I can only agree that Cialdini has done it again. Everyone has something to learn from this. Beeing a surgeon it is very important for me to know what patients read into what I tell them, and as well to know if I'm (subconciusly) persuading them to go through a treatment they really didn't want or the other way round.
Everyone should read it!
GB

I bought this book on a strong recommendation from a marketing expert and I was not disappointed.

Caldini clearly covers what persuasion experts use to get people to do what they want them to do. Whether it's to make a donation to their charity or say yes to their product.

Caldini wrote the book to help people avoid being sucked in by marketers (he is a self described patsy) but it's become more of a marketers manual.

If you want to use psychology to help get more sales and persuade people then I strongly recommend this book. It's a great read and surprisingly funny, I found myself laughing many times when reading it.

This is the extended version of Caldini's original book and the Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition) guide is a shorter version. I'm glad I purchased this one and got the whole deal.

I won't be able to balance the high adoration this book have.
The book itself is nice Academic study. If you are about to take it as strategy - you are a fool. Such approach will not last.
Try the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People instead.

Excellent book, essentially a thesis on the subconcious underpinnings that causes different persuasive techniques to work. The concept is that the world we live in is so full of information that it is impossible to make all or even most decisions based upon our concious decision making process. Instead, throughout the course of our life our subconcious has developed methods that help us quickly process data. We do this all the time and don't even think about it, because it is part of our auto pilot (click-whir as Caldini calls it). You did this today when you instinctively avoided eye contact with a person you perceived as a begger. Stimulus results in response - automatically. Most of these unconcious decisions are in our best interest. However, Caldini points out ways in which our subconcious filter can be manipulated and all of his examples are exemplified by real life event examples and controlled experiment examples. Some of these are frightening and even disturbing (not just the tests but the real life stuff too-things like forseeable waves of suicides and avoidable fatal airplane crashes, amazing stuff).

Personally I am a small business owner and prior to reading this book I had already been applying some of these tactics in my business but I never knew why. I only new that when I do x I make a sale, or I advertise this way because the experts say so and it does seem to work. After reading Influence (2 1/2 times so far) and referring to it regularly I now understand why those tactics that I used everyday worked. It is a tremendous guide for me as I read a plethora of "normal" marketing books (by normal I mean without the psychological slant)and am able to understand the psychology behind any marketing strategies or tactics they suggest.

I will close with an example of ONE of the principles in the book "social proof." Prior to reading the book I already had my walls covered with pictures of my clients taken in my office, I have a tax preparation office with a niche of serving the Latino community. We always made sure they were smiling, many times I would be interacting with their little kid in some way when the picture was taken, other times the client would be shaking my hand as we both smile at the camera but in all cases they were sitting at my desk smiling. I also had pictures of clients posted in the lobby with a brief testimonial about the big refund we had got them and what they are going to do with the money. I had learned to do this because others businesses have had success with this. When I read this book Caldini opened my eyes to what I was doing to the subconcious of my clients. All of us tend to believe and trust people similar to ourselves. So as my clients sit at my desk the thought of distrust never even enters their mind. They are too surrounded by people just like them who were obviously happy with my services (smiling). By the way I do not consider what I do manipulating. In Caldini's book you will read some disturbing accounts of manipulation by immoral people. Obviously I set the stage for my pictures and testimonials etc but this is merely good marketing. Every picture on my wall is an actual client and they truly are happy with the service. We just help them smile.

I will end now, I promise, with this last example. I just watched Barak Obama's nationwide 30 minute infomercial. This example is about marketing so wherever you land politically set politics aside for a moment(I voted for the other guy but that's beside the point). The 30 minutes was a collage of all sorts of different interviews, speeches, illustrations, and yes testimonials. As a matter of fact there were more testimonials than any other type of clip. The testimonials appeared random but I assure you they were far from random. They were all designed to bring credibility to the claims Barak had just made or dramatic emphasis to the problem he that he is going to "change." Also the person giving was far from random. In the first 10 seconds of each clip I could tell who the campaign was targeting. There were many testimonials from black, and latino voters (a key target for the Obama campain). He also had quite a few small business owners on there in an attempt to push back against the "Joe the Plumber" campaign of McCain. He had a testimonial from a retired brigadeer General assuring us that Obama is not too inexperienced but has the solution to the war. I would love to be a fly on the wall of each American's home as this played. I know I would have seen many examples of people's heads bobbing in affirmation as the testimonials played of the people "most similar" to them. Speaking of head bobbing did you see the little rally's he had with "heartland looking Americans" around him all bobbing there heads as he talked about the breakdown of healthcare or whatever the topic was. That's an entire different tactic and for that one I'll let you read the book.

I bought this book based on a reference in Secrets of the A Game by Logan Edwards. This is a fascinating book on mass psychology and you'll be left rethinking old assumptions and filtering life through a new lens. It's that powerful.

I originally purchased this book to help with attracting women, but I actually got much more out of it. Of course, it DID help out with attracting women, but I also learned a lot about group dynamics and mass psychology. I highly recommend it.

This books looks at the various ways in which salespeople and other influencers use techniques in order to get us to do things we normally wouldn't want to do. These sales techniques are foolproof and usually have the desired effect. The author provides lots of personal experiences and even joined certain sales organizations in order to find out their techniques. You'll be fascinated by what he has to say.

One thing to note is that the approach of this book is how to resist sales techniques, not how to use them. So if you're thinking of getting this to improve your sales skills, you'll definitely learn about the techniques and you'll learn some of the strategies that people use to resist them, but you won't get any advice on how to use the techniques.

Another thing that distracted from this book is that a lot of the illustrations look like they're from the late 70's or early 80's. Even though this is the latest volume, it still looks a bit old. It would have been nice if they updated some of the photos to reflect modern sensibilities. Despite this, the content itself remains very up to date, so while the old photos are distracting, they don't ruin the book.

This book gives a very good background to persuasion. At times it goes into a bit too much detail, but still definitely worth the read.

I read Influence: the new psychology of modern persuasion, a 1984 Quill version. I wonder what's the difference between different versions about this or similar book? Is 1984 content outdated?

Nutshell review - This should be required reading. It discusses and explains many ways in which we are being influenced and persuaded, often to our detriment. If you want to know how it is done, and how to defend yourself against it, then read this book - a few times.

There's actually very few book on the subject of persuasion - most are written for the sales department and take that particularly aggressive approach liked by sales management and trainers who long left the coalface of real selling and continue to use the terminology of war tactics and strategy. Personally I never quite understood the mentality of 'attacking' markets and 'controlling' clients. However this is an interesting addition to the conversation and pulls together quite a few examples and analogies. Overall though I feel this hasn't been written in the heat of actual persuasive discussion. It feels more like a course for baby sales and marketing people still in college.

Buy the book if you're creating a library on the subject (it's been around a long time so it can't be all iffy) - but there are plenty more to reasearch.

Frankly, I do not understand why this book has received all the good reviews. One reviewer called it "Deep and Readable." I found it to be neither.

The book is a re-hash of mostly old college-psychology experiments (rarely relatable to the real world) and examples (many) of the author's having fallen for some of the oldest tricks in the bunko book. It does not take a rocket scientist, or a psychologist, to tell you that you will be more likely to buy from someone you like than someone you do not like (and that sales people try to make you like them). It does not take a rocket scientist, or a psychologist, to tell you that folks tend to follow orders or that good-cop/bad-cop routines generally work.

There was, however, one area where the book helpful: the discussion of reciprocity (the reason charities send "free" return-address stickers to you, or why the Hare Krishna folks give (or used to give) flowers to people at the airport). Although this, too, is obvious, the book's analysis of the psychological process is interesting. But, as with the rest of the book, the author repeats and spreads this discussion over too many pages; it could (and should) have been a tight article.

Writing takes discipline--discipline of organization, structure, and language. Cialdini stumbles on all. And, do we really trust a psychologist who buys a "fun" activity-coupon book from a woman who comes to his door in a sexy outfit merely because he admitted to liking restaurants, the theater, and other things for which the coupon book purported to give discounts, and did not want her to think that he was lying. Oh my ...

In sum, the book makes big deals out of the obvious, and does it a million ways from Sunday.

Cialdini demonstrates various ways -- other than rationality -- in which people are influenced into doing things. He categorizes the influences, and suggests how to deal each type. All this is done without taking a cynical attitude about the futility of reason or any such thing.

Not an earth-shattering book if one has read similar ones; otherwise, a good place to start.

Everything Dale Carnegie accomplished regarding individual influence, Robert Cialdini has equally achieved on the topic of mass influence. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion offers an exceptional scientific look into the realm of persuasion backed by substantial logic and examples. Based on the premise of society's need for quick solutions for analyzing an abundance of issues in everyday life, Cialdini illustrates how marketers, salespeople, and pushers in all fields take advantage of these tools to exploit the public at will.

Years ago a great friend and I ran a sales business that involved an immense amount of persuasion to arouse people to take action. Using a considerable amount of trial and error, we discovered there were certain actions we could take that vastly changed the reactions of people, almost mechanical in nature, and we therefore drastically increased our effectiveness. We knew it worked, but had no way to explain what was happening. Cialdini clarified so much of the psychology behind these influences and added considerable amounts we had never even considered.

The beauty of Cialdini's work is his ability to delve into the scientific nature explaining why people react in certain ways in response to particular actions or unconscious stimuli. The science is backed with substantial examples and authoritative studies that prove beyond doubt how powerful even simple methods of persuasion can be.

Anyone in sales, marketing or any position where influence is imperative (really, in what line of work is it not?) absolutely needs to be aware of the content within this book. Perhaps even more importantly, this book should be essential reading to anyone as it's of equal importance to understand how you are being exploited as it is to learn the craft for your own benefit. Cialdini spends a section on each chapter detailing how to defend yourself against the ongoing psychological warfare that causes you to take actions you would otherwise avoid, thus the scope of his work provides equal time and value to both exploiter and the exploited.

I have not encountered another book on psychological influence that I would rate higher. I also can not recall a book I would recommend for both business associates and my family, including my mother; yet I genuinely feel this book warrants such high regard.

I read all these sales books in my early 20's but then never went into sales. Having said that, this is a good book for anyone. It teaches skills of influence, which can help keep YOU from being manipulated by others, I have found...

I bought this book because I read somewhere that it was recommended by Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Thanks for the tip, Charlie. It's a very interesting book.

The author is a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. The book is about automatic responses of human behavior, or what the author calls our "click, whirr" mode.

The examples cover a wide range of circumstances, such as:
- How a clever waiter ropes his customers into spending more and tipping generously.
- How a variety of other sales people manipulate customers into buying.
- Why there is a surge in suicide rates following a highly publicized suicide.
- How the Chinese got American POWs to willingly write pro-Communist essays during the Korean War.

The concepts are divided into six categories: Reciprocation, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority, and Scarcity.

Influence

I bought this book because I read somewhere that it was recommended by Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Thanks for the tip, Charlie. It's a very interesting book.

The author is a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. The book is about automatic responses of human behavior, or what the author calls our "click, whirr" mode.

The examples cover a wide range of circumstances, such as:
- How a clever waiter ropes his customers into spending more and tipping generously.
- How a variety of other sales people manipulate customers into buying.
- Why there is a surge in suicide rates following a highly publicized suicide.
- How the Chinese got American POWs to willingly write pro-Communist essays during the Korean War.

The concepts are divided into six categories: Reciprocation, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority, and Scarcity.

Influence

I bought this book because I read somewhere that it was recommended by Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Thanks for the tip, Charlie. It's a very interesting book.

The author is a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. The book is about automatic responses of human behavior, or what the author calls our "click, whirr" mode.

The concepts are divided into six categories:
- Reciprocation
- Commitment and Consistency
- Social Proof
- Liking
- Authority
- Scarcity

The examples cover a wide range of circumstances, such as:
- How a clever waiter ropes his customers into spending more and tipping generously.
- How a variety of other sales people manipulate customers into buying.
- Why there is a surge in suicide rates following a highly publicized suicide.
- How the Chinese got American POWs to willingly write pro-Communist essays during the Korean War.

I am one of those guys who lay my hands on every marketing-related book I can lay my hands on. Okay, this is not strictly speaking a marketing book, but is essential reading for anyone in marketing.
It would be more accurate to describe the topic of the book as social psychology, but the relevance to marketing becomes immediately apparent, because it examines the human nature which makes the compliance strategies of con artists so effective.

Cialdini selected the triggers he felt were the most important, and dedicated a chapter to each.

Robert Cialdini's work is brilliantly researched and he speaks as a true authority on the subject. His theories are clear and he backs up his statements with (sometimes astonishing) research findings. He writes well and his style is enjoyable.

The book is well laid out, and the findings are presented in a way which make them instantly usable.

Whether you are in marketing, or if you have ever been pressured into making a decision you later regretted, you will find this book really interesting and useful. I gladly recommend this title.

Cialdini's book is a page turner - I read it cover-to-cover, and could not put it down. He picks examples from animal psychology, cult behavior, car sales, marriage and dating, child raising, suicides, group behavior to re-inforce his classification of the six factors which influence people's opinions, behavior, and compliance.

Most examples come from the world of marketing and sales, and provide scientific insight into how human psychological patterns can be exploited into getting people to consent. The book is amoral, and many of the examples are manipulative. Cialdini tries to make it better by writing from the point of view of exposing these tricks vs. recommending their use, and how not to fall victim to these influence patterns. For me, reading this book had many Aha moments. "Aha, thats how they got me to do that!"

That said, there are non-manipulative examples which I will consider using in my day to day life to increase my personal effectiveness. I highly recommend this book to folks who have an interest in applied psychology and the factors which influence human behavior.

When I read this book a few years back, I found it eye opening about the involuntary aspects of how people are persuaded. Cialdini does a brilliant job of story telling to illustrate the use of his 'six psychological secrets' in the way products and services are marketed.

The book is readable, and, at least for me, filled with AHAs. Much of it was already familiar, so this piece of his work has already made its way through society. But in a time when campaign advisors and counselors to politicians are using these ideas to foist bad policy on an unsuspecting public, the time has come for we the people to catch on to just how easily we've been decieved, and how to protect ourselves from further deception.

When i was working on my own book on this topic,Insider's Guide To The Art Of Persuasion I found reference to this seminal work everywhere. What Cialdini called secrets, I call signals, because they are no longer secret but are in wide employ.

Cialdini's greatest contribution to the literature is his guidance in how to protect ourselves from being manipulated to act against our own interests. He talks of the 'click-whirrr' response and the role it plays in this. Over and over, he emphasizes our diminished mental activity when presented with persuasion signals. I can't imagine how a person would ever see or hear these signals in the same way after learning about this.

The only thing that would make this book better is a refresh of it that included more current examples. Many of the examples he used harken back to the time of my childhood (50s and 60s) when the rough use of these types of approaches was just catching on. These days, the persuasion signals have been honed to a fine point and, in light of the increasingly fundamental role of marketing and promotion in the success of any business or idea, I'd be very interested in learning how his thinking has advanced on his subject.

To put it briefly this is an invaluable book to understanding many of our behaviors relating to influence but it is written in a way that keeps you completely engrossed in it, nothing dry here. I agree with so many of the reviews here on this book. It is just excellent and if I were to have kids this would be something they would have to read. Having your wife read it is a good way to get her to stop buying thousand dollar canvas bags from Louis Vuitton also... CANVAS ..sheesh they should be laughing :-)

This was a great read. It opens a new way of explaining the world, it forced myself to scrutinize some of my decisions and methods of thinking...

Great book.

I first heard of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion from a graduate school professor. He declared that reading it changed his life and that it would change mine as well. I didn't believe him. It took me seven years before I finally picked up the book. And now I'm sorry I waited so long.

Influence explains the underpinnings of how the American marketing machine works. Cialdini explains that modern humanity has developed shortcuts to decision-making in order to deal with information overload. As a result, we have a reflex of sorts that kicks in for certain situations, such as the need to reciprocate favors, the desire for rare goods, following likable leaders, determining whom we should listen to, following the rest of the crowd, and maintaining consistency in our public persona.

As a teenager, these pressures to conform are front and center, but as adults we forget the compromises we made in the transition. "Are you a follower or a leader?" Cialdini explains that there are good reasons to be a follower and that, in most situations, it's perfectly acceptable to do what the rest of the crowd is doing. But there are situations in which our natural inclinations can be exploited, and there are scenarios where following the herd can lead to catastrophic consequences. Recognizing these behaviors in ourselves is an important part of survival, so that when modern life throws something at us unexpected, like an accident or a door-to-door salesman, we know how to react.

I mentioned that reading this book filled me with rage. I'm not angry at the author, but at all the people who now, with the gift of hindsight and Cialdini's guidance, I realized manipulated me.

I'm mad at the magazine salesman. He got me to buy two years worth of a magazine I didn't want by relying on my desire for consistency after I provisionally agreed to buy a subscription for what I thought was one year.

I'm mad at the Saturn dealer. Despite the "no haggle rule," he used the trick of authority where he "checked with his boss" for a better deal and then pressured me into buying it.

I'm mad at the real estate agent. He used the trick of scarcity to show me terrible, run-down houses to make me feel better about the house I ultimately picked.

And that's what's so interesting about this book. Cialdini wrote this book for US. Not for managers, salesmen, or non-profit volunteers. He wrote it as a defense! And yet everything from reviews on the book's cover to reviews right here on Amazon tout this book as a must for marketers. That's completely against the spirit of what Cialdini wrote - each chapter ends with "how to say no" and while the advice isn't always sound (he essentially tells you to, ya know, not fall for the tricks) it's certainly welcome.

It's a bitter irony that marketers have turned a book about resisting marketing into yet another marketing tool. Now that I've read this book, there won't be another magazine subscription, car, or house I buy without a fight. Buy it today so you can start fighting back too.

One of the great myths about modern society is that we can divide it into two non-overlapping parts---the private and the public. The private sphere is the purported locus of all affective, emotional commitments, while the public sphere is a realm of impersonal, purely instrumental, social interaction. In the private sphere, the story goes, we live, love, grieve, and sacrifice, while in the public sphere of markets and politics, we act to gather the material prerequisites to a fulfilled private life.

This myth was buoyed up in the mid-twentieth century by the vision of vast tracts of middle-class housing where neighbors were strangers ("and they were all made out of ticky-tacky and they all looked the same"), by the cult of public conformity ("the organization man"), and by such urban myths as women being raped and beaten in public while spectators did nothing.

We now know that this bizarre viewpoint is miles from the truth, and that public life is imbued with a rich nexus of emotion-laden, poignantly human, social relations. Even strangers meeting for the first time engage in characteristically human emotional interactions, and the quality of social life depends critically on the tacit culture of conformity to particular norms of social interaction among people in public capacities.

Chaldini's book is a classic contribution towards analyzing these tacit social relations among strangers. His take on the issue is that we are all vulnerable to being manipulated by our mental weaknesses, and we should learn to be on guard against this manipulation. This is a very good point, but it hides the deeper point that manipulation is just the pathological side of basically healthy approaches to interaction with others in society. Humans are intensely reciprocal, and will sacrifice to repay good with good, and bad with bad, at personal cost, even when dealing with strangers they will never see again (we call this "strong reciprocity"). We have a strong tendency to social conformity, thus respecting others by our willingness to follow their lead. We want to be liked, and we are more willing to sacrifice on behalf of people we like, even if they are strangers. These and other behaviors are what make us human. Cialdini's point is that these predisposition can be used against us, and we must be careful to protect ourselves from this.

The various elements of the psychology of persuasion are so well-known today, partly due to Cialdini's influence (the first edition was 1984), that I'm not sure I learned anything new from reading this book. But, he is a fine writer and tells a good story, making the reading worth its while.

This is an intersting fast read on an important subject. Everyone should read this book. It explains so much about how we react to things and why.

This book was a total "head trip" for me several years ago when I first read it. In "Influence", Dr. Robert Cialdini describes six "weapons of influence" that, when used, trigger automatic compliance from unsuspecting individuals. These weapons are subtle in that they're based on beneficial tendencies in human psychology that we all have and they work so well that the "victim" believes that the act of compliance was actually THEIR idea!

He spends the majority of the book explaining what these "weapons" are and sharing his (and others') theories on why they work, along with (often humorous) anecdotes that demonstrate just how effective these principles can be.

He also gives plenty of examples of how con-artists, unscrupulous salesmen, hucksters, and advertisers use these "weapons" on us every day. (Why are we more likely to buy aspirin when the guy who played Marcus Welby, MD. recommends it?).

Fortunately, Cialdini also describes the "antidote" that allows us to realize when we're being caught up in a pattern of automatic compliance, and how to say no to it.

After reading this book, you may never look at psychology, advertising or Marcus Welby, MD the same way ever again...

We are all consumers of goods and services in some way or another, and I am glad I have read this.... hopefully I should have done so much earlier, but certainly better late than never. The author discusses how the psychological mechanism works in making decisions, saying "yes" to a request, how our decisions are influenced/swayed, and how we can prevent ourselves from the situations where we likely end up making unwanted decisions and/or being exploited by ill-intended profiteers. In so doing, the six underlying principles: reciprocation, commitment/consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity, are introduced with ample examples from various intriguing researches, and how these potent influencers can be commissioned by those who want us to consciously or unconsciously comply with their requests. Used with due professional ethics, the six principles can be very effective marketing tools, but we as consumers would be certainly better equipped with understanding of the principles when dealing with someone who tries to pull a trick or two and manipulate our attitudes and behaviors.

We are all consumers of goods and services in some way or another, and I am glad I read this.... hopefully I should have done so much earlier, but certainly better late than never. The author discusses how the psychological mechanism works in making decisions, saying "yes" to a request, how our decisions are influenced/swayed, and how we can prevent ourselves from the situations where we likely end up making unwanted decisions and/or being exploited by ill-intended profiteers. In so doing, the six underlying principles: reciprocation, commitment/consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity, are introduced with ample examples from various intriguing researches, and how these potent influencers can be commissioned by those who want us to consciously or unconsciously comply with their requests. Used with due professional ethics, the six principles can be very effective marketing tools, but we as consumers would be certainly better equipped with understanding of the principles when dealing with someone who tries to pull a trick or two.

Fantastic book. You'll come away seeing how you've been victimized by "compliance practitioners" for years, and you'll now be able to see which of the compliance techniques were used on you. But, you'll deviously also start seeing how you can use some of these techniques to get others to, well, comply. I like using the Scarcity technique myself.

Overall, this is a very fascinating book based on facts and studies and is a fun read. Not many books rate 5 stars in my book, but this one clearly hits the mark.

This was a really enjoyable book -entertaining and accessiblly written while still being informative and empirically grounded. Cialdini avoids sounding like Machiavelli or Robert Greene by writing from the perspective of someone who is the target of influence rather than someone who is doing the influencing himself. Instead of teaching you how to manipulate others, he shows how our own instincts often allow others (sales people, politicians, fund raisers, and others) to persuade us or at worst manipulate us for their own purposes, and to influence our actions even when that influence is unintentional. Reading "Influence" provides a revealing look at how our minds process information. You'll see that it's aptly titled as you identify which methods were used to sell the book to you in the first place.

Most of our actions are automatic. You can take advantage of this fact, by activating the psychological mechanism that triggers them. Use it wisely.

I was very impressed, and have recommended this book to many others to read. It makes it so easy to understand and follow. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Dr. Cialdini.

This book is simply great. It's informative and it's a pleasure to read. I don't rate 5 stars very often but this one is worth it.

If you sum up the book into one page, you will find in it useful, but basic, information about the psychology of consummer behaviour, and you will find some blank lines in it too.

When it comes to the theory of persuasion, this is not only the best, but also the most important book out there. The book itself has influenced tons of other literature.

The product was shipped quickly and brand new. Couldn't have asked for more. Great seller.

This book is an easy read. I reccomend it for people that are in sales. Very useful information if you're trying to close out that deal. Little tips and tricks in there that are also helpful if you need to get your way out of a jam.

This book is Excelently written. Im no psychology student but I had no problem following along. all the stories and examples are relivant to real life situations. you should buy this book

This book is a must read for anyone interested or involved in business or marketing. I found it easy to understand, and packed full of real life examples and experiments. This book definitely gave me a new perspective on advertising and the likes.

Anyone who has dealt with salespeople will be familiar with the techniques described in this book. Nonetheless, it can be a good refresher to read before going out to make a major purchase, such as a car. The author tells a lot of "real-life" stories that demonstrate the techniques, but they tend to be a bit long-winded and slow to get to the point. Also, just my opinion, but I suspect that some of the stories didn't really happen, as they are just too tidy and neat to be true (that doesn't mean the principles they demonstrate are false).

This book was recommended to me by a very well respected marketing professional. "If you read one book, this is the one".

All I can say is, wow. It's powerful. A must read.

Excellent book! As with any book, really try and apply the information to your every day life. Very good methods.

This book is filled with various studies in the field of social psychology. I cannot recommend this book too highly; an entertaining and informative read. If you've ever been snookered into buying a into a timeshare condo against your better judgment or the thousand other unneeded sales we've all been hit with at some time or another, then this book is for you. It gives a structure to the various cultural instincts we all have, and how they can be subverted. On a more positive note, it is also useful for understanding how to best get your own message across, whilst avoiding manipulation. For example, after reading it I now tell my children "clean your room, because...", as using "because" makes the request more effective, and oddly enough, regardless of the reason given after the word "because", it does seem to work; at least in theory, I haven't tried "because the moon is full", yet. I plan to give this book to my children when they graduate from high school, if not sooner, so they may learn from it. And for a good philosophy book I recommend Understanding: Train of Thought.

I can't add much to the fine reviews already written about this book. I will just add that I own a First Quill Edition and that it is thoroughly underlined and dog-eared. I have loaned it out many times (and lucky to get it back each time). A dangerous book in the wrong hands, but more likely to serve as a mental vaccine against con-artists for the general reader.

I'm pretty ignorant of the whole topic of persuasion. So reading this book was fascinating for me. Sure some sections seemed to go on and on and on (boring!), but other sections seemed too short (I wished they were longer). I really enjoyed reading about the studies and examples.

A mind-blowing read about how we are persuaded in our daily life. While this book is intensely fascinating, it is also quite frightening when one realizes the powerful weapons words and actions can be.

If you look at my other reviews you may notice that I give the range of ratings (1 star to 5 star) and can be stingy with superlatives. But this book deserves all the superlatives it can get. It is insightful, educational, full of interesting studies, and very fun to read. It scares me to think that "compliance professionals" can use the knowledge from this book against ordinary consumers. Everyone should read this outstanding book and then pass it on.

The book describes 6 weapons of influence that compliance professionals use. The 6 weapons are scarcity, reciprocation, social proof, authority, liking and commitment & consistency. Book is filled with studies and examples which are fun to read in and of themselves.

I enjoyed this book so much that I have been buying extra copies for friends and family. I will not relinquish my own copy. This book was recommended by Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's partner. I believe Buffett, himself has praised this book. You may end up using the knowledge in your personal life. It doesn't apply to just sales. The knowledge, for example, could help you become a better parent. Even if you do not use the knowledge, it is still a very entertaining and enjoyable book.

Just reading Influence by Robert Cialdini. Wow. What a brilliant book. There's so much here for marketers to be aware of. A lot of this is taking things we do intuitively, or that we've learned from from experience and exploring the psychology behind it. I'm of the mind that the more you know how something works, the more you'll be able to use it to your advantage.

There is a fantastic chapter on consistency that explores our natural tendency to want to stick to our guns once we've made a commitment.

"If I can get you to make a commitment (that is, to take a stand, to go on record), I will have set the stage for your automatic and ill-considered consistency with that earlier commitment. Once a stand is taken, there is a natural tendency to behave in ways that are stubbornly consistent with the stand."

The author cites a great number of stories, anecdotes and examples to illustrate each point. It's really fun and I can see using these examples many times in presentations and in idea generation.


For instance, he sites how weight loss experts use the written commitment to help set people set and stick to their goals. Also how Amway uses the same method. Or the numerous Proctor & Gamble contests that encourage you to "tell us in x number of words why you love product y"

Can you get a commitment somehow?

It's just one of many great examples in this book. Buy it. Better yet, buy it for someone else. You'll learn why that's a good idea when you read the book!

Someone just replaced my sales six shooter with an AK-47. Wow! This is a very valuable book, not just for sales but for life. He has five main areas on what influences us. I have used them all, but now I really know how to use them: Reciprocation ( I give you a bit to get a lot) , Commitment and consistency (If I get you to state in public what you will do, you will likely do it), Social Proof (If you see others doing it you will too), Liking, (All I need is you to like me and if I provide a good deal, I make a sale), Authority (Nurses could kill you if a Dr says so!), Scarcity ( if I give and then take away an item, you want it more) . His discussions wheel from how to ensure you get help if you are having a heart attack to how to prevent a revolution. Thoughtful, insightful, easy to read and to use. He has reaffirmed my faith in some academics. Buy it! Read it! "Cause if you don't, when I call, you will buy whatever I am selling, "cause you haven't got a chance now!

I can sum it up by this, when I was in college a professor assigned us to read a couple of chapters in the book for the next class. I complained saying we had enough on our plates. The professor then told me, James, if you read these chapters and don't find them interesting, I'll give you an "A" in the class. So, trust me, I picked up the book "fully" expecting not to like ... but I couldn't put it down. And true to his word, the professor asked me in front of the class if I thought it was worth the read and I had to say yes and that I found it fascinating.

I found Influence to be a very captivating read. This book gives insight to both those in the marketing field and for every consumer. I see "tricks" outlined in book that people try to use on me all the time ... this book has helped me with defensive techniques at sales pressure. I've also purchased it for several friends.

I highly recommend it.