Notes from the book - The Art of influencing Anyone

Chapter 1: Persuasion is not about logical arguments but about communication and appearance. Source

• we put more faith in the things we want to hear.
• the person who was more engaging and was enthusiastic about what the boss wanted to hear
• speaker’s personality is in many ways more important than the content or rationale.
• First they look at the author’s name. Second, the quality of the content.

Chapter 2: Always be warm and friendly and pretend you know what you are talking about. Source

• lying poses a risk, if you want to do it persuasively, make sure you provide as much detail and information as possible.
• behave in a friendly and humorous manner, as this will help to conceal any gaps in your knowledge.
• share humorous anecdotes in his presentation

Chapter 3: Influence others by simplifying and organizing information so it’s easier to understand. Source

• limit the customer’s choice to just two items or services.
  • no one likes to be bombarded with too much information.
• we do like to compare a couple of options in order to decide whether we want to buy something or not.
• After showing the jackets with their pros and cons, come to a conclusion and show them which jacket you think would be ideal. This way the customer feels that you have weighed up options and come to a specific conclusion that suits her particular desires.
• organize information into categories.
  • Using categories like “environmental advantages” (saves water, requires less energy) and “efficiency” (faster than other machines, bigger so you can wash more clothes in one load)
  • help the customer make a decision

Chapter 4: Talking vaguely makes your customers think you know more about them than you do. Source

• employ a technique called cold reading
• give the impression that you know a lot about them and their needs and wants
• cold reading technique is actually very simple. All it takes is some vague sentences, which use a lot of statements that could be interpreted in many different ways.
• The first thing you should say is a general statement so that your customer agrees with you from the start. This could be “Doing laundry is a real pain, isn’t it?”
• refer to a specific situation and your customer, by saying something like “I’m sure you want to spend less time doing your laundry.”
• using this method will make you appear to really understand and empathize with your customer
• further encourage this feeling
• “Working in homeware, it is important for me to really understand what customers like you need.”
• Speaking about things broadly is all you need.

Chapter 5: Curiosity is the key to persuasion. Source

• Catching attention is vital because we are impatient and tend to lose interest quickly.
• only one in five people read further than the headline of an advertisement.
• if you can’t ignite curiosity within the first few minutes of talking with potential customers, they will most likely not buy your product.
• begin your conversation with an interesting or surprising statement.
  • start off saying something humorous, surprising or even controversial.

Chapter 6: People don’t buy what they need, but what they want. Source

• if you can evoke desire for your product, people will buy it regardless of whether they need it or not.
• focus on what they want instead.
• give them  reasons that provoke what they desire.
• One way to spark their desire is to alter their perspective.
  • we subconsciously want our behavior to line up with our attitude (or self-perception). So if you change one, the other can also change.

Chapter 7: Influencing people depends on covering up your true intentions so you seem less desperate. Source

• get your customers to sell for you
  • which laptop you want to buy. Who would you trust more: a salesperson or a friend who’s used both computers?
• think of ways to advertise products through the opinions of others.
• tell them a story about your product in a way that is not obvious to them that you are plugging your own business.

Chapter 8: When trying to persuade someone, don’t fight their resistance; utilize it. Source

• surprise the people you’re selling to by embracing their resistance
  • if you try really hard to convince somebody, he is likely to become defensive and will become even more sure about his own opinion.
• first thing you should do is agree with your customer’s concerns.
• find a way to overcome their negative thoughts by showing why, even after all things considered, your product is great.

Chapter 9: Final summary Source

• Be surprising and controversial.
• When you approach customers, start your conversation with a surprising, humorous or even controversial one-liner to pique their curiosity.
• 📖 Influence by Robert Cialdini

  Linking

• MOC Presentation and Public speaking

Enjoy this post?