Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

1. Pricing Pyramids (pg. 4)

A. when you make a large purchase that can later lead to smaller
purchases; the salesman will have you make the large purchase
first so that the other purchases don’t seem like a lot of money.

Examples:
i. Car: you buy the car and then get asked for things like spoilers,
audio packages, floor lighting, seat heaters, etc.
ii. Suits: you buy the suit then get offered ties, shoes, shirts. Though
they may be expensive they don’t seem so expensive because you
just dropped 200 bones on a suit.

2. Commitment and Consistency

A. “Once we’ve made up our minds about an issue, stubborn
consistency allows us a very appealing luxury: We really don’t
have to think hard about the issue anymore.” (pg. 60)

B. Consistency is a very persuasive tool. When you commit to

something verbally, you feel you have to commit to it physically,
financially, etc.

a. Commitment= WORDS+DEEDS

C. Compel commitment to force consistency; people will naturally

try to reinforce commitment (pg. 67)

D. Commitment is obligation: “foot in the door” technique

a. Your allowed to change your minds in light of new

information
i. If something new is introduced it changes the
parameters to which the salesman was holding you.
You never committed to buy anything. You never
signed anything and you’re not obliged (pg. 70)
E. Inner Choice:
a. “Commitments are most effective in changing a person’s
self image and future behavior when they are ACTIVE,
PUBLIC and EFFORTFUL
 F. When we take responsibility for our behavior in the absence of a
social guideline or social pressure; we are more committed to it
and take inner-responsibility for that behavior
a. If I do something that was not precipitated by social
pressure and/or is not normal it is truly my choice; I take
responsibility for that behavior/choice

G. External results of Commitment

a. The commitment is not specific to the situation where it
first occurred; it covers a whole range of related situations
as well
b. The effects of that change/decision are lasting. Because
you have made a change; you have adjusted yourself
image and will implore/force yourself to be consistent.

i. NOTE: When putting oneself in or being put in a

category; you are justifying your self image and will
make an effort to behave accordingly.

“Don’t let other people’s opinions become your reality”

What someone thinks of you is not what you think of yourself

3. Social Proof

“Throw reason to the dogs. It stinks of corruption”

A. “Atmosphere of Acceptability” (pg. 116)

a. We decide if behavior is correct or acceptable based on what

society/other people think is correct
b. “We view behavior as more correct in a given situation to the
degree that we see others performing it”

B. Salting (pg. 117)

a. Lines outside a night club to when it isn’t full to make the
establishment look attractive and appealing
b. Tip jars
c. Church ushers

C. People are Sheep (pg. 118)

a. 95% imitators, 5% initiators
 i. “Since 95% of the people are imitators and only 5%
initiators, people are persuaded more by the actions of
others than by any proof we can offer

D. Society’s Influence
a. What to look for in a group message
i. Look for a collective message
ii. Collective acceptance
iii. Themes in interaction

4. Liking

A. We will often comply with a request if we like the person asking. We

want to please and make happy so we will comply/fulfill their request
to please them

B. Methods used in ‘Liking’

a. Attractiveness
i. We will listen to and feel more comfortable around
someone who is attractive. They have more initial
credibility.

b. Similarity
i. “we like people that are similar to us”
1. Grew up in same town, from same state, in the
army/military
2. Same interests

c. Compliments
i. When someone is paying you complements, they are
utilizing liking if they benefit from you feeling more
comfortable around them

C. Positive Associations in advertizing

a. Hot girls=good cars (want to buy)
b. Note the product and who and what is in the ad that makes you
want to buy it
i. Magazines are the biggest culprit
1. Maxim (buy stuff; clothes, shoes, gadgets)
2. They want you to think you need what you don’t
have.

D. Association
 a. Sports (football): your team wins, you win (we win); when they
lose, they lost, not we lost
b. Your putting yourself at stake; your self-worth, your pride
c. We strive to link ourselves with success and winning in all forms

E. How to say NO
a. CONCENTRATE ON THE EFFECT IT HAS ON YOU; DON’T LOOK
FOR THE CASUE. The effect will lead you to the cause.
b. SEPARATE THE PERSON FROM THE PRODUCT THEIR SELLING OR
ADVERTIZING
c. If you find yourself liking the person/salesperson more than you
should
d. If you feel more comfortable than you should

5. Authority

A. Take Charge
a. Adults will go to any length to please what they see as legitimate
authority

B. Religion
a. Religious instruction reinforces the need to obey authority
i. Seen in Bible in Old Testament (Abraham)

C. How to Say NO
a. Question spontaneous authority
b. “A fundamental form of defense against this problem, therefore,
is a heightened awareness of authority power.”
i. Is the authority truly an expert?

6. Scarcity

A. Principal of Scarcity
a. It is more valuable when it is PERCIEVED to be limited
i. Weekend sales; Labor Day, Memorial Day sales
ii. “Only 3 left, order now!”
iii. If it’s rare, it’s valuable

B. Sex
a. Sex is taboo because it’s censored
b. Pornography industry is successful because “you’re not
supposed to” watch those kind of things
 C. Indian Giver
a. Giving something than taking it back makes it scarce/rare and
more valuable. You want it more so than when you had it
because you don’t have it anymore.

D. Inconsistent Authority
a. Inconsistent discipline is BAD.
b. Discipline enforced inconsistently produces negative results and
low morale.

E. Possession
a. “The joy is not in experiencing a scare commodity but in
possessing it. It is important not to confuse the two.” When we
get what is rare/scare, we have succeeded at something. We
only want what we can’t have because we can’t have it.

Summary

“Very often in making a decision about someone or something, we

don’t use all the relevant available information; we use, instead, only a
single, highly representative piece of the total. And an isolated piece of
information, even though it normally counsels us correctly, can lead us to
clearly stupid mistakes-mistakes that, when exploited by clever others, leave
us looking silly or worse.”

“It is important to recognize, however, that their motive for profit is not
the cause for hostilities; that motive, after all, is something we each share to
an extent. The real treachery, and the thing we cannot tolerate, is any
attempt to make their profit in a way that threatens the reliability of our
shortcuts. The blitz of modern daily life demands that we have faithful
shortcuts, sound rules of thumb to handle it. These are not luxuries any
longer; they are out-and-out necessities that figure to become increasingly
vital as the pulse of daily life quickens. That is why we should want to
retaliate whenever we see someone betraying one of our rules of thumb for
profit. We want that rule to be as effective as possible. But to the degree
that its fitness for duty is regulary undercut by the tricks of a profiteer, we
naturally will use it less and will be less able to cope efficiently with the
decisional burdens of our day. We cannot allow that without a fight. The
stakes have gotten too high.”