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Summary: How to protect yourself from sales vultures
Review: This books describes in a very entertaining way how 'compliance professionals' con you into doing what they want. It describes specific techniques to counter their tactics. Compliance professional is the term he uses for salesman, advertisers, pyramid marketing companies and con men/women generally who manipulate us through psychological techniques. It is quite long, though it does not seem long, and it is packed with specific useful information. The author has done a tremendous amount of research both in the field and by combing the literature. You can also use the techniques yourself if you want to.
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Summary: An eye-opener!
Review: Whatever Cialdini says here is, pretty much, common sense. However, after finishing the book I did feel I gained numerous insights. Could Dr. Cialdini be applying some of his 'Persuasion' hooks to make this work appear more than it is? If so, then he is a master; all the more reason to read it! The fundamental message of the book is that human beings (much like animals) have certain mental 'hot-buttons' which when activated, elicit a predictable knee-jerk reaction in our thinking and actions. And these knee-jerk reactions could be very different from what we would have conducted given the luxury of time, equanimity and logic. As mentioned above, some of what Cialdini presents is blatantly obvious, if considered just at face value. For instance, the 'Reciprocity' principle essentially says that we feel obligated and respond differently when someone has initiated something seemingly positive toward us. No kidding! Where Cialdini is insightful lies in demonstrating that this initial favor can be completely irrelevant in terms of its utility to us, or can draw a much higher payback out of us, without us even realizing. Additionally, Cialdini is able to point out numerous instances of exploitation in everyday life settings that result from the application of this principle. These are depths to which my 'common sense' does not bother to go into and this book is therefore an eye-opener. There are instances where I think Cialdini is making a strong leap of faith in explaining the rationale behind certain observable actions. For instance, he points out that we wait longer to honk at an expensive car blocking an intersection than a economy car. He then jumps to his conclusion that the longer wait for the expensive car behind is due to a 'deference' to the wealthier driver. This is not a scientific conclusion. Many might consider the driver of the stalled Porsche in front to be impetuous and cocky, and the hesitation in honking is due to fear or avoiding an unpleasant exchange! Regardless of these minor imperfections, this book is educational, entertaining and of course, Persuasive!
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Summary: I like basball and I loved this book.
Review: Everyone should read this. More than 250,000 people have read it. They can't be wrong !
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Summary: Great book, but watch out!
Review: First off this is a great book and is written in a very accessable style. Just be aware that this book is the same as "Influence: Science and Practice". "Science and Practice" seems to be a little more updated I think. I got them both with "buy both and save" only to find that out when I started to read the second one.
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Summary: An Incredible Interesting and Profound Book!
Review: Here's a book that had a great influence on motivational guru, Tony Robbins. There are very few profound works amongst business books today, but here's a book that all people in sales should have in their personal library. (...) The factors of unconscious influence will always be the same.....timeless information. I highly recommend this book....it's also a rare good read, too.
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Summary: Now I know why I want to buy what I want to buy.
Review: I was recommended this book by Fred Covan, author of "Crazy All The Time." What a gift that advice was. Cialdini provides research that helps me to cope with unscrupulous marketers, pesky sales people, and highly effective Madison Ave ad campaigns. As a result of "Influence" I am less influenced by those seeking to manipulate and scam me. And as a New Yorker, that's a good thing.
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Summary: fascinating
Review: Cialdini takes a refreshing look at the frailties of the individual mind, and his conclusions are a reminder of how damningly automatic a human response can be. He uses examples to illustrate how the subtle behavioral conditioning we receive from birth, which is designed to make us functioning members of an orderly society, also creates exploitable weaknesses within our psychological framework. These weaknesses are compelling and permanent because the patterns are so ingrained; we can't remove them or prevent them without removing beneficial social behaviors also, and so the average individual remains permanently vulnerable to manipulators. As I write this review in Oct 2001, the dangers that Cialdini speaks of have a striking parallel with the dangers of an open society- the open and free society we enjoy in America is vulnerable precisely because it is open and free... As a trader, I bought this book to hone my understanding of psychology and influences on the decision making process, in the hope that it would shed a little light on the emotions behind buying and selling. It did. From my vantage point, this book holds some offbeat clues as to why the markets act the way they do, and why they will not change. Though knowledge and technology are fluid, human nature remains constant, and culture has a profound and lasting effect on behavior.
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Summary: The best book on the topic.
Review: I teach persuasion, and have assigned Cialdini's books to
my students for 15 years. Students love them. Cialdini's
research is first rate, and his books make research assessable
to all. This book is a must read.
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Summary: We're all trapped in social rules !!!
Review: If you really want to understand the mechanics of influence, persuasion and negotiation, you will have gone a very long way once you've read this book.
Influence is a great book that explains how all influencers use and abuse those few essential social rules we were born with to survive in society. The most basic rule is Reciprocity...
With this book you will understand the roots of all techniques used against you to change your attitudes, decisions, and opinions.
If you're interested in Persuasion and Negotiation, you may enjoy reading "How to make friends"(Carnegie), and "Bargaining for advantage"(Shell). I believe those 3 books are the "must read" in this field.
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Summary: Enlightening!
Review: This book is fun to read. It is basically a study on certain peculiar human traits that when triggered would automatically elicit an almost subconcious automated response. The 6 traits that are presented here are as follows: (1) Reciprocation
(2) Commitment and Consistency
(3) Social Proof
(4) Liking
(5) Authority
(6) Scarcity What is amazing about these 6 traits is not that they are unusual (all these traits can be treated as common sense), but the scale of influence they are able to exert from a sales deal to human torture and destruction. This book really explains and reaffirms why these traits work and the power they have by providing numerous interesting examples of different form and scale. It goes to show why we are affected by them. It is a powerful book especially if you want to use them as what the author called 'weapons of influence'. Enjoy!
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