Robert Cialdini is a renowned psychologist and researcher at the University of Arizona in the United States, became known internationally after publishing the book?Influence?The psychology of persuasion ?, 1984.
To write this book, Robert Cialdini worked for three years under the sheets. It has infiltrated car stores, telemarketing companies, charities and many others. The book draws all its conclusions and has become a reference in the psychology of persuasion.
- “The art of persuading is as much to please as to convince.
- For men are governed more by whim than by reason.
- “Blaise Pascal?.
All his works have always been among the best-selling books, according to the New York Times. In addition, Fortune magazine has highlighted its work among the 100 smartest published in recent decades. In his book, Cialdini proposes 6 principles of persuasion currently applied in various sectors, are:
In the course of his research, Robert Cialdini demonstrated a principle that many already felt through common sense: according to his research, people treat others in the same way they are treated, so for example, we tend to be kind to those who treat us. Kindly There is a great power here: we can make someone appreciate us more or less over time.
Advertising uses this principle. The reason a brand sometimes offers its products is precisely the principle of reciprocity. They know that consumers appreciate this gesture and will become more loyal to the brand for this reason.
Robert Cialdini discovered that people tend to value what they perceive as rare or exclusive, no matter whether it’s really or not. The rarer and more unusual something is, the more it awakens our desire.
Advertising also benefits from this principle. This is the basis on which campaigns are built as “promotion for a few days” or “discount for the first 50 buyers”. And it usually works very well. On the other hand, a continuous succession of “Last Chance?”For the same product, it eventually dispels this effect. It is necessary to maintain what is promised, because scarcity implies credibility.
This principle states that people with meaningful leadership or position have greater credibility among others, people tend to believe everything they say. We tend to be less critical of celebrities, for example.
That’s why there’s such a profitable business around so-called influencers. Others identify with them and begin to imitate them. In this case, we are less demanding with the coherence of what they represent and we are more likely to believe what they say.
Robert Cialdini says that the principle of commitment and coherence means that people are more willing to take steps commence with the familiar, so it is important to adopt attitudes that generate a commitment to their client and are consistent with the commitment made. what you can offer. It’s easier to retain a former customer than to attract new customers.
This principle of persuasion is widely applied in sales, to attract new customers their behaviors and habits are studied to determine what type of offer should be offered, if they are, for example, impulsive people, situations are created that lead them to act impulsively to buy .
This principle states that people tend to join most: they often see what others are doing to act accordingly. We generally accept the opinion of the majority. If a lot of people think something’s okay, we’ll think it’s okay. If most people think something’s wrong, we’ll think it’s wrong, too.
Thus, in both business and politics, great efforts are made to “create trends”. These trends are not always inspired by fair or reasonable elements. However, once they begin to “form a wave,” they usually succeed.
This principle has to do with the so-called ‘halo effect’, which relates to the fact that the most physically attractive people have a greater capacity for persuasion, are unconsciously associated with other positive values, such as honesty and success. The effect also occurs in people who are sensitive to non-physical attributes.
Thus, advertising almost always uses stereotypes that generate this principle of sympathy. Models are usually handsome or handsome, or people who represent the appearance that awakens the identification or desire of the public.
Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion can be used in various areas of life, however, its greatest impact has been on the world of marketing, it can be said that contemporary marketing is fundamentally based on the research of this psychologist.