When asked, 17% of homeowners agreed to put a “Drive Carefully” sign in their front yard. What strategy did researchers employ to increase this compliance rate to 76%?
Subject: Persuasion - Six Weapons of Influence
Event: Birthday of Robert Cialdini, 1945
There is a group of people who know very well where the weapons of automatic influence lie and employ them regularly and expertly to get what they want. They go from social encounter to social encounter requesting others to comply with their wishes; their frequency of success is dazzling. -Robert Cialdini
Robert Cialdini, who was born on this day in 1945, has spent his life trying to figure out how to get people to say “Yes.”
Imagine, for example, that you were tasked with persuading homeowners to display a large sign in their yards that reads, “DRIVE CAREFULLY.” Normally about 17% of homeowners will comply with such a request. What could you do to boost participation to 76% of homeowners?
The secret, according to Cialdini, is to begin with a small request before the large one. Two weeks before being asked to put the large sign in their yards, homeowners were asked to put a small, inconspicuous sign in their window that said, “BE A SAFE DRIVER.” Being such a small request, the vast majority of homeowners agreed. Next, the same residents were approached again two weeks later with the request to display the larger sign. Over 75% of these homeowners agree to place the larger sign on their front lawn.
The explanation behind the success of this two-pronged strategy, according to Cialdini, is a psychological principle known as consistency. By agreeing to the first small request, homeowners became committed to the cause of safe driving. When they were approached again two weeks later, they now desired to act consistently with their own perception of themselves as people who are concerned with safe driving. Known by salespeople as the “foot-in-the-door technique,” this influence strategy capitalizes on the human tendency to make and stick to commitments and our desire to see ourselves as acting consistently (1).
Consistency is just one of the six “Weapons of Influence” that Cialdini has identified, the other five powerful tools of persuasion are as follows:
Social Proof: Humans are “herd animals.” We like to think we are individuals who think for ourselves, but the truth is we look to others - to the group - for assurance that we are behaving correctly. It’s one of the oldest appeals there is: “everybody’s doing it; therefore, it must be right.” It makes perfect sense that it “feels” right to do the popular thing, to give in to the herd instinct. After all, a big reason that our ancestors survived long enough to have offspring is, in part, because they stayed with and followed the group. It’s our default. Marketers know about social proof and use it against us.
Reciprocity: Humans are very sensitive to the give and take of interactions with each other. Whether or not we’re conscious of it, we keep track of what others give us and what we give them, such as favors, gifts, or money. We are especially sensitive to being in debt to others. Restaurant servers understand reciprocity; the one or two pieces of candy that you get with your bill is not a purely altruistic gesture; instead, servers know that by giving you a small “gift,” their tip will be substantially larger. This is because of reciprocity: when given something, we feel obligated to reciprocate.
Liking: We often think that we make our purchasing decisions based purely on reason rather than on whether or not we like the salesperson. The truth, however, is that the more attractive a person is, or the more the person is like us, the more likely we are to buy from that person. Salespeople know about this liking bias. They try to establish a rapport with their customers by giving compliments, or they try to be more like the customer by mirroring his or her gestures or language.
Scarcity: We like to think we judge a product purely on that product's merit. The truth, however, is that we are influenced - whether we realize it or not -- on how much of that product is available. Marketers know about the scarcity error and exploit it with phrases like “only while supplies last,” or “today only.” The Romans had a saying: “Rara sunt cara,” which means “rare is valuable.” In a study, subjects were tasked with rating ten posters on attractiveness; their reward for the task was that they would be given one of the posters. After rating the posters from 1 to 10, the subjects were then told that the poster rated the third best was no longer available. The subjects were then asked to re-do their rating of the ten posters. This time, the poster that was no longer available was rated as the most attractive.
Authority: We like to follow a leader, a person who we feel is credible and knowledgeable. For example, you’re more likely to follow the exercise routines that a physical therapist gives you if your PT displays his or her diplomas on the office wall. For better or worse, we defer to experts (2).
Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: What are the six Weapons of Influence, and how is each distinctive in persuading individuals?
Challenge - Deadly Half Dozen: Which of the Six Weapons of Influence would you say is the most persuasive? Give a specific example of where you have seen it being used.
Sources:
1-Goldstein, Noah J., Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini. Yes: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive. New York: Free Press, 2008.
2-Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: Science and Practice. New York: HarperCollinsCollegePublishers, 1993. Print.
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