Right now I’m reading Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book called, “Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive.” I’m about half way though this one and it’s going to be a reference for years to come.
It’s filled with 50 short lessons. Each one is a simple stand-alone tip that you can apply right away. The book is narrow at only 5 inches wide. It has large type and large margins, making it a pleasure to read and easy to understand.
Think of this as an offensive book (not offending but the opposite of defensive). It’s how you can be ethical while capitalizing on proven scientific persuasion principals.
If you don’t read it, you’ll be throwing away your marketing dollars. Yes, I’m dead serious. You must read this book if you sell anything online or off.
Dr. Cialdini’s other work called, “Influence Science and Practice” is now in its fifth edition. Unlike his other book, the type is tiny, the line lengths are long and its tiring to read because of that.
It’s worth getting through it though, as it’s an excellent defensive course, teaching you how to be aware of the weapons of persuasion – as Dr. Cialdini calls them – and deflect them with tactics of your own.
If you are a salesperson, or involved in negotiations of any kind, you can benefit from this book. So can those who routinely buy products from direct marketing sales pitches. It teaches you how to say no.
You don’t need to read Dr. Cialdini’s “Influence” book in order to get results from his “Yes!” book. But it is recommended to have an awareness of the fundamental persuasion principles. Luckily you can get them from iTunes.
Go to the iTunes store and search for Robert Cialdini. For less than five bucks you can get the 33 minute Executive Briefing. If you download that audio into your brain a few times, you’ll have the “Influence” basics and be ready to get maximum results from the principals in the “Yes!” book.
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I have been a Cialdini fan for years & have read his Influence book twice. It’s my personal favorite for non-fiction. I used the book for teaching Info Security classes related to social engineering.
I will definitely add it to my Amazon wish list. Thanks for the tip.
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