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.
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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.
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