Its an older book so the information might be a bit dated. Its a lot of what you will learn in an intro psych course or soc psych course.

Good book for lay person though. Its entertaining and well orgainized.

I did not buy the book to find out how to schnook the unsuspecting, but that's pretty much what I learned. Or learned a -bit- of. After reading Woodward and Denton's far superior Persuasion & Influence in American Life, Cialdini's work seems like densely worded overkill attempting to concretize a mere seven worthwhile, but very simple concepts.

These seven concepts could have easily been dealt with in a magazine article: 1) Conditioned, co-dependent, people-pleasing "reciprocation;" 2) post-purchase "committment" to fend off cognitive dissonance; 3) peer-conscious, approval-seeking, run-with-the-pack "social proof" in place of actual evidence; 4) acquiescence to seduction or "liking the friendly thief;" 5) socially conditioned acceptance of "authority;" 6) anxiety-driven fear of "scarcity" (or not getting what we want because we think it won't be available "next time"); and 7) the "instant influence" created by informational overwhelm and perceived lack of time or resources to examine the evidence for and against a decision.

If Cialdini dealt with these at such length with concrete examples that were more easily grasped, I might have given this -three- stars, but his writing style is so opaque, it flows like molasses in winter on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Hey! It's cheap, but even so, I'm scratcing my head as to why "over one million copies [have been] sold!" ...unless most of them were bought by used car salesmen, stock brokers, real estate agents and telephone solicitors.

This is one of my favorite social psychology books. It is about compliance. It is about influencing others.

It is probably one of the most important works available to the general public regarding the science of compliance. How to get customers, counterparties in negotiation, etc. to be primed to act in a targeted way (i.e., to get them to say "Yes", or to do something you want, etc.).

The top people on "Madison Avenue" (advertising, marking, publicity, etc.), campaigning, political action, interrogation, etc. know these concepts. You should too. If only to be aware of the subtle factors that could influence you in acting in a manner you are initially opposed to, not necessarily to use them. However, if you are a negotiator, or are in marketing, or involved in campaigning and spreading "messages" or involved in "thought leadership" - you definitely need to read this book and learn its concepts and techniques. Consumers - which these days is basically everyone - should read this - so they don't get taken in or advantage of by advertising and marketing campaigns.

This book is all about influencing behavior - influencing the behavior of others - as well as being on guard from being the subject, or target of, these influencing techniques to your detriment.

Briefly, you can understand these influence techniques by understanding the concepts that Cialdini in Influence elucidates (with multiple cases and examples found in the book):

1. Reciprocation - People tend to help people that help them.

2. Consistency - People tend to act consistently over time. Small moves (especially when those moves - actions or statements - are public) towards a goal are hard to reverse. Small gains thus become leveraged into larger gains (i.e., gains being equal to the subject's behavior moving towards the target behavior). Past behavior can be used to influence future behavior.

3. Social Proof - This is when third-party's lend their credibility (for e.g., "Lance Armstrong uses product x" - the implication is so should you, etc.) or "Everyone likes x" - so should you. This is the "bandwagon" appeal which is also used in advertising and propaganda techniques.

4. Liking - People tend to like their friends and people who are nice to them, people that are ingratiating.

5. Authority - Similar to social proof, but here, this is based on the background of the person making a statement. For example, "Tom Smith is a Ph.D. in economics. He says the economy is going down." Thus you take his advice or conclusion (claims) as true just based on his credentials and not based on his argument and the evidence he provides (if any) in support of it.

6. Scarcity - People think that if something is scarce that it is valuable. This is not necessarily the case. An example: "this sale only lasts for three days, hurry and buy this car". Or another example is an executive or other person who feigns "busy-ness") to influence someone - to feign importance.

This book is very important in our age of mass media. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in advertising or marketing, negotiation, or the general public (i.e., consumers).

I can't even begin to tell you how many books I have read on the subject of "influence". I have been sorely disappointed by all of them. They range from books on magic tricks, to new age ideas and pop-psychology.

But this book, FINALLY, is the real deal. It is based on good, solid, scientific research and is beautifully written. There are eight chapters which essentially take one particular technique of influence (used by the advertising industry typically)and the chapter explains in detail why and how it works. All of the other books I've read give techniques and explanations that seemed doubtful to me at best. As you read this book you KNOW it's right!

I am not a marketer interested in techniques of influence to sell my product - but certainly if you are - you will find what you are looking for. But for me, the most important part of the book was that it not only showed me the techniques they are using, but how to protect myself from those same techniques.

The book is well worth having and if you are interested in this subject, I don't think you'll find a better book.

I am a professional in the sales and marketing fields. I suggest that if you have no sales back ground and need to learn to be persuasive like a doctor, lawyer, or a speaker, this is a excellent book to start from instead of learning it the hard way. You will still will not learn every hings that you want to learn in this book. However, this is a excellent start for a book even for you experts who want extra knowledge to get ahead of your squirming manager who thinks he knows everything. Hope it helps you, it helped me alot to get ahead in life. Best wishes to your ambitions.

This book is the best ever written on this subject. I study persuasion, influence, human nature, sales and marketing obsessively. I have read many, many books from these genres and this is the one that I will not even lend out for fear of not getting it back. If you read one book in your lifetime, this should be the one.

I have recommended this book to my teenage son. It was provocative, entertaining, and informative. I use some of the ideas to exert influence at work and in other situations. It would be a great book for someone in marketing or sales. I used some of the ideas to teach a class on getting things done when you're not in charge.

This is a wonderful summary of six key social psychology principles that go far to explaining how we as consumers and voters are manipulated by "compliance professionals." The discussion of each principle is interesting and well written, with enough humor to keep it very readable. I especially appreciate the author's advice as to how to easily counter attempts at being manipulated.

My only complaint about the book is that many of the examples and studies cited have obviously not been updated since the 1980's. This is a very minor problem and in no way detracts from the importance of the work. Get it, read it, and join the author in his prinicipled fight against the unscrupulous use of these principles!

It is a long time since the delivery time is due, but I still haven't received the book. I wonder whether you can check for me and send the book to me ASAP.

Influence is an interesting book. I found the author's tone to be slightly pompous, but the material presented in the book to be informative. It's an easy book to get through, and you will inevitably take some key points away with you, though there is also a fair amount of verbalized intuitive knowledge that you will have to gloss over.

This is a great book. I read it for an organizational management class at George Mason University as a grad student. Very easy to read and follow. I would recommend it to anyone interested in societal dynamics and how to get others to do your bidding.

A martial arts student learns to control the opponent by applying the laws of physics and using opponent's physical momentum. A compliance student (e.g., sales practitioner, executive, entrepreneur) reading this book learns to control the opponent by applying the laws of influence and using the opponent's mental momentum.

Cialdini's Influence contributes to the art of compliance in three important ways:

1. It formulates the basic laws of influence (similar to Newton's physics laws)--the six principles, including reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity--and shows how to use these laws to craft both simple and complex triggers of influence in practical situations;

2. It shows how to identify other compliance professionals using modern triggers of influence and how to create antidotes against them. Example: this book is written by a university professor specializing in compliance (authority) and it sold over 1,000,000 copies (social proof); and

3. It helps the educational and material retention processes by concluding each chapter with a summary, study questions, and a critical thinking section.

The result is an outstanding practical guide for building continuously improving compliance systems and personal defense methodologies against them in an increasingly hectic and challenging environment of cognitive overload. The reader learns the complete art and science of professional compliance.

Yuval Lirov, Practicing Profitability - Billing Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinics and Chiropractic Offices: Collections, Audit Risk, SOAP Notes, Scheduling, Care Plans, and Coding

A martial arts student learns to control the opponent by applying the laws of physics and using opponent's momentum and inertia. A compliance professional (e.g., sales practitioner, executive, entrepreneur) reading this book will benefit in three important ways:

1. It formulates the basic laws of influence (similar to Newton's physics laws)--the six principles, including reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity--and shows how to use these laws to craft both simple and complex triggers of influence in practical situations;

2. It shows how to identify other compliance professionals using modern triggers of influence and how to create antidotes against them; and

3. It helps the educational and material retention processes by concluding each chapter with a summary, study questions, and a critical thinking section.

The result is an outstanding practical guide for building continuously improving compliance systems and personal defense methodologies against them in an increasingly hectic and challenging environment of cognitive overload. The reader learns the complete art and science of professional compliance.

Yuval Lirov, Practicing Profitability - Billing Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinics and Chiropractic Offices: Collections, Audit Risk, SOAP Notes, Scheduling, Care Plans, and Coding

This was a very insightful book that is a must have for anyone! You'll look at media as well as day to day relationships differently. As a lover of psychology this is a fun read about persuasion.

Well written, interesting anecdotes, and plenty of (small) studies to back up what the author says. Value for money.

Ibought this book because it was recommended on an Internet marketing program I subscribed to.It is always interesting to read books referred to by skilled people as they probably wouldn't recommend them unless there was something special.Trusting my coach,then I bought a copy and have found it to be one of the most fascinating books I have ever read.
Imagine a psychologist wanting to understand how people get sold to,attending classes for door-to-door salesmen to see what they are taught and how people respond to various ploys - both obvious and subtle.
This book is an amazing study of human behaviour and quite frankly I have found it to be one of the best buys I've made - having no preconceived ideas of it.
The chapters are divided clearly,it is presented very compactly,and is cobcise in its presentation.I found I could only read a few pages at a time to digest what was said in such a short space.
Overall this book is a must for the new up and coming internet marketers both to understand the buyers and the limitations of traditional marketing techniques which are changing rapidly due to the internet.

This book offers "every trick in the book" that might be used to influence you. Cialdini explains the research that went into the development of popular techniques used by saleman, non-profits, and others. Knowledge is power. Just being aware of these techniques with help you to arm yourself when the methods of influence are used against you.

For anyone in sales, you really ought to invest the time to read this so you can influence those who haven't!

This book is a must read for anyone interested in taking control of their life. Either you'll use it for taking advantage of people as a salesman, advertiser, etc., or else you'll used to protect yourself from being taken advantage of as a dupe, a sucker, an easy mark. Regardless of which side of the equation you fit on, this book should be high on your list.

Cialdini presents a very small number of concepts, but describes each of them with a wealth of detail and examples. Unlike a lot of high-minded, heady tomes on psychology, this book is easily understood by the common man.

It would be rare to find a social psychologist who does not view Cialdini as the master of persuasion and influence. I'm no exception. Not only is his knowledge comprehensive, but it is presented in an understandable and compelling way. This is why this book is in its Fourth Edition.

Any serious student of persuasion and influence, theoretical or applied, needs this book in their library. Becoming familiar with Cialdini's six principles of influence (reciprocity, consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity) will broaden your world . . . and when applied, increase your bottom line.

You also will want to read Kevin Hogan's books, including "The Psychology of Persuasion" and "The Science of Influence". I'd also recommend, especially for applied sales and influence practitioners, Dave Lakhani's more recent book, "Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want".

Mollie Marti, Ph.D., J.D.
Author, Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success

Definitely something you want to read before making a major decision, to include buying a new car, buying a new home, joining a new church, or voting for the next world leader.

This was a supplementary text to an MBA Negotiations course (main text was Thompson's, Heart and Mind of a Negotiator)
Influence is a a very insightful book and a very easy read compared to usual academic texts.

... because I couldn't put it down.

The theory is clever. In six headings and crisply written. The proof is laid out and it's like Cialdini is talking to you. It's easy to remember.
But the examples are harrowing: Why cult leaders do what they do; why initiation rites are brutal; why normal people do nasty things to each other if the conditions are set; why my daughter always gets what she wants; why there's no safety in crowds ...and why reasonable people like me are the MOST likely to be suckered by conmen.

But it closes well. Cialdini gives us tips and exercises to resist the persuaders and to use the same tactics for our own benefit - ethically. This is a great book. I've thrown others out but this one's staying.

This is one of the first and still one of the best books on the practical applications of social psychology out there. It is hard to put this book down. Cialdini organizes his main points simply and understandably using several examples from both his personal observations and psychological research. I believe everyone should read this book; it is a stellar example of how psychology can improve the human condition and give us great insight into who we are.

very entertaining book about all the tricks salespeople play on us without us realizing. absolutely worth reading. thanks chuck!

This book is just simply outstanding. I recommend this book first before you read any other books on this very useful topic. This book brought to the surface the tactics used by sales professional that were brought against me that I thought peculiar. For example, why apartment viewings in my area were all scheduled at the same time or when I was searching for a gym membership why he was stressing if I left I would never EVER be able to get his reduced price again. I am now an informed consumer and this is a essential book in the hands of a avid consumer or student of business.

Absolutely fantastic, fascinating, and amusing read. If you have slightest interest in social psychology, humans interrelationships and interactions, persuasion, or marketing and sales, this book is a must read.

If you ever asked yourself "Why did I buy this?", read this book. You'll find plenty of fascinating facts about how people make and rationalize their decisions. You will be able to recognize different tactics sales guys use on you to influence you.

I used to work for Xerox in marketing when they were Fortune 25. Currently, I am a personal growth and development coach with graduate education in psychology. Prior to all of this, I got my undergraduate degree in biology and attended graduate school for biochemistry. I provide this context because this book merges psychology, biology and its relation to sales and marketing.

This fascinating book looks at how persuasion works and why. It considers the underlying psychology and biology. As mammals as well as humans, we bond and are community-oriented. As a result, we have evolved certain ways of communicating, making agreements, etc. Some of these underlying "mechanisms" are unconscious... in fact most of them are. As a result, we can be manipulated.

I agree with other reviewers that every good consumer ought to read this book. It explains how and why certain language works in a sales situation, some of the psychology behind marketing, etc. It is also a must read for good sales people. While some salesperson's give sales and marketing a bad name, others truly add value and these folks don't get enough credit.

With respect to non-sales people, would also be of interest. Everything from dating to family discussions involves persuasion. If you are interested in being a better communicator, I also recommend Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most and Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Create Your Life, Your Relationships, and Your World in Harmony with Your Values (Nonviolent Communication Guides). The last book in this list is also available as a four CD set on audio. If you are going to get one or the other, I would get the audio.

Some other good books that describe the psychology that underlies language and/or how deceive ourselves are: Philosophy in the Flesh : The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought and Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships and VITAL LIES SIMPLE TRUTHS: The Psychology of Self Deception. The last book of this series is very interesting and valuable to anyone.

This book is easily understandable and enjoyable for anyone. If you have any interest in this area at all, I'm sure you will thoroughly enjoy it.

This book will give you more and better insight to how people make decisions than anything you've heard before. The principle of consistency over logic is amazing. If you have a need to persuade people (sales, etc.), then you need to read this book.

Beware: you are not as in-control of yourself as you think! Great book, but a little dry. Reads like a text book in places.

Robert Cialdini's Influence: Science and Practice is a useful book but suffers from some severe flaws. I found the work to be rather mechanical in its approach, the writing is tired and uninspiring and the organization is reminiscent of a primary school textbook. However, I do like the insight offered by the book and would recommend a casual reading.

I am in business school. I have have been in business for awhile. I know this book is pretty bad. The author uses 5 times as many words as needed and over emphasizes obvious concepts. Unless you have never remotely thought about negotiatig, this book is useless.

Influence is a must read for anyone in business and just about everyone else too. It beautifully explains both our concious and unconcious behaviors. It explains concepts like reciprocity - the behavior that makes us feel obligated to someone who does something for us. You may intuitively understand that, but he explains how much it can affect our behavior. Many more psychological and socialogical insights are to be found in the book.

Influence is a must read for anyone in business and just about everyone else too. It beautifully explains both our concious and unconcious behaviors. It explains concepts like reciprocity - the behavior that makes us feel obligated to someone who does something for us. You may intuitively understand that, but he explains how much it can affect our behavior. Many more psychological and socialogical insights are to be found in the book.

Got this book for a social psychology class. Can read slow sometimes. Good information over all. Still easier to read then my text book.

Got this book for a social psychology class. Can read slow sometimes. Good information over all. Still easier to read then my text book.

Everyone should read this book at some point in their lives; the sooner the better. Gives you an excellent foundation in persuasion with countless applications to every day life.

Everyone should read this book at some point in their lives; the sooner the better. Gives you an excellent foundation in persuasion with countless applications to every day life.

Cialdini's Influence is a well-written, comprehensive treatment of the mental tactics compliance professionals (salespeople, marketers, etc.) can use on us to influence our decisions. Rather than focusing on how to deceive people, however, it also provides self-defense techniques to recognize what tactics are being used and how to respond to them to defeat them.

I found the book to be a very slow read, because it contained so much information. That's not a bad thing, though. I was highly entertained throughout the book and enjoyed every bit of it.

Are you a student of human behavior? Do you like to learn about we make decisions? Have you ever scratched your head at rational people making rational behaviors? Are you a compliance professional? Have you ever been convinced to make a purchase that you regretted later? Do you want to learn tactics to engender more trust and loyalty as a leader? Are you struggling to find ways to impart your wisdom to your kids without them rejecting it? If you can answer yes to any of those, I would recommend this book as an educational and entertaining read.

This book is profoundly insightful; makes a deep impression on the reader with a fresh & new way of looking at human psychology. The concepts introduced are backed up with relevant examples and real life stories. You will feel like a genius by the time you have put down the book. Author details six different factors that make up the ingredients of influence including reciprocity, commitment &consistency, social proof, Liking, Authority,Scarcity etc

Three things that make 'Influence' more useful than 95% of marketing books:
- It is based upon observation and experiment, not just the author's opinions.
- Cialdini uses examples from marketing, advertising, cartoons, and the real world to illustrate his points.
- The book is not a new business pitch from an ad agency or a front for a consulting group. Cialdini is not out to sell you anything (other than this book). He just wants to share these fascinating things he's learned.

Each chapter covers one specific 'Weapon of Influence'. It's easy to read in bite-size chunks, and Cialdini's insights are broadly applicable in marketing whatever you've got. 'Influence' is perhaps the most useful book on advertising and marketing I've come across since Luke Sullivan's 'Hey Whipple!'.

This is the fourth edition, so that means there is value in the message. It has proven its value in the market place.

It is important that we understand how we are influenced to do what we do. In the information overload age, we simply do not have the time to contemplate all our decisions in depth. Therefore we tend to rely on very limited information to arrive at our decisions to buy, agree with, vote for or support certain products or activities. Often times we are unknowingly manipulated to make choices not necessairly in our own best interest.

Cialdini describes the different behavioral influences: reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity. These are all illustrated with interesting stories and studies. He also tells us how to recognize and defend against those who would try to use these influences to sway our behavior.

Finally because we are bombarded with way too much information to process, we often resort to automatic responses. He urges us to become aggressive in our boycott of those who try to unduly influence us to react automatically to some artificial stimuli.

The book is well written and full of interesting stories and case studies. For the more serious student, there are excellent references to the research. If you want to learn more about why we act the way we do, Cialdini tells you.

This is one of those books that is generally as easy to read as a pop-psychology book, but has the flair and style of something much more intellectual. I do agree with one reviewer who says it reflects much of the material in Cialdini's other book on the subject--but it isn't precisely the same.

I bought it to use in training about gaining and using influence in positive ways, but also found it fascinating for thinking of the times when I have been persuaded in one direction in spite of my determination to stand strong in the other direction. It is packed with information and many, many interesting examples.

Some readers with whom I have discussed this material view it primarily as an expose of manipulation, but it isn't primarily that. It is an excellent analysis of what works and what doesn't when we want to have an impact on the actions of others, when we want to gain the support we need to bring about change or when we want to gain cooperation. It can even be useful for self-talk when we want to persuade ourselves to do what we know we need to do, but have stalled about doing it. A good addition to a leader's library.

I frequently reflect on the insights gained from Cialdini's superb book in both my private life and my life as a public relations professional (the ultimate influence peddlar). His research is sound and his style completely readable -a book filled with many "aha!" revelations. I recommend this book all the time, often purchasing one to give to a colleague. Simple truths told simply.

Marina Kushner
Author
The Truth About Caffeine: How Companies That Promote It Deceive Us and What We Can Do about It

I always look to customer reviews before I decide whether or not to purchase. I never really thought about why I did it until I read this book.
Cialdini's style is interesting, conversational, profound and all-in-all down to earth. This is my first review for a book I bought on Amazon and this book certainly deserves it. Reading this book will certainly bring you a lot of oh's and ah's.
It def get's my thumbs up! Enjoy!

Polished and fine-tuned in its fourth edition, not a sentence or word out of place or without impact, Influence is packed with powerful facts and arguments relating to important areas of all of our lives. This book should be taught in high schools, perhaps as part of a course on smart, responsible consumerism. But it is about much more than how to avoid buying a vacuum cleaner or magazine subscription you don't need or want. At the foundation of the book is information and enlightenment about human psychology -traits, tendencies, susceptibilities and strengths, that we share with each other as a species. This knowledge applies to all areas of life, not just to our role as consumers. Think of a relative or friend who seems to have terrible luck with intimate relationships. This book will probably explain why. Think of that teacher in school who always was able to maintain control, but rarely had to raise his or her voice. Or think of the phonies, game players, sycophants and incompetents you may have worked with who survive or even prosper when you would be fired the first time you tried one of their antics. Influence can help you understand how they do it. It will also help you analyze your personal life situation and behaviours, and facilitate positive change if that is needed.

As the book entertainingly illustrates, we are all subject to various influences, whether we are aware of them or not, because of the vagaries of human psychology. For example, we all use shortcut thinking these days, almost by necessity. Cialdini shows how 'compliance professionals' feed on this, and how you can protect yourself against them without completely throwing out valuable psychological coping devices such as shortcut thinking. You will also become familiar with concepts such as the power of reciprocation, low-balling, rejection then retreat, the pressure to be consistent (the personality can be described as a power structure addicted to consistency), pluralistic ignorance (in an emergency situation the more strangers around, the less the chances are that you will be helped), and psychological reactance theory. There are also some great quotes (e.g. from Sir Joshua Reynolds 'There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the labour of thinking.') and great anecdotes (my favourite is about Joe Pine's encounter with Frank Zappa).

Some of Cialdini's knowledge was gained by going undercover in places like car lots, realty offices and restaurants. Much was learned through painful experience. Cialdini admits to being an enduring mark for confidence artists of all persuasions, and generously shares his 'fleecings' with the reader. All of his points and arguments are backed up with relevant examples and lots of data. Cialdini also invites the reader to share his or her own experiences that illustrate or contradict his findings, and the book is studded with instructive experiences we can all relate to. I am going to write to him with an example of bizarre 'hurry up or lose' tactics used by a famous cult that would fit in the chapter entitled 'Scarcity: The Rule of the Few'. I'll update this review when I get a response.

P.S. Prof. Cialdini responded to my feedback promptly and generously. He shared the following facinating anecdote concerning the Heaven's Gate cult: "Two months before the Heaven's Gate commune members committed suicide, they spent several thousand dollars for a high-powered telescope because they had heard rumors about a small object (which they suspected was a spaceship) that appeared to be trailing the Hale-Bopp comet. When they complained to the salesman that the telescope showed them no trace of the mysterious object, he explained that there never was a trailing object, only a rumor based on a blip of static in one very early and poor quality image of the comet. How did they respond to this direct evidence against their group's unanimous and firmly held beliefs about a spaceship carrying their extraterrestrial contacts? They decided to continue believing in the spaceship's existence but to stop looking at the evidence: They turned in the telescope for a
refund."

Polished and fine-tuned in its fourth edition, not a sentence or word out of place or without impact, Influence is packed with powerful facts and arguments relating to important areas of all of our lives. This book should be taught in high schools, perhaps as part of a course on smart, responsible consumerism. But it is about much more than how to avoid buying a vacuum cleaner or magazine subscription you don't need or want. At the foundation of the book is information and enlightenment about human psychology -traits, tendencies, susceptibilities and strengths, that we share with each other as a species. This knowledge applies to all areas of life, not just to our role as consumers. Think of a relative or friend who seems to have terrible luck with intimate relationships. This book will probably explain why. Think of that teacher in school who always was able to maintain control, but rarely had to raise his or her voice. Or think of the phonies, game players, sycophants and incompetents you may have worked with who survive or even prosper when you would be fired the first time you tried one of their antics. Influence can help you understand how they do it. It will also help you analyze your personal life situation and behaviours, and facilitate positive change if that is needed.

As the book entertainingly illustrates, we are all subject to various influences, whether we are aware of them or not, because of the vagaries of human psychology. For example, we all use shortcut thinking these days, almost by necessity. Cialdini shows how 'compliance professionals' feed on this, and how you can protect yourself against them without completely throwing out valuable psychological coping devices such as shortcut thinking. You will also become familiar with concepts such as the power of reciprocation, low-balling, rejection then retreat, the pressure to be consistent (the personality can be described as a power structure addicted to consistency), pluralistic ignorance (in an emergency situation the more strangers around, the less the chances are that you will be helped), and psychological reactance theory. There are also some great quotes (e.g. from Sir Joshua Reynolds 'There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the labour of thinking.') and great anecdotes (my favourite is about Joe Pine's encounter with Frank Zappa).

Some of Cialdini's knowledge was gained by going undercover in places like car lots, realty offices and restaurants. Much was learned through painful experience. Cialdini admits to being an enduring mark for confidence artists of all persuasions, and generously shares his 'fleecings' with the reader. All of his points and arguments are backed up with relevant examples and lots of data. Cialdini also invites the reader to share his or her own experiences that illustrate or contradict his findings, and the book is studded with instructive experiences we can all relate to. I am going to write to him with an example of bizarre 'hurry up or lose' tactics used by a famous cult that would fit in the chapter entitled 'Scarcity: The Rule of the Few'. I'll update this review when I get a response.

I read this book a long time ago for a Persuasion and Rhetoric class and it's still on my shelf today. If you ever think about going into conflict management, negotiation, or mediation, it's extremely useful to identify different "dirty tricks" that can be used to sabotage sincere efforts toward a common goal.

Ok, so that's for the academics. What about the common bystander? This book is imperative to understanding the little tricks of the trade that get you to buy that car, give that donation, or buy those Girl Scout cookies. It's written in a very easy, engaging way and is great knowledge for a smart shopper. Once you read the tactics in this book, you start to see them everywhere and look at sales tactics in a whole new light. Definitely a must-read for the educated consumer.

This is a very interesting book, and while it would be best if someone was a salesman to use this it has theories and practical applications that are useful and that I use everyday.

Brilliant work supported with both case studies and controlled data.
This printing will appeal to those serious readers and consultants that need (and want) all the data plus later case studies after the first printing was released.

If you're looking for a quicker read with less detail, buy the first edition printing. As a business development expert, I probably should have only purchased this later edition, but I enjoyed reading them both!

Very few books on seller/buyer psychology provide as in-depth analysis and discussion. I train people how to sell without sounding like a salesperson, and I constantly refer to Cialdini's book as a foundation of what to do and what not to do. His work also provides additional benefits to allow the reader to relate to their own buying experience. Hence they will be more likely to utilize the revealing lessons in their own businesses and selling strategies appropriately.