Rating: 
Summary: On the mark!
Review: I've been involved in Direct sales for over 20 years and this book sheds some specific insights on why people do what they do,and why stellar sales champions unconsciously do some of the things they do. There is nothing wrong with purposeful betterment of ones ability to communicate or influence- as long as one's intent is to truly benefit the buyer. As a matter of fact, if you believe you have a product that people will greatly benefit from and you don't try to help them get it- you aren't sincere. It did seem that the author's view seemed to be somewhat jaundiced towards salesperson's motives as a whole. Nontheless, a Fascinating Read!
Rating: 
Summary: A Life Changing Book
Review: I use this in project management (I am a Senior PM for a large international consulting company) to facilitate project execution. I also teach PM and use the principles shown in the book to show how to get to project success using these principles. I have recommended to numerous students and collegues. Of all of Cialdini's books, this is the one you want to start with.
Rating:
Summary: Learn Social Jujitsu!
Review: Cialdini, a professor of psychology at Arizona State, is an acknowledged expert in the field of persuasion, and his writing style is enjoyable and understandable for anyone. The social psychological principles covered in the book are spelled out in no uncertain terms with plenty of real world (and often comical)examples. Cialdini's insights help one understand how marketers, businesses, acquaintances and the like can often induce us to say "yes" to things we would ordinarily reject and how our automatic responses can sometimes lead us astray. But, not only does Cialdini provide ways to help us avoid falling prey to compliance traps, he also explains how we can turn these traps to our advantage (he calls it "social jujitsu"). An educational, entertaining read with broad ranging applications that I am sure to read again.
Rating:
Summary: Great pointers, but wordy
Review: This book discusses some really effective persuasion techniques. Cialdini illustrates each of these techniques with a lot of examples. The examples explain how to play the role of the persuader and how to spot these techniques at play if you're infact the persuadee ... every chapter has a "How To Say No" section.This book belongs on your shelf if you're interested in knowing why some people are more influential than others. Why some people get their way. And how you could do the same. This book will especially interest you if you're in the retail business trying to market directly to customers. I gave it 4 stars because the book is too wordy. The material covered in the book is great. But it could have been written better and condensed to about 1/2 the size. Nevertheless, enjoy the book!
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: And interesting book that has academic credibility plus readability plus anecdotes from the author's own life that make his points. I just finished the first edition I got from my library, so can't comment on this revised one. But it could only be better than the one I read, which was first-rate.
Rating:
Summary: As entertaining as it is educational
Review: I had so much fun reading this book. I would have been happy with the book if I had only learned about the psychology of influence. The substantial entertainment value was an added bonus. The author has a great sense of humor, particularly about himself, and all of the scientific studies that he cites as proof for his points will at least make you think, "huh," if not say it out loud. I think my wife will be happy to hear that I am done with this book, because I think that I've worked a mention of it into every conversation we've had since I started reading it. And if all that weren't enough, the book's everyday usefulness is another compelling reason to read it. In a consumer driven culture such as ours, learning how to fend off the "compliance practitioners" should be a useful skill indeed. This book comes highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: this book is so helpful i can't even explain it. I am so glad i read this book. It will help me to never be fooled again in the market. It goes in depths on subjects from reciprocation to authority. highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! An entertaining and very informative read
Review: Cialdini offers a fasinating insight into how we are all influenced and conditioned to respond and comply in specific ways.
I remember reading somewhere that he immersed himself in the world of compliance professionals by enrolling in a variety of sales and training programs so that he could observe and learn the techniques and strategies from the inside.He learned to sell encyclopedias, vacum cleaners, real estate,cars and even portrait photography! As well as sales he posed as a professional or aspiring professional in advertising, public relations and fundraising organizations. He then talked to political lobbyists and religious cult members to establish ways in which they created influence. I last learned that he was conducting trainings with mckenna breen in the UK.The book is well worth reading just so you can recognise when the techniques used to influence you are being used and how to to defend yourself against them. A great book, enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book To Help You Understand Influence
Review: "Influence" by Robert Cialdini teaches us the basics of how people are influenced. It breaks influence into six key factors: 1. Reciprocation
2. Consistency and Commitment
3. Social Proof
4. Authority
5. Liking (the person who is trying to influence us)
6. Scarcity Each of the above points is detailed in a chapter. Academic studies and examples are given in a very engaging fashion. Some of the studies are for the birds. For example, mother turkeys, who are known to be caring parents (as far as birds go), tend to respond only to the "cheep-cheep" sound of their chicks. Hearing the cheep-cheep, the mother turkey coddles and cares for the young turkey chick. It is a short-cut response that nature has given turkeys to know how to behave. It tends to work well in nature. But, tricky scientists recorded the cheep-cheep sound and placed the recording into a stuffed Polecat, the natural enemy of the turkey, and found that the mother turkeys adopted the stuffed polecat. Coddled it and cared for it. That was quite amazing, as the usual response of a mother turkey to a stuffed Polecat without the cheep-cheep recording is an outright assault on the Polecat. This reflexive behavior tends to work most of the time, but sometimes is inappropriate. The mother turkey is responding in what Cialdini refers to as a "click, whir" method. Once some reactor sets off a signal (click), the mother turkey plays its own internal tape (whir) which signifies the appropriate response. Only, sometimes, the response is not appropriate. And, some predators have learned the mimic strategy to trick their prey. Now, this may be useful if your goal is to be adopted by a turkey (or maybe its something that could protect you from a wild turkey attack!), you say, but how does this apply to me? The answer is that people themselves have "click, whir" behavior. Because people wish to avoid the work of making decisions, they have internal tapes they run which tell them how to respond under various conditions. Most of the time our internal tapes are appropriate. But, sometimes, they are not. And some human predators have learned to exploit our "click, whir" behavior. Often, these predators come in the form of salespeople. Cialdini discusses how to say "No" to each of these six influence factors by being aware of how influence works and reading your internal gut feeling. This book is excellent reading for anyone who wants to learn how to influence others. Job hunters, managers, and marketers will benefit from reading this book. Although I do not suggest you try to use this knowledge in a devious way, knowing how to approach asking for a request is useful. Investors can benefit also. For example, "social proof" states that we often look to others to determine what is correct behavior in a situation. We most look to others to deem what is correct in times of uncertainty. This can lead to "pluralistic ignorance." Everyone is assuming that the other guy knows what he is doing and we follow. Manias and gross overvaluation of publicly-traded stocks come to mind. And, this is why publishers of bestselling books are quick to point out "Over 1 million copies sold!" on their book covers. One million readers can't be wrong, can they? In an attempt to avoid the hard work of thinking, we follow the herd off the cliff, blindly assuming where everyone else is going must be safe. As stated in "Influence" 95% of people are followers and only 5% of people are leaders. Often, we are most likely to follow "experts." This is the authority factor above. We tend to believe and follow anyone who we assume is an expert. However, following experts can also lead to problems. "Influence" points out that about 10% of medication administered by hospitals may be in error. This is a serious problem and can obviously lead to death. Why is it that hospitals have such a problem with errors in medication? Despite the training and knowledge of R.N.'s, they tend to unquestioningly follow the instructions of the doctors. Even if the instructions don't make sense. Cialdini tells the story of a man who complained of an earache. He had an ear infection and the doctor prescribed eardrops for him. On the prescription, the doctor wrote, "Place drops in R ear." As the doctor was in a hurry, he abbreviated "Right" with R. Sure enough, the trained nurse obediently followed the instructions and placed the required number of drops in the patient's anus. Neither the patient nor the nurse questioned the instructions, as they came from an authority. Cialdini's website InfluenceAtWork.com also has great information. I couldn't stop reading. I learned that the brain waves of most people engaged in difficult thinking mirrors the brain activity of having your hand thrust in ice-cold water. Most people really don't like to think! I wish I knew that before I titled my first book about entrepreneurship, "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur!" Even if you never feel the need to be adopted by a mother turkey, maybe Cialdini's "Influence" will keep eardrops out of your anus, help keep you from buying things you later regret, and help you understand how influence works. I highly recommend this book. (Aside: Cialdini has two different books with the title 'Influence' and different subtitles. They are substantially the same book, so if you have the older one, you don't need the newer version.) Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur" and "Becoming An Investor"
Rating: 
Summary: Boring, Common Sense, written for Beginners
Review: This book was really weak. It spent pages and pages making points that are common sense in everyday life. When I finished it, I was mad that I hadn't tossed it after being half way done. The author is a "goody two-shoes" college professor and the readers should be high school students. If you want to read descent books, pick up something by Robert Greene. His books at least take longer than 3 hours to read and keep you rereading them.
| 
