Influence

We are taught from a young age to keep our word and follow through on commitments. This ingrained consistency is a powerful tool of influence. Toy manufacturers exploit consistency to boost holiday sales. Before Christmas, they run ads for must-have toys. Knowing demand will exceed supply, they understock stores. Disappointed parents buy substitute gifts. After Christmas, manufacturers rerun ads for the original toys. Kids beg their parents who feel obliged to provide the promised gifts, doubling their toy purchases. This bait-and-switch works due to the strong link between commitment and consistency.

Once you take a stand, you tend to act consistently with that commitment. The factors driving this sense of commitment can be subtle. Charity solicitors may ask how you are, and you politely say “fine.” It then feels awkward to refuse their request for donations to help the less fortunate, since you just claimed to be doing well. Salespeople use small sales to build momentum towards larger purchases through this “foot-in-the-door” technique. They get you to make a small initial purchase so you become a customer, then work to sell higher-priced items.

Even harmless acts like having customers handwrite forms can increase commitment, since people trust their own handwriting. Companies also leverage the power of written statements. As Amway Corporation states, there is something magical about writing goals down. The act of writing increases commitment to achieving those goals. Car salespeople use the “lowball” technique, initially offering a car below market value. You fill out paperwork, but they claim the boss disapproved the price or they forgot to include some fee. Many customers follow through at the higher price to remain consistent with their initial decision. To avoid this, ask yourself - knowing what you now know, would you make the same choice again? If not, don’t feel bad about seeking a better deal, since the original agreement was based on incomplete information. You aren't going back on your word, but making a more informed decision. As Leonardo da Vinci said, it is easier to resist at the beginning than the end.

Social proof is a powerful force that sways our behavior. We constantly look to others to guide our actions, assuming if many people do something, it must be the right choice. This explains why laugh tracks are added to TV shows, bestsellers are promoted heavily, and bartenders seed tip jars. We rely on social proof far more than we admit.

Some believe social media has amplified social proof. But this tendency is not new - it's human nature. In the 1820s, Sauton and Porcher founded a company in France that sent applauders to operas. For a fee, they offered services like on-cue crying, chuckling, and demanding encores. Their business thrived because social proof was already influential. Studies show "ordinary" people are the most persuasive endorsers. We pay more attention when someone similar to us endorses something versus a celebrity. In many situations, looking at what a group decided is a helpful shortcut. We naturally see it as valid information. However, if we detect manipulation, social proof backfires.

When we realize someone is rigging the evidence for their agenda, we feel empowered to disregard it entirely. We may even do the opposite out of spite. We can offset unhelpful social proof by taking control ourselves. If we get bad information, we can course correct and then proceed thoughtfully. As Robert Cialdini wrote, "Whenever I encounter an influence attempt of this sort, it sets off an alarm: Attention! Bad social proof here! Temporarily disconnect autopilot. It's easy to do. We just need to consciously be alert for counterfeit evidence. The smug confidence of exploiters will backfire if we sting them. We should avoid products in phony ads and inform manufacturers about the deceptive agency."

We instinctively prefer to agree with people we know and like. That's why charities recruit volunteers from the local community to go door-knocking for donations. It's much harder to say "no" to a friend than a stranger.

Tupperware parties demonstrate the power of likability in sales. There's reciprocity, as games are played and everyone wins a prize, obligating them to place an order. There's social proof, as you see others buying so the product must be good. There's also commitment, as partygoers rave about the product.

The real secret is the party hostess, your friend, gets a cut from each sale. Everyone knows this, so she shamelessly invites you to spend more based on your relationship. That's why Tupperware sells over $2.5 million daily without physical stores.

Likability's influence remains even when the person is absent. Many salespeople mention a friend already bought and "suggested I call you". This ratchets up pressure, as rejecting the salesperson feels like rejecting your friend.

Likability can determine whether someone buys from you. Factors driving likability include:

- Physical attractiveness - you're more likely to like good-looking people. - Similarity or familiarity - you'll agree more with those sharing your beliefs or style. - Compliments - you're more open to those saying nice things about you. - Association - you'll feel more positive about those tied to personal victories and more negative about those linked to disasters.

People have an inherent tendency to follow credible experts. Displaying your credentials as an authority figure will increase your influence. Have your team introduce you as an expert, and customers will likely follow your lead without questioning.

From childhood, most people are conditioned to obey authority figures like parents, teachers, managers, and religious leaders. As a result, information from recognized authorities serves as a convenient decision-making shortcut. However, blind obedience has benefits and drawbacks. Following authority is often rewarding, so people take the easy route of automatic compliance. But mindless obedience can lead to poor choices when reacting instead of thinking critically. Although appropriate most of the time, there are conspicuous exceptions where obedience causes harm.

For example, good health matters to everyone, so doctors' medical expertise garners high respect. Healthcare staff tend to reflexively follow doctors' orders even when mistakes are evident. Studies show medication errors occur in about 12% of hospital days, contributing to 10% of in-hospital cardiac arrests. Advertisers leverage the authority of doctors like having actor Robert Young, famous for playing a doctor on TV, promote Sanka decaffeinated coffee as safer than caffeine, despite just being an actor. But the ads succeeded due to perceived medical authority.

Humans have an innate desire for things that are scarce or limited in availability. Marketers and salespeople have long exploited this quirk of human psychology to increase demand for products and services.

To boost interest, they emphasize what makes an offering unique, rare, or exclusive. They also explain why supply is constrained, which taps into our fear of missing out. As cognitive psychologist Robert Cialdini explains, "The idea of potential loss plays a large role in human decision making. In fact, people seem to be more motivated by the thought of losing something than by the thought of gaining something of equal value."

Essentially, when something is or appears scarce, it becomes more valuable and desirable to us. For example, if an item is one-of-a-kind, flawed in some way, or available for a limited time only, it appreciates in worth. Even the perception of scarcity is powerful enough to sway choices.

Savvy salespeople use scarcity tactics to nudge customers towards buying. A classic approach is to indicate high demand and dwindling inventory, making the product seem more attractive. The salesperson might say, "This is a popular model, and we just sold the last one earlier today. Let me check if we have any left in stock." This urgency prompts the customer to commit to purchasing it then and there, before they miss the opportunity.