Rating: 
Summary: amazing
Review: Wow, an amazing book with great examples - reciprocation reminds me of Stephen Covey's book - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - win/win situation. I wish this book was 100 pages longer.
Rating:
Summary: This is so damn interesting
Review: This book is absolutely fascinating. If you own a timeshare condominium and want to know why, this book will tell you.
Rating:
Summary: Solid research well presented
Review: Influence is written as a guidebook for the savvy consumer. The author's conversational style and frequent sharing of personal experiences will certainly recommend it to that audience. My interest in the work is probably closer to that of the typical reader: as a sales trainer I am looking for specific ideas for increasing my effectiveness. My attention has been richly rewarded. Professor Cialdini organizes decades of research and experience into six easily comprehended categories of influence techniques. Relevant examples from marketing and sales are used to illustrate each concept. I especially appreciate the detailed footnotes and citations to original scientific articles. Too few books on sales or marketing have a solid basis in research. Influence remedies the dearth. I highly recommend the book to anyone willing to invest a few hours in being a more effective persuader or a cannier "mark." Tony Mayo
Rating:
Summary: You MUST read the one book that will double your income.
Review: Exceptional! If you are in the business of "influencing" people-- and ALL of us are-- then this book is one of the single greatest investments you will ever make. As a business owner I have applied the principles that Cialdini outlines to capture more business in the first two months of 1998 then I closed in all of 1997 (and 1997 was a banner year for us). You MUST benefit from Bob's work-- and you may as well order the cassette tapes that go with the book right now, because you will only be logging back on to Amazon after you read the book to get them. ---Dean Minuto, Teligent Corporation
Rating:
Summary: It's the Best of B-school Marketing
Review: Dr. Cialdini's text became favorite reading after being assigned in 2 different classes in my top-ten business school. Would-be investment bankers to marketing product managers looked to Dr. Cialdini's work to gain insight into our customers' thinking. From others' reviews, some might think this evil --learning a little psychology to gain an edge in a negotiation or to better position a product, but this is done everyday and the ethics of selling a bad product are never defensible. The text does provide the 3 key ingredients to making it to the "must read" lists of a business school -- great tag lines, an easy sense of humor, and naked truths.
Rating:
Summary: It happens to everyone of us every day.
Review: Dr. Cialdini has illustrated for us how those who wish to benefit by influencing us every day have honed their technique to a fine skill. We all know these things happen to us, but until you read this book you'll never know the "Why?" It is simple to read, yet insightful. A must read for anyone who constantly feels they're being 'had' by salesmen or other influence peddlars.
Rating:
Summary: His shots bounced off my Cialdini influence shields...
Review: Dr. Cialdini has done a great disservice, to all those who continually try to take advantage of me. Just today, for example, one slick salesman wanted to give me a little something for free, trying to pry me with the rule of reciprocity. Then he drew his principle of scarecity from his holster and waved it in my face, by telling me that I'd have to return his gift within two weeks, if I didn't want to pay for it. My block was swift and effective. I stated that I wanted to pay for his product immediately, so that I could evaluate his entire product line on my own good time. His influence rays bounced off my Cialdini shields and dispersed harmlessly into space. Influence shields at full power, Scotty!
Rating: 
Summary: Persuasion has far-reaching implications for everyone.
Review: Persuasion is one of those rare, all-encompassing topics which have direct and immediate implications for everyone. This is an interesting and definitive account of this important topic. Taking for granted the 'good deal' motivation, Cialdini condenses the many variants of persuasive influence into six major categories. These are reciprocation (give and take), commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority (and perceived authority), and scarcity. A slightly ironic feature of the book (and to be honest I always find these all-encompassing topics ironic, it is kind of like voting on how to vote - what would it mean for example if a democratic election lead to socialist organisation?) is that the reader is persuaded by the use of logical well-developed argument, and insightful examples. Probably a case of the 'good deal'. A compelling contribution of the book is to note that each of the reasons for persuasion dealt with are in fact rational, time-saving 'short-cuts' developed in response to increasing information overload. In a wide-range of instances these work well, and we therefore tend to use them automatically. But this leaves us susceptible to the con-artists of this world, whom Cialdini cutely terms 'compliance professionals'. Some may argue that by revealing the secrets of persuasion Cialdini is unleashing an evil force onto the world. I disagree, as well as identifying the venom, Cialdini provides the antidote. A quibble is that a number of the studies (though clearly seminal) are dated, some of them from the 60's and 70's. It would be informative for the reader to know when and how the results achieved have been replicated. Also, Cialdini appears to concentrate excessively on a small number of examples in making his point, sometimes it would be nice to receive some 'social proof'. Nonetheless, a well-crafted and absorbing book on a topic which has far-reaching implications no matter what one's aims.
Rating:
Summary: Very readable and informative.
Review: An excellent book for the general reader not familiar with the subject. Learning to recognize situations and "name" them is a very powerful tool.
Rating:
Summary: Understand the real reasons behind a buyer's "I'll take it"
Review: I read the first edition of this book more than 10 years ago in grad school. Simply -- it is a must read for anyone in sales, marketing, advertising or public relations or who has a curiosity about human nature.
| 
