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He wrote a bestseller titled Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion. In it, he discusses 6 principles that drive sales.
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The psychology reflects a basic truth about human nature. More on that in a minute.
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Let’s look at the six principles. Sadly, they all have buzzword names.
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Here’s a plain English summary:
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1. Reciprocation![Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/267/2674136/marketing-your-biz-6-principles-and-one-basic-L-pie8SV.jpeg)
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Give to get. I give you something, you feel obliged to give me something.
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Cialdini cites a study done in restaurants: if the waiter gives you a mint with your bill, tips go up by 3%.
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If he gives you two mints, tips go up by 14%.
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And if he gives you a mint, starts to walk away, then comes back and gives you a second mint “because you’ve been so nice,” tips rocket up by 23%.
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Lesson: Be the first to give and make sure what you give is personalized and unexpected.
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Under-promise, over-deliver. It will always set you apart from the competition.
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2. Commitment![Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/267/2674136/marketing-your-biz-6-principles-and-one-basic-L-6xOfSv.jpeg)
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If we commit to something, say yes to even a small thing, it’s hard to renege. We want to be consistent, true to our word.
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A health center reduced missed appointments by 18% by asking patients (not the staff) to fill out their own next appointment cards.
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Lesson: Think long-term. Small sales can lead to bigger sales. It takes time to establish trust.
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3. Social Proof![Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/267/2674136/marketing-your-biz-6-principles-and-one-basic-L-8DgtoP.jpeg)
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Nobody wants to go first. We look to others to determine our behavior. It makes us feel safe.
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Cialdini mentions sitcom laugh tracks. Everyone hates them, but they make us more inclined to laugh. I’ve seen the same thing in theaters: if enough people start laughing, others will join in.
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Lesson: Show prospects how you’ve helped past clients succeed. Write up case studies. Ask for testimonials and feature them prominently on your site.
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People distrust statistics, but they love stories. If others are happy with your work, prospects will be more inclined to
take a chance on you.
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4. Liking![Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/267/2674136/marketing-your-biz-6-principles-and-one-basic-L-A03KZa.jpeg)
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People buy from people they know and like. It pays to be likable. So where do we go wrong?
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We go wrong when we pressure people. Try to butter them up. The old glad-hand routine, done for the sake of a sale.
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People see through it. Plus it’s ill-advised because it fails to build the trust needed for repeat business.
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Cialdini tells of a psychology experiment involving business school students. Groups had to negotiate with one another.
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Some groups were told: “Time is money. Get down to business.” They were able to negotiate an agreement about 55% of the time.
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Other groups were told to exchange some personal information before negotiating. They reached an agreement 90% of the time.
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Lesson: It pays to establish rapport. You have to take a genuine interest in your clients.
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5. Authority![Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/267/2674136/marketing-your-biz-6-principles-and-one-basic-L-s3w0td.jpeg)
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We listen to people who project authority. We’re more inclined to trust them.
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Look through an old magazine from the 40’s or 50’s and you’ll see ads with “doctors” pitching cigarettes. At least they look like doctors with their lab coats and stethoscopes.
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Many of us are authorities. We have the knowledge and experience. We need to demonstrate that authority.
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People used to do it by posting diplomas on their wall. Now we write blogs and post client testimonials on our site.
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Why are testimonials so effective? Because it’s someone else testifying to your expertise– not you.
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Cialdini mentions a very simple (and ethical) technique used by a real estate company to establish authority.
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When someone called about selling their home, the receptionist would say, “I’ll connect you with Ms. Smith who has over 20 years experience selling homes.”
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Lesson: Just stating a simple fact can establish authority. It’s always better if someone else does it for you.
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6. Scarcity![Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth blank vertical space, 24 pixels high](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/267/2674136/marketing-your-biz-6-principles-and-one-basic-L-zne2tZ.jpeg)
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The ol’ limited time offer: people will buy it today if they’re afraid it might not be available tomorrow.
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A limited time offer jibes nicely with Principle #2 above: it induces prospects to take that necessary first step. Having done so (and hopefully been happy with the result), they’re more apt to become repeat customers.
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Scarcity is also about missing out in a larger sense.
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It’s not enough to stress the benefits of your product or service. You need to communicate to prospects what they
will lose if they fail to hire you.
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One Basic Truth![Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth Marketing Your Biz: 6 Principles And One Basic Truth](https://m5.paperblog.com/i/267/2674136/marketing-your-biz-6-principles-and-one-basic-L-8_2I5d.jpeg)
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Those are the 6 Principles– what’s the One Basic Truth?
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The truth at the heart of the six principles is this: decision making is hard. It requires effort.
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Most of us prefer to avoid that effort. So we use shortcuts to decide what to do and how to behave.
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One of my favorite quotes comes from psychologist Daniel Kahneman:
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Thinking is to humans as swimming is to cats; they can do
it but they’d prefer not to.
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In his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman writes that our minds have two systems of thought.
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The first is instinctive, emotional– we can’t really control it. The second requires logic and analysis, and takes sustained effort. It’s painful.
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Behavioral scientist Richard Shotton puts it this way:
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Even when we think we’re making reasoned conscious decisions, often the conscious mind is merely post-rationalizing decisions that have already been made.
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We make emotional brand choices. To justify those choices, we tell ourselves we like the brand.
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Cialdini’s six principles are about the shortcuts we take to make decisions.
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