Author Robert Cialdini lays out a powerful, well-researched case on why persuasion is a science and how as human beings, our brains are running most of the time on autopilot and trained to react to certain forms of influence.
This makes us vulnerable to “compliance professionals” of all types whom we encounter in our daily lives whether it’s a salesman on a car lot, a panhandler on the street, someone presenting us with an investment opportunity, or a friend or family member trying to make us come around to their way of thinking.
Good salesmen understand the psychological foundations of our decision making process, and know how to steer us in the direction of saying “yes.” Once you understand the principles the author explains, you can start wielding them on others and recognize when persuasion techniques are being used on you.
The main principles Cialdini explains are:
1. Reciprocation: I give you something small, which motivates you to give me something larger in return.
2. Commitment and Consistency: If I get you to state in public what you will do, you will likely follow through.
3. Social Proof: If you see others doing it, you will too.
4. Liking: If I can make you like me and I offer a good deal, I’ll make the sale.
5. Authority: When someone we’re conditioned to respect such as a celebrity spokesperson vouches for something, we tend to believe it has merit.
6. Scarcity: When you believe you’ll lose out forever if you don’t seize the opportunity NOW, you’re more likely to take action.
While Cialdini doesn’t delve into the subject of male-female relationships, it’s amazing how clearly these principles translate into our interactions with women. After all, closing the deal with a girl is basically a sales job: you are the product, and you’ve got to find ways to capture her attention and persuade her that you’re the right guy and an opportunity she needs to act on! Social Proof, Reciprocation, Commitment and Consistency, Scarcity…every one of these persuasion principles relate to the techniques we teach in M.A.C.K. Tactics.