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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials) | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert B. Cialdini
Publisher: Collins Business
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $10.07
You Save: $7.88 (44%)
New (49) Used (24) from $10.07
Avg. Customer Rating:  254 reviews
Sales Rank: 211
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 1
ISBN: 006124189X
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.852
EAN: 9780061241895
ASIN: 006124189X
Publication Date: January 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New Book direct from the publisher. Ships from New York within one week. Returns accepted. Satisfaction guarantee.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Arguably the best book ever on what is increasingly becoming the science of persuasion. Whether you're a mere consumer or someone weaving the web of persuasion to urge others to buy or vote for your product, this is an essential book for understanding the psychological foundations of marketing. Recommended.
Product Description
Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say "yes"—and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book. You'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 249 more reviews...
 Thanks for the recommendation, Charlie August 5, 2008
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.
Scientific treatment of influence psychology August 2, 2008
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.
 Fascinating subject, fascinating book! August 2, 2008
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.
Awesome Book July 23, 2008
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 :-)
Basic Information of Great Value July 23, 2008
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.
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