Car trouble now? Just wait.

by Amanda Modglin, Vollmer Houston
Here in the United States, we love our cars. We detail them. We pimp them out. We have car clubs.

How would you feel if you had to change your tire every other week, or if you spent most of your gas sitting in traffic? Well that’s where we’re headed in the U.S.

Why are our cars in danger?

Simply put, there’s less money for road construction and maintenance. A-LOT-LESS. Meaning - your car will suffer a lot more.

So what’s the answer to this conundrum? You!

While this problem is nationwide, here’s the scoop in Texas:

TxDOT’s recently released transportation funding projection for the next 25 years is worse than officials expected. For example, the Houston region in now projected to only receive a little over half of the long-range transportation plan’s budget that was approved in 2007 for the next 25 years. Instead of $156 billion, they anticipate to receive only $85 billion. (For you non-mathematicians, we’re looking at $71 billion less to play with.)

This means the highway you commute to work on won’t be widened and the streets you turn off on to go home will be riddled with potholes. Wish your patience and tires good luck.

Why the huge shortfall?

The problem is related to a few issues, but most notable are the recent recession and the ever decreasing motor fuels tax revenue.

The recession is a relatively recent part of the problem and isn’t the biggest concern, as eventually the economy will bounce back.

The key issue and something you should be aware of (and maybe concerned about too) is finding a new source of revenue for transportation project funding, because the current motor fuels tax revenue is dying off rapidly.

The motor fuels tax has not been increased since the early 1990s, so over time, as inflation rises, we lose money for roads. Throw in a new wave of developing hybrid vehicles that has evolved much faster than anyone expected – and now the bottom is falling out.

What does that mean for roads?

As populations are on the rise, this funding shortfall becomes a concern to the infrastructure of many cities, because there’s a lot less money to keep up with the booming population. So either stop having babies… or lets find a solution.

Great, there’s no money. Where do we go from here?

Well, here’s where you come in. The first thing to realize is that roads are never “free.” Many of us say “no toll roads, build free roads,” well those “free roads” used to be paid for by the revenues generated. If fewer revenues are collected, the state has to find other ways to fund transportation projects.

We must come to grip with the reality that what we’re doing right now no longer supports us. Our habits as a population are evolving (fuel-efficient cars, etc.); therefore our government must evolve in collecting revenues so that we are able to have money for things we now feel entitled to, such as nice roads.

Our Texas government will someday need to consider addressing this change, and when they do, here are a few of the options on the table:

• Inflation Indexing of Motor Fuels Tax– Each gallon of gasoline includes 38.4 cents of tax: 18.4 cents federal tax, set in 1993; and 20 cents state tax, set in 1991. (Diesel is 22.4 cents federal and 20 cents state). Because these rates have not been indexed to inflation, the purchasing power of the revenues has declined over the years. If the state gasoline tax had been indexed to inflation since 1993, then 2009 revenues would have been $800 million higher.
• Increase Motor Fuels Tax – At its peak in 2008, Texas sold 15.5 billion gallons of motor fuel (11.7 B gallons of gas and 3.8 B gallons of diesel). Fund 6 revenues for transportation totaled $2.3 billion. Each one-cent increase in motor fuels tax adds $142 million to transportation funding, a potential gain to our region of $28-32 million. However, future returns are expected to diminish as less fuel is consumed due to higher fleet fuel economy.
• Fund 6 Diversion – Beyond the 25% of motor fuel revenues devoted to fund education in the state, diversions to other state programs have grown to 13% of Fund 6 revenue. In 2009, the diversion totaled $766 million, amounting to a $150-170 million loss to our region.
• Vehicle Registration Fee – Currently, the typical vehicle registration fee is $50. A $25 increase in registration fees would generate nearly $600 million per year over the next decade.
• Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) Fee – VMT fee potentially has the greatest effect on future revenues because it will not diminish due to increased fleet fuel efficiencies. A penny per mile could generate almost $5.8 billion for the Houston region over the next decade. 

So what can you do? Get involved. Write your local state representative and tell them how you would fix the problem. Remember, there are a lot of people and more are coming, so the issue cannot continue to be ignored. Let’s bite the bullet and fix the problem.

Measuring Social Media Success

by Mary Kate Smither, Vollmer Social Media Practice Leader

One of the most frequent questions I’ve heard throughout my career in public relations is about the tangible value of our work.  Understandably, clients want to “see” and understand their return on investment and  measurement is a major component of every campaign we develop.  As we achieve successes for clients, it is as important to us to see the value or return on what we’re doing as it is for them.  Not only does it help us prove our worth; it also helps us quickly figure out when and where campaigns might need to adjust and evolve.  Sometimes measuring  our results is easy – we can calculate print and broadcast media hits, tally the number of new reporters or influencers who have engaged with the client and even judge the impact of events we’ve coordinated through attendees, media coverage and increases in foot traffic.  As media has continued to evolve, first into the online world in general and now into the form of social media, measurement has become increasingly difficult.  It seems as though just as we mastered calculating accurate totals for online websites successes, we were tasked with figuring out the value of tweets, comments and views. 

We are interacting with each other online more and more, yet often with more personal interest and two-way conversations than ever before.  Campaigns are no longer limited simply to traditional media coverage and in-person interaction, but now more than ever before include up-to-the-minute grassroots elements of location, experiences, feelings and feedback.  Measuring these intangibles has added a new twist to understanding the success of a campaign. For example, many of Vollmer’s travel and tourism clients, including Travelocity and The Joule Hotel have created campaigns based solely on social media.  Whether voting on Facebook to send the Roaming Gnome on vacations around the country during Travelocity’s “Summer of Possibilities” program or providing scavenger hunt clues completely over Twitter in the Joule’s weekend giveaway “Golden Easter Egg Hunt”, we have measured their success through the engagement with target audiences, including increases in fans and followers, photos taken with the Gnome, comments, promotional code usage and, most of all, the addition of second phases, such as the Travelocity Roaming Gnome’s “Cure Cabin Fever” winter tour.  In addition, Vollmer’s client, Texas Tourism, recently launched its “Be Our Texas Lone Star” Facebook contest (http://www.beourtexaslonestar.com/), which will award a customized Texas trip to one lucky winner based on one of five “Lone Star” types – beach, Western, sports, adventure and food.  As part of the campaign, the winner  will issue social media posts throughout their Texas experience.

While measuring pure social media campaigns like these may be more challenging, we have effectively shown our clients that these campaigns indeed do provide ROI and do have value.  While tools like Radian 6 and Cision exist to measure social media, we have created our own guidelines for clients who prefer that we do campaign measurement in house by building upon our existing Vollmer Measurement Model to create one that fits social media.  As with a traditional media campaign, our overall goal with any social media campaign we develop is to achieve success for our client’s objectives, and customized measurement specific to those objectives.

The Laws of Social Influence: Part II

by Ward White, Vollmer Chief Strategy Officer

This is the second half of a two-part overview of the research of social psychologist Robert Cialdini.  The first installment appeared in Vollmer Voice on August 1, 2010.

This past spring, I was captivated by a presentation from Robert Cialdini, perhaps the world's reigning researcher on social influence.  Last month, I summarized three of Cialdini's six proven, research-based laws that trigger human behavior, six psychological principles that tap into six "deeply rooted human drives and needs," says Cialdini.  Today's blog will outline the final three.

To recap, the first three principles are:

• Reciprocity  -- You first, then me.  Give, and it shall be given unto you.
• Scarcity - Offer what's unique, or at least rare.
• Consistency and Commitment - Get them to take a tiny step.  People tend to behave consistently with choices they've already made, even very small choices.

Let's talk about the final three - liking, authority and consensus/social proof.

Liking.   Cialdini studied successful salespeople and sales organizations. It's a mistake, he says, for salespeople to think that the first step to sales success is to get people to like them.  The first rule of sales is the other way around -- to come to like the people you're dealing with. 

People prefer to work with, do business with - and support - those they like.  Even more important, people choose to do business with those whom they recognize like them.  One reason Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Avon and other home-based sales parties work is that the people genuinely like the hostess who invited them and feel liked by the hostess.

There's only one problem.  Liking can't be faked.  But one can learn to like another person.  For instance, you can focus on one aspect of that individual that you genuinely respect.  "Don't leave it in your head,"Cialdini says.  "You have to mention it.  It changes the tone of interactions from that point on."  Don't just like them, tell them so.

People tend to like people (a) similar to themselves, (b) who are attractive, physically or some other way, and/or (c) those who show their liking by paying genuine compliments.  People like to be associated with winners and with positive situations.

After a big victory, sports fans chant, "We're Number One," not "Our team is Number One." The fans associate themselves with a winner, they feel part of the win.  When Oprah showed up on the campaign trail with then-candidate Obama, his approval ratings jumped.  The "association principle" is why companies will rush to be associated with good news and will rush equally fast to distance themselves from bad news.  And they are wise to do so.

In times of uncertainty, as we're experiencing right now, the last two principles - authority and consensus -- have special power.  Under stress, facing the unknown, people tend to freeze.  These two principles tend to give them assurance, freeing them to act.

Authority - People want to follow the lead and advice of genuine experts.

It is human nature to respect authority.  Why do lawyers introduce expert witnesses to the courtroom?  Why does the TV commentator introduce the expert, be it in sports, politics or whatever?  Why do we entrust our lives to doctors?  Because humans have a basic tendency to trust authority and expertise.

When will you walk against a red light?  A researcher found that, if an authoritative man in a suit and tie would start out against the red light, three times as many pedestrians would follow him as would venture on their own.  People tend to follow the leader.

In uneasy times like these, that human tendency becomes even stronger - a phenomenon of special interest for marketers, communicators and executives.

Authority reduces uncertainty. 

The authority principle is one reason why case studies in the trade press continue to work so well for industrial clients.  The trade magazine is itself seen as an authority, the writer is a second level of authority and the product user profiled is the third.  It's no wonder case studies have been around so long and so successfully. 

People really do want to work with experts.  The modern world is too complex for any of us to know all we need to, so we turn to legitimate authorities in vital areas of our lives.  Many of us have a go-to computer guy, and a tax guy  - and likewise with our finances, business and legal issues, health and even our choosing movies to go see or candidate to vote for.

Certain practices make the invoking of authority or expertise even more effective.  Credibility needs to be established (a) in advance and (b) by a third party.  An expert is more readily accepted if another presents his credentials - that's why a speaker's proper introduction is so important.

The introduction needs to establish both knowledge and trustworthiness.  The same applies to the effective presentation of a firm to prospects.

One shortcut to creating an aura of expertise is using credentials.

Cialdini says most experts do not promote their expertise effectively.  He studied a dysfunctional physical therapy unit -- patients would not do their exercises at home.  He had the therapists display their diplomas and credentials on the walls.  The patients' exercise regimen improved 34%.

Credentials work.  Use them.  But get somebody else to do the bragging.

Another shortcut is to admit weakness, to confess to the negatives.  Warren Buffett always begins his Annual Report letter with something that went wrong.  Think of Avis - "We're #2.  We Try Harder." Or L'Oreal - "Expensive.

But You're Darned Well Worth It."  For true effectiveness, the order is important - the expression of weakness must come first, then the strength last.  The most important part of a sentence is the ending.

Social Validation.   People are more likely to take a recommended action if they see others taking it.  If many others are doing it, the likelihood jumps.  If those others are comparable, i.e., similar to the subject, the likelihood goes up even more.  This principle is also called Social Proof or Consensus. 

A research project went door-to-door, collecting for a good cause.  When the asker showed a list of the others in the neighborhood who had already contributed, contributions jumped.  And the longer the list, the more the contributions increased.  This principle is why yard signs and endorsers are so pivotal in political races.

Is there anyone who likes canned laughter on a TV show?   Then why do smart TV producers insist on using it?  Because they know the research - audiences laugh longer and more often when there is canned laughter in the sound track, and afterwards they rate the material as funnier.  The behavior of others sweeps us up into its swift current.

Two conditions make the law of social proof more powerful.  The first is uncertainty. When people are unsure, they are more apt to follow the lead of those around them.  The second is similarity.  The social validation principle is at its most powerful when it combines with the behavior of people just like us.  The average Joe or Jan tends to follow the lead of similar others.

Just a few years ago, Cialdini did research for a hotel client about bath towels.  When a placard in the room asks guests to reuse towels to protect the environment, 38% will comply.  But the change of just few words -- "Most guests hang up their towels for reuse, please join your fellow guests in hanging your towels," illustrates the power of the Consensus principle.

Compliance jumped to 48%.  And when he added something like "Most guests who stay in this room hang up their towels" (making the similarity factor even stronger), the compliance rate increased even more.  At $1.75 savings per room in not laundering the towels, this bit of seemingly rarified research starts to make a bottom-line difference. 

----------------------------

There you have it, Cialdini's primer on human behavior - how to understand it, how to use that understanding in ethically influencing others.  Six key laws trigger behavioral response:

• Reciprocity.  Give what you want to receive.
• Scarcity.  People want more of what they can have less of.
• Consistency.  Once people take a stand, they tend to stick to it.
• Liking.  Most tend to like those who like them.
• Authority.  People follow experts and seek out experts to follow.
• Social proof.  People are more likely to follow the lead of similar others.

There is science beneath the art of public relations.  What we do is not just "stuff."  The best practice of PR is knowledge-based, science-based.

If you want to serve your clients' interests better, if you want to help your company succeed in the marketplace, maybe  Cialdini's six principles of ethical influence are right up your alley. 

Next time - a short, action-oriented summary from Cialdini himself.  

Got the Message? It Can Define Your Company and Your Brand!

by Tony Shelton, President Shelton and Caudle, a division of Vollmer Public Relations

If you’re in business, you ARE your brand.

So are your employees.  What each of you says and how you interact with others is an important part of what people know about your company.

Your brand is the whole set of impressions and reactions – often emotions, too – that people have to your product or company.  And it’s more than your logo, although that’s important. Reputation plays a definite role. (How do you react to seeing the letters B and P and that green flower/sunburst right now?)   

Your brand is the intangible sum of your company’s and/or products’ attributes.

Here’s a test.  Ask yourself what you say when somebody says: Tell me about your company.  Can you do it in less than 30 seconds?   Now ask a few employees to answer the same question and see how closely their responses match yours – or don’t.

Your company message has a huge impact on your brand. You only have 30 seconds, remember.    A good message tells current and prospective clients how what you do provides value to them. 

To get yourself started on your messaging, fill in these blanks:  “At (your company), we (what you do) for (your clients) so they can (clients’ objectives).”  (That’s your elevator speech.)

For example:  “Here at Acme Fun Supply, we provide affordable cotton candy machines to the leaders in the carnival industry, so they can met their sales targets in providing treats for kids and their parents.”

Also, make sure your messaging is up to date. It could be time to refresh your brand. If your main business once was selling fax machines, you’ve probably changed your focus in the past few years. Your brand, including your messaging, should reflect that.  Just as important, you need to be telling people about that change every chance you get.

So should your employees, consistently.

Right now, go ask your employees what they’re saying about the company.  But first, be sure and ask yourself!   

College Freshmen Show: The More Things Change, The More They Change

by Julia Weede, Vollmer Education Practice Leader

Want a glimpse of the future? Look at the   incoming freshmen for the class of 2014.

Beloit College has published its annual Mindset List, capturing the everyday realities and paradigms of the next crop of  new college students. It never fails to deliver a jolt of reality to anyone who feels their college years aren’t really that far behind.

Created for college professors to help them understand whom they are teaching, the Mindset List is a handy touchstone for those outside of academia, too. Consider that, in a few short years, these students will be in prime marketing demographic territory.

This year’s college freshmen were born in 1992 and were about nine years old on Sept. 11, 2001.

According to Beloit College:

• Few know how to write in cursive.
• Email is too slow and they seldom, if ever, use snail mail.
• Russians and Americans have always been living together in space.
• Czechoslovakia has never existed. 
• Nirvana is on the classic oldies station.
• John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.
• Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.
• A quarter of the class has at least one immigrant parent, and the immigrant debate is not a big priority.

As a public relations company that does a lot with different education clients, this list is a 'must-read' for Vollmer!  For the full list, visit beloit.edu/mindset.

Networking: It’s What You Do AFTER the Meeting!

by Dayna Steele, Vollmer Community Manager 

As an author and a speaker, I am often called upon to talk about networking -- like there’s a big secret to how it’s done.  It’s actually quite simple.  Networking is not about getting out and meeting people. Networking is about what you do after you meet people, the follow-through and keeping in touch.

Speaker, author and Help A Reporter creator Peter Shankman likes to tell the story of Paramount Pictures executive Barry Diller. Barry used to go through his Rolodex every day and call 10 different filmmakers and others, just to touch base and find out what they were working on and how they were doing. These filmmakers and others often thought of Barry first when they had a hot project. Many credit the huge success of Paramount Pictures during this time to Barry’s daily calls.

You may not be Barry Diller, but there is no reason you can’t do the same thing he did. Successful relationships, business or personal, take time and nurturing.

Here are just a few things that should be a part of your networking repertoire:

• Write a personal note after an in-person meeting – either to say thank you or a simple, “It was nice to meet you (or see you).” An email is fine, but a handwritten note stands out more.
• On Facebook? Check each morning to see who is having a birthday and leave a message on their wall or actually make a personal call.
• See an article or blog post that makes you think of someone? Copy the URL and send it to that person with a note: “This made me think of you.” We ALL like to know others are thinking about us.
• ALWAYS write a thank-you   note when anyone does something nice for you – an introduction, a client lead, free tickets to something, a meal, whatever.  If you are doing things right, you should be writing at least five thank-you notes a week -- if not more.
• Did you talk about a specific thing or information the other person needed that you had?  Follow through with that promised information or item within 48 hours, even if it’s just to say you are still gathering the information.
• Go through your network – your address book, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter – and touch base with several people each day. This keeps you top of mind just like the  aforementioned Mr. Diller.

Here’s a recent example of how I work.  Earlier this week, a local food critic invited me to join her at one of Houston’s newest restaurants.  Management wined and dined us thoroughly. (It’s always nice to go to a restaurant with a food critic).  I followed up with a thank-you note and a copy of my book to the restaurant manager. The food critic and I had talked about my husband’s new novel, so she got a thank-you note and a copy of the book, Specific Impulse.  I posted the pictures of the food and information on the new restaurant on Facebook, with links to the establishment and the chef.  Not to mention, I’ll be back – the food was amazing!

Networking is not for sissies. It takes work and it takes work on a regular, daily basis. Who have you networked with today?

Dayna Steele works with Vollmer Public Relations as a media consultant, Community Manager and editor of the Vollmer e-newsletter, Vollocity. She is the author of Rock to the Top: What I Learned about Success from the World’s Greatest Rock Stars. Her new book, I’m With the Band: Network Your Way into Anything, Anywhere, Anytime!, is scheduled for release in January 2011. AOL has called her “…one of the foremost experts on career networking.” For more information, visit www.daynasteele.com or network with her on Facebook on the Steeleworkers page!

Up on Capitol Hill with Vollmer

Vollmer Client Helix Promotes Plan for Faster Response to Offshore Oil Spills 
By Jay Andrew, Vollmer Public Relations

It's been more than three months since the Deepwater Horizon exploded at the Macondo reservoir in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Since that time, there's been much speculation about the future of offshore drilling and whether or not, despite decades of rigorous attention to safety and technology, the industry is prepared to deal with another event of this magnitude. The tragedy triggered an array of developments, including the split of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) into two agencies, a moratorium on deepwater drilling, a backlog of permits for shallow water drilling and a partisan squabble on the lifting of industry liability caps, an action that could potentially drive smaller drillers and operators out of the Gulf.

In late May, Vollmer began working with Helix Energy Solutions to develop a public and government relations strategy that would leverage Helix’s firsthand experience on what it views as the missing component in oil spill response policy: containment. Helix asserts that through the use of existing technology and equipment, it is possible to design a flexible solution for quicker response and better containment in the future. Indeed, as one of the world's leading well intervention companies, Helix currently has four key assets participating in the response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout.

Vollmer recruited a lobbying partner in Washington, Bracewell & Giuliani in an effort to shape policymaking at the intersection of Washington's energy, environmental and maritime circles. The successful communication strategy incorporated targeted  meetings with Congressional members and staffers and a series of interviews with high-profile media outlets, including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, CNBC, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.  One key result of the effort was language contributed to two separate bills, one introduced through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the other through the House Science Committee. 

Now there's been a new lot cast in Washington by the major oil companies who want to accelerate the engineering, construction and deployment of equipment designed to improve capabilities to contain a potential future underwater blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.  On the policymaking front, it seems likely that partisan disagreements in the Senate will delay passage of legislation responding to the Gulf oil spill until at least September, when Congress returns from its summer recess.

Article links:

The Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/deepwaterhorizon/7063412.html

The Houston Chronicle NewsWatch: Energy
http://blogs.chron.com/newswatchenergy/archives/2010/06/feedback_from_d.html

Reuters

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49443920100619

Vollmer Helps Launch BuyWithMe In Dallas, Houston and Austin

By Meredith McKee, Vollmer Public Relations

Vollmer has just started working with BuyWithMe, the premier community buying website that connects shoppers with the best local deals and offers from leading local merchants.   The site is active in Dallas and Houston and is expected to launch in Austin in the next few weeks.

The Texas launch follows the company’s popularity and success in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Phoenix and San Diego. Since May 2009, BuyWithMe has saved consumers more than $9.3 million and introduced merchants to more than 130,000 new customers.

This innovative social buying method offers great opportunities for local consumers and businesses alike. Participating consumers who act within seven days get banded together to benefit from exclusive, local deals unavailable anywhere else, while local businesses attract tons of new and returning loyal customers.

BuyWithMe offers significant savings to anyone who lives, works or visits Dallas or Houston, and wants to experience the best local dining, shopping, spas, hotels and more.  Savvy shoppers can find Texas-sized deals from many popular Dallas and Houston businesses on BuyWithMe.

Shoppers in Dallas can sign up now for the mailing list and find deeply discounted offers at BuyWithMe. Plus, you can discover more deals by following along on Twitter (@BuyWithMeDal or @BuyWithMeHOU) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BuyWithMeDallas and www.facebook.com/BuyWithMeHouston).  Businesses can explore the power of the deal by contacting a BuyWithMe team member at www.BuyWithMe.com/boostyourbusiness.

The Laws of Social Influence: How to Learn Them, How to Use Them

By Ward White, Vollmer Public Relations

Have you ever heard a speaker who absolutely blew your socks off?  I did recently, and I feel so energized by the experience that I’m driven to share it.

The speaker was Robert Cialdini, the world’s current expert on social influence – “ethical persuasion” he calls it.  His classic book, Influence: Science and Practice, presents six basic principles of winning friends and influencing people (boss, client, media, mentor or the all-important customer).  Cialdini is a bigwig professor and has tons of credentials, but it’s what he has to say that’s so impressive -- and even life-changing.

His stuff isn’t about vague or lofty principles.  Everything he writes, you can use today.  It’s all based on fascinating, actual-life research of real people in real situations.  He illustrates with convincing stories and data showing how people act and what moves them to act in a particular way.

Here is a sneak preview of the first three of Cialdini’s “Six Laws” that drive social influence

• Reciprocity  -- You first, then me, then you again.  A person helped by another, or given something of value, feels a natural impulse to return the favor.  Cialdini says this law is found in every human society ever studied.  It’s as old as human nature itself.  Give and ye shall receive.  You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours.  One who receives a gift of some value feels obliged to give in return.  Hence our expression, “Much obliged.” The most important thing about the  Reciprocity principle is  this – you have to go first.  Give useful or timely information.  Give services.  Give concessions.  Whoever gives first, wins. Think about this principle in terms of managing your boss or prospecting for new business or interdepartmental cooperation or whatever is the most critical success factor in your career right now.  More on this later.  I’m inclined to see reciprocity as the single most important of the six principles.

• Scarcity – Offer what’s unique, or at least rare.  People want more of what they can have less of.  Think of diamonds --  valuable (and valued) because scarce.   When it comes to information, if what’s scarce is exclusive, that’s even better.  Offer what is unique, limited, found only here.   “I just got a draft of the attached White Paper this morning.  This is not yet public information, as it won’t be released until next Monday.  Hope it’s useful to you or your boss/your CEO.”  The scarce item may not be a single thing, it may be a bundle of attributes unique to your particular company.  Victoria Falls is not the tallest waterfall, it’s not the widest, it doesn’t have the greatest water volume – but it’s the greatest combination of all three factors.  It is this bundle of attributes that makes it one of the most spectacular natural wonders on the entire planet.

• Consistency and Commitment – Humans have a desire to be (and to appear) consistent with what they have already done or said.  A consistent orientation helps simplify the complex options presented by our modern way of life.  So people tend to behave consistently with choices they’ve already made, even very small choices.  If someone can get you to commit to a small action now (sign a petition, make a tiny contribution, wear a yellow wrist bracelet), you will be more inclined to take larger supportive actions down the road.  Research shows that, if you write a goal down on a piece of paper, you’re much more likely to achieve it.  This can be a purpose of your personal annual planning meeting , or your team’s.  This practice gets your goals set down on paper and, an even more important motivator, it makes them public to all who participate.   Commitments are more effective if they are active, public, effortful and felt to be uncoerced.

That’s a snapshot of Cialdini’s first three laws of how people’s behavior can be triggered.  Next time, we’ll take a look at the remaining three laws:

• Liking
• Authority
• Consensus/Social Proof 

Cialdini’s books have sold more than two million copies and have been translated into 26 languages.  Fortune magazine lists Influence: Science and Practice in its "75 Smartest Business Books” of all time.  Small wonder.  More bits of wisdom from Robert Cialdini to follow.  Stay tuned.