An ode to Robert Cialdini... and another tool to print out & tape to your wall (or clip to your fridge at home)

"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" is one of my favorite business books of all time.  As someone who has always been fascinated by those factors that most influence behavior & decision-making, I'm naturally interested in the "art of persuasion".  Not to mention the little fact that persuasion, done well and through an ethical prism, is a key success factor for developing effective, sustainable marketing programs.

In expressing my reverence for Mr. Cialdini while still (hopefully) providing readers with valuable marketing nuggets, I've put together a little cheat sheet of his famed laws of persuasion.  For each "commandment", I've included examples of how it is commonly employed within marketing.  However, each of these laws can be leveraged across many of life's little domains - from getting your child into that perfect school to getting bumped up to first class en route from Dallas to San Francisco.  

Enjoy, and please share your experiences with these laws - the good, the bad and the ugly.  Be they related to marketing or how you've employed them in other facets of your life.

CIALDINI LAW OF INFLUENCE	MARKETING EXAMPLE
Reciprocity You giving to me makes me really want to give back to you – I feel indebted. I owe you! Call it a form of closed-loop Karma if you like.	The free trial, an unexpected free gift with your purchase A free whitepaper, free e-newsletter Telling customers you’ve donated $15 to the charity of their choice before they’ve even completed a purchase (there are many ways to engineer this)
Scarcity People hate to miss out on something, even if it’s something they don’t like! Human evolution made us into hoarders, and we can't seem to shake the habit.	The “closing window” – “last chance”, “only one week left!” “Act now while supplies last!” “Here today, gone tomorrow – don’t delay!” “Limited-edition” products – art prints, coins, Barbies, Star Wars figures
Likability We want to do nice things for people we like. We’re also more likely to trust & listen to them. So whom do we tend to like? 1) People we have lots in common with 2) people who love to tell us how great & good-looking we are! (We just can’t get enough praise)	Celebrity & athlete endorsements “Our product is for smart, attractive people, just like YOU!” (Oh, how I blush… keep talking!) Why car salespeople try to learn early on what you both have in common. The closer you feel to her, the more you like her and are liable to trust her.
Authority People wearing nice suits. Police officers. Firefighters. Doctors. We become zombies in the presence of such authority figures in their domains of expertise. “I’ll do whatever you say…”	Power of “Opinion Leaders” – featuring Consumer Reports’ positive review of your product, including an endorsement from Seth Godin on the back of your book (although he has been kind of spreading the wealth lately…) Getting H&R Block to endorse your new tax software or Suze Orman to endorse your new no-load mutual fund)
Social Proof They seem to like it, so there must be something good about it. Aka, “the bandwagon effect”, “wisdom of the crowds”.	Testimonials (especially from people like yourself) Power of word-of-mouth, customer reviews Long lines outside a night club (even though the club is often half-empty).
Consistency / Commitment My current actions must align with my prior actions & commitments. Contradictory behavior makes me very uneasy.	“Foot-in-the-door” technique - getting someone to make small commitments to lead up to much bigger commitment. Getting user to register for free e-newsletter or to become “fan” on Facebook before offering user fee-based offerings.
Contrast We always evaluate our situations using some type of reference point – whether we’re evaluating the “goodness” of our incomes, spouses, children, education, etc. Marketers & salespeople engineer reference points for you for certain purchase settings. E.g., when you’re buying a new car, the salesperson wants you to think about the $1k “option” to install heated tush warmers relative to the $40k you’re already spending for the car, and not the 3% interest you’d earn by instead putting the $1k into your savings account.	For only $19 you can get 6 more inches of legroom for your flight from NYC to LA! The flight’s already $450 – what’s $19 more for 5-hours of comfort? “How about this nice $200 tie to go with your new $2k suit? You’re already spending $2k, why not spend a mere 10% more and make the suit perfect!”

Click here to download PDF of Cialdini persuasion table

How can I start using this information today?

• Clarify your goal or objective.  For example, "I want to increase the ROI on my email acquisition spend" 

• Go through each Cialdini law one-by-one and ask, "How might I use it to improve my email acquisition efforts?"  For example, for "social proof", you may decide to test the inclusion of testimonials or "seals of approval" from leading authorities within the body of your email.  For "likability", you may test emails with imagery of people who closely resemble your target market - from the clothes they wear to the surroundings in which they live.   

No Moral Judgments
A quick side note to those who feel "persuasion" is a four-letter word. To be clear, I'm not looking to generate a forum for moral soap-boxing. These laws exist whether we like it or not; a consequence of human evolution, and without their development we'd likely have gone the way of dinosaurs.  Like Cialdini, I believe these laws can be used for good, for bad, and for everything in between.  At a minimum we should all be aware of them since they do have such a profound impact on our daily lives.  Now that I got that off my chest... enjoy!




More from R. Cialdini plus other great persuasion content 

• Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive ("Applied Cialdini" - terrific book!)

• DishyMix podcast interview with Robert Cialdini

• Great presentation with the supporting audio on persuasive UX design from Andy Budd. 

• 6 elements for creating influential web experiences - copyblogger podcast

• How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie (I consider Dale the grandfather of persuasion, particularly within the work context)