by Peter Knight - Wednesday, 5th September 2007 -

If I was making a case for the scientists then my first expert witness would be Robert Cialdini, Regents’ Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University.

His book Influence – Science and Practice was described by no less an authority than Tom Peters as “the best and best researched book ever on this topic”.

Now I know a lot of you won’t put stock in “gurus” like these, but trust me – I’ve looked a lot into this matter.

Bob’s the man with the answers. And he’s identified six scientific principles of persuasion that, when mastered, will make you an expert at selling

Authority
Virgil put it succinctly: “Follow an expert”. If you can persuade your future customers that your business, product or service is the expert choice, then you’ll have a head and shoulders advantage over your competitors.

IBM understood this principle and exploited it extremely well for many years, gaining market share and higher profit margins simply by being the authority in the computer sector.

Scarcity
All too often, people want something more if they can’t have it. Recently, when choosing a new desk for my home office, I came across Herman Miller’s “Burdick” design.

The salesperson on duty told me that there was a minimum 20-week delivery on it, largely because only two or three are ordered each year in this country! Unsurprisingly, my interest in it doubled once I had hold of this information.

Many manufacturers of luxury goods exploit the scarcity tactic – Alain Silberstein, for example seems to sell as many limited edition watches as those from a standard range.

Social Proof
If your customers see people like them using your products and services then that’s often all the recommendation needed.

There are numerous examples of companies that achieve the magical “tipping point” (to borrow a phrase from Malcolm Gladwell), with the iPod possibly the best.

First it was adopted by cool media types, who copied each other, then by kids who copied each other, and now by mums and dads, who are also copying each other.

Reciprocation
Professor Cialdini carried out many experiments proving that if you give someone something, they typically feel compelled to repay the favour, or “debt” as it were.

This is the reason why corporate hospitality is so successful – although we know that accepting the invitation will make us feel obligated, we still go ahead. And we do it even when the “debt” repayment is totally disproportionate in size.

Commitment and consistency
Leonardo Da Vinci observed that “it is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”

This is a point well illustrated by a number of charities, which are very skilled at persuading people who have made a small donation to increase their generosity and involvement over time.

By starting with a small sale you have the opportunity to develop a relationship and significantly improve your chances of landing a bigger one.

The key, according to Cialdini, is to get buyers to make public commitments, which they subsequently feel compelled to act upon.

For example, I have always believed that Sony makes the best televisions around, a belief that I have stated previously (and here I go again). Guess which brand I’ve selected for my new home?

Liking
Sometimes there’s very little to distinguish between one company’s products and services from another’s. All too frequently, people make their decision based purely on the company they “like”.

The insurance companies understand this well – Direct Line’s “Red Telephone”, and “Churchill” the dog, have persuaded far more people to move insurer than a plethora of factual-based campaigns.