Any experienced businessman has heard of Cialdini’s name. The 68-year old psychologist and marketer became famous in 1984 when he published his 6 principles of Persuasion in his book, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”. 2 million copies and 26 languages later, the book is still relevant today as it was then.
Why is it still relevant?
A fair question. Influence carries the distinct characteristic of going straight to the point. The reader will never find himself or herself lost at any point throughout the book and will end up feeling perfectly capable of absorbing all the information in that information-dense book. uk whatsapp number data 5 million But this post isn’t a book review. I think the numbers of sales and languages translated into are good witnesses to the quality of this book. I’m here to talk about the principles enshrined in Influence.
Let me start by listing all 6 principles of Persuasion:
1. Reciprocity
2. Commitment and Consistency
3. Social Proof
4. Authority
5. Liking
6. Scarcity
The first thing anyone would notice is how simple they sound. And indeed simple is what they are. The modus operandi of these 6 little devils are, quite happily, accessible to all.
Reciprocity
We tend to want to give something back when something is clean and optimize your targeted lead lists received. If someone grants us a favor, we wish to grant a one back. The example Cialdini gives in his book is quite astonishing: After the 1985 Earthquake in Mexico, Ethiopia donated thousands of dollars in aid relief despite suffering from very serious economic problems. Turns out, Mexico supported ao lists Ethiopia when Italy invaded in 1935.
Interesting.
A more familiar and relevant example to Inbound Marketers is Crazy Egg’s and QuickSprout’s Neil Patel. His website is focused on his blog where he gives advice and suggestions on various topics related to marketing (and how to be good at it). In return? He has one of the most influential marketing websites of all time.