your service that’s consistent with their belief
Liking – No surprises here!
Increased Likability = Increased Likelihood of Response.
 We like those who are similar to us.


Find commonalties with your audience and BE SURE TO POINT THEM OUT
Dress like your clients do
 Authentic praise; compliments endear us to others.

That was a well written RFP; very clear and concise
 “Cute” captures hearts

Babies and puppies
 Increased familiarity through repeated contact with a person or thing is
yet another factor that normally facilitates liking.

Make those phone calls, send notes with interesting news bites on their product or
category, say ,”hi” for no reason
 Mutual and successful cooperation in a task.
 E.g., invite your client to present along with you where you do all the work
and they get the credit – combines reciprocity with liking
Authority
 People defer to legitimate experts, especially
in matters of fact and data.
 Milgram’s shocking experiment
 The man in the street
 New York City marathon
Social Proof
 When people are unsure of what to do, they look
at what similar others have done or are doing
 9 out of 10 doctors recommend . . .
 My college bar survey
 1964 murder of Catherine Genovese
 Jim Jones Kool Aid mass suicide
 "Since 95 percent of the people are imitators and
only 5 percent initiators, people are persuaded
more by the actions of others than by any proof
we can offer.“
Scarcity
 People want more of what they can have less
of.
 “…opportunities seem more valuable to us
when their availability is limited."
 Act now while supplies last!
 Only two spots left
 Time is running out, get your early bird discount
now
Only Need a Slight Edge
 Winner in a horse race just has to win by a
nose
 The ruling lion who gets to eat as much as he
wants just needs to be a little stronger
 All we have to do is show slight superiority
in one of the pillars of influence
The Pillars in Action
PUERTO VALLARTA
TIME SHARE EXAMPLE
Reciprocity
 In exchange for seeing the time share
property
 Free ride back and forth from airport to our hotel
 Major discounts on things we were going to do





anyway – fancy restaurant,
Booze, booze and more booze
Tours of the city
Gourmet brunches
Conciliations on cost
Etc., etc., etc.
Commitment & Consistency
 Sales rep got us to acknowledge facts that she
could retrieve later for consistency
 We owned other timeshares and were extremely
happy with them
 We loved to travel
 We took lots of vacations
 Then described timeshare in concert with what
we had admitted to earlier.
 This timeshare was in the top 10 timeshares in the world
 You could trade easily because it was highest rated
 The owners always get a room overlooking the ocean
Social Proof
 At the end of a lovely tour of the property,
 We were taken to a large room which had at least
100 round tables in it.
 Every table looked full and these were all people
who were doing the same thing as we were.
 They looked engaged and happy and the hubbub
in the room gave the impression that lots of deals
were going through.
 Popped a bottle of champagne every time
someone signed
Liking
 Appealing woman rep from my neck of the
woods
 Similarity
 Our age
 Well dressed
 Outgoing and friendly
 Complimentary
 Said nice things about what I was wearing
 Agreed with our choices of other time share spots
Authority
 Very knowledgeable about properties and
time shares
 Highly experienced
 Knew trading values of time shares
 Was aware of costs on other location time
shares
 Praised us for getting a good deal – she knew
what a good deal was
Scarcity
 Time shares were going like hot cakes
 Checked to see if one was available at a lower
cost, but said it had been sold
 Let us know that other reps were signing up
the other choice spots
 Told us we should probably consider making
a deal on one with the great price she had
negotiated for us
Implications for
MARKETING YOUR RESEARCH
Reciprocity
 Reciprocity
 Give what you can
 Information
 Free advice on whatever
 Lunch and learns
 Research your clients’ interests and give small gifts
in keeping with their preferences
Commitment & Consistency
 Ask Socratic questions which get clients to
take a position consistent with the need for
the type of research you do
 “Do you already know all the criteria your
prospect uses to make a buying decision?” (If not,
they can’t use closed ended quant survey because
they can’t lay out the attributes … need qual to
determine)
 “How important is knowing the emotional end
benefits in your category?”
Social Proof
 Gather testimonials from EVERY satisfied client the
moment they express satisfaction. (Send “can I get
your feedback?” email … then ask if you can quote)
 Use prweb.com to regularly send out inexpensive
research tidbits. Use Google Alerts to capture every
public mention of your name … get reprints and
keep a LONG list on your website, use in proposals,
etc
 Keep LONG list of clients
 (Tell the bus stop story – quantity is actually more
persuasive than quality – though both are important)
Liking
 Gently point out similar interests, tastes,
clothing, experiences, beliefs, etc.
 Be honest and genuine (with all above, as
well as when giving compliments)… don’t
fake it, people can tell
 You need LOTS of contact to develop
familiarity and a solid relationship … stay in
touch, even (perhaps especially) when there’s
no project
Authority
 Dress for success when first being introduced
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to your clients to establish authority
Publish articles
Seek speaking engagements
Maintain a newsletter, podcast, and videocast on your expertise
Take charge when necessary. Better to be a
“focus group doctor” than a “moderating
puppet”
Scarcity
 Use a “take away sale” (examples “just
wanted to give you the opportunity to book
this because another client asked for my
time” – or – “need to start recruiting
tomorrow if we’re going to be in the field by
____”)