Influence: Science and Practice, reviewed by Carl Wohlforth

Influence: Science and Practice by Robert B. Cialdini, P.H.D.

Have you ever bought something then, later on when realizing you didn't really need or want the item, asked yourself "exactly what was I thinking when I bought this?" Cialdini has researched the psychology of persuasion for decades and helps answer that question.

This entertaining book discusses the principles of reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity. Cialdini explains why these behavior patterns are useful in general but also how they can be misused and exploited by marketers and salespeople to convince us to buy things. Importantly he explains how to recognize when this is occurring and how fight back and regain control of the situation.

Cialdini has studied the research for years. In addition to doing original experimentation he also took jobs as door to door salesman, auto salesman and others to learn sales techniques first hand. This book is not technically overwhelming at all, in fact it is anecdotal and very entertaining.

Influence: Science and Practice read October '09 - Highly Recommended

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