Pre-suasion: Principles of Social Influence in the Workplace

At the 2016 Chief Sales Executive Forum, Dr. Robert Cialdini, president of Influence at Work and author of “Pre-suasion,” shared his principles of social influence. In particular, Dr. Cialdini stressed the importance of increasing collaboration, understanding the customer and putting pre-suasion to work to increase motivation and drive in the workplace.

Key principles include the following:

• Reciprocation–Share what you want customers to receive first, but match customer concerns with value and insight.
• Scarcity–People will always want something more if there is less of it. Create a message that shares what customers will miss out on if they don’t act now.
• Liking–Give genuine compliments to customers through messaging and interactions. People like others more when others like them first.
• Consistency–People tend to live up to the written word. Be consistent with your messaging and your public commitment to your customers.
• Authority–Customers want to hear from experts in the industry. Share company knowledge and expertise by being specific and sharing past work.
• Consensus–People want to be around others who are like them. Understand the customer and reduce uncertainty in messaging.

The illustration below from graphic recorder Kelly Kingman illustrates Dr. Cialdini’s presentation in a most innovative way. Enjoy!

Reserve your spot today for the 2017 Chief Sales Executive Forum Series!