Recently I came across a video that describes the six universal Principles of Persuasion. Because effective persuasion is a vital component for an ad campaign or marketing campaign please watch the video and consider the six principles of persuasion that are discussed in this video.
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Researchers have been studying the factors that influence us to say yes
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to the request of others for over 60 years.
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And there can be no doubt that there’s a science to how we are persuaded.
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And a lot of the science is surprising.
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When making a decision
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it’d be nice to think that people consider all the available information
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in order to guide their thinking.
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But the reality is very often different.
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In the increasingly overloaded lives we lead, more than ever
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we need shortcuts or rules of thumb to guide our decision-making.
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My own research has identified just six of these shortcuts.
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As universals that guide human behavior,
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Understanding these shortcuts and employing them in an ethical manner,
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can significantly increase the chances that someone will be persuaded by your request.
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Let’s take a closer look at each in turn.
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So the first universal principle of influence is Reciprocity.
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Simply put, people are obliged to give back to others the form of behavior,
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gift, or service that they have received first.
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If a friend invites you to their party,
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there’s an obligation for you to invite them to a future party you are hosting.
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If a colleague does you a favor then you owe that colleague a favor.
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And in the context of a social obligation
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people are more likely to say yes to those that they owe.
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One of the best demonstrations of the principle of reciprocation
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comes from a series of studies conducted in restaurants.
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So the last time you visit a restaurant,
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there’s a good chance that the waiter or waitress will have given you a gift.
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Probably about the same time that they bring your bill.
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A liqueur perhaps or a fortune cookie or perhaps a simple mint.
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So here’s the question.
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Does the giving of a mint have any influence over how much tip you’re going to leave them?
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Most people will say no.
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But that mint can make a surprising difference.
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In the study, giving diners a single mint at the end of their meal,
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typically increased tips by around 3%.
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Interestingly if the gift is doubled and two mints are provided, tips don’t double.
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They quadruple, a 14% increase in tips.
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But perhaps most interestingly of all, is the fact that if the waiter provides one mint,
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starts to walk away from the table, but pauses, turns back
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and says, “For you nice people, here’s an extra mint,” tips go through the roof.
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A 23% increase influenced not by what was given, but how it was given.
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So the key to using the principle of reciprocation is to be the first to give
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and to ensure that what you give is personalized and unexpected.
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The second universal principle of persuasion is Scarcity.
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Simply put, people want more of those things they can have less of.
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When British Airways announced in 2003
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that they would no longer be operating the twice daily London-New York Concorde flight
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because it had become uneconomical to run, sales the very next day took off.
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Notice that nothing had changed about the Concorde itself.
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It certainly didn’t fly any faster, the service didn’t suddenly get better, and the airfare didn’t drop.
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It had simply become a scarce resource.
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And as a result, people wanted it more.
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So when it comes to effectively persuading others using the scarcity principle, the science is clear.
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It’s not enough simply to tell people about the benefits they’ll gain
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if they choose your products and services.
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You’ll also need to point out what is unique about your proposition
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and what they stand to lose
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if they fail to consider your proposal.
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Our third principle of influence is the principle of authority.
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The idea that people follow the lead of credible knowledgeable experts.
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Physiotherapists for example are able to persuade more of their patients
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to comply with recommended exercise programs
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if they display their medical diplomas on the walls of their consulting rooms.
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People are more likely to give change for a parking meter to a complete stranger
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if that requester wears a uniform rather than casual clothes.
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What the science is telling us is that it is important to signal to others
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what makes you a credible knowledgeable authority before you make your influence attempt.
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Of course this can present problems.
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You can hardly go around telling potential customers how brilliant you are.
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But you can certainly arrange for someone to do it for you.
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And surprisingly the science tells us that it doesn’t seem to matter if the person who introduces you
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is not only connected to you but also likely to prosper from the introduction themselves.
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One group of real estate agents were able to increase both the number of property appraisals
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and the number of subsequent contracts that they wrote
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by arranging for reception staff who answered customer enquiries
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to first mention their colleagues’ credentials and expertise.
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So, customers interested in letting a property were told “Lettings?
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Let me connect you with Sandra who has over 15 years’ experience letting properties in this area.”
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Customers who wanted more information about selling properties were told
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“Speak to Peter, our head of sales. He has over 20 years’ experience selling properties.
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I’ll put you through now.”
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The impact of this expert introduction led to a 20% rise in the number of appointments
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and a 15% increase in the number of signed contracts.
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Not bad for a small change in form from persuasion science
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that was both ethical and costless to implement.
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The next principle is Consistency.
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People like to be consistent with the things they have previously said or done.
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Consistency is activated by looking for and asking for small initial commitments that can be made.
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In one famous set of studies researchers found rather unsurprisingly,
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that very few people would be willing to erect an unsightly wooden board
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on their front lawn to support a Drive Safely campaign in their neighborhood.
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However in a similar neighborhood close by,
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four times as many homeowners indicated that they would be willing to erect this unsightly billboard.
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Because ten days previously, they had agreed to place a small postcard
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in the front window of their home that signaled their support for a Drive Safely campaign.
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That small card was the initial commitment that led to a 400% increase
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in a much bigger but still consistent change.
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So when seeking to influence using the consistency principle,
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the detective of influence looks for voluntary, active and public commitments
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and ideally gets those commitments in writing.
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For example, one recent study reduced missed appointments at health centers by 18%
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simply by asking the patients, rather than the staff
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to write down appointment details on the future appointment card.
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The fifth principle is the principle of Liking.
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People prefer to say yes to those that they like.
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But what causes one person to like another?
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Persuasion science tells us that there are three important factors.
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We like people who are similar to us,
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we like people who pay us compliments
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and we like people who cooperate with us towards mutual goals.
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As more and more of the interactions that we are having take place online
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it might be worth asking whether these factors can be employed effectively
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in let’s say online negotiations.
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In a series of negotiation studies carried out between MBA students at two well-known business schools,
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some groups were told, “Time is money. Get straight down to business.”
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In this group around 55% were able to come to an agreement.
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A second group however, were told,
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“Before you begin negotiating, exchange some personal information with each other.
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Identify a similarity you share in common
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then begin negotiating.”
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In this group 90% of them were able to come to successful and agreeable outcomes
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that were typically worth 18% more to both parties.
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So to harness this powerful principle of liking,
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be sure to look for areas of similarity that you share with others
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and genuine compliments you can give before you get down to business.
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The final principle is Consensus.
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Especially when they are uncertain,
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people will look to the actions and behaviors of others to determine their own.
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You may have noticed that hotels often place a small card in bathrooms
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that attempt to persuade guests to reuse their towels and linen.
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Most do this by drawing a guest’s attention
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to the benefits that reuse can have on environmental protection.
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It turns out that this is a pretty effective strategy leading to around 35% compliance.
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But could there be an even more effective way?
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Well it turns out that about 75% of people who check into a hotel for four nights or longer
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will reuse their towels at some point during their stay.
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So what would happen if we took a lesson from the principle of consensus
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and simply included that information on the cards
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and said that 75% of our guests reuse their towels at some time during their stay.
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So please do so as well.
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It turns out that when we do this, towel reuse rises by 26%.
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Now imagine the next time you stay in a hotel you saw one of these signs.
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You picked it up and you read the following message:
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Seventy-five percent of people who have stayed in this room
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have reused their towel.
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What would you think?
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Well here’s what you might think.
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“I hope they’re not the same towels.”
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And like most people you’d probably think that
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this sign will have no influence on your behavior whatsoever.
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But it turns out that changing just a few words on a sign
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to honestly point out what comparable previous guests have done
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was the single most effective message leading to a 33% increase in reuse.
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So the science is telling us that rather than relying on our own ability to persuade others
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we can point to what many others are already doing especially many similar others.
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So there we have it.
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Six scientifically validated principles of persuasion that provide for small practical,
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often costless changes that can lead to big differences in your ability
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to influence and persuade others in an entirely ethical way.
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They are the secrets from the science of persuasion.
Image courtesy of
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Dr_Robert_Cialdini.jpg
