Influence is something like hypnosis. You need the subject or client to be conducive to the act of hypnosis. It is very difficult to hypnotize people who do not want to get hypnotized. Similarly, to influence someone, you need the person to be in the frame of mind and willing to be influenced, by you. This is what Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini is about.
Robert Cialdini’s last book – Influence – published decades ago, is pivotal to influencer marketing and talks about the key principles of how influence works. Robert Cialdini is recognized worldwide for his research on the psychology of influence. His books, including Influence, have sold more than three million copies in thirty-three languages. Dr. Cialdini is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.
Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
Author: Robert Cialdini
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 6, 2016)
ISBN: 1501109790, 978-1501109799
In Pre-Suasion, Robert Cialdini takes a step back and looks at what makes someone trust another person. What are the conditions and state of mind that makes one person ready to be influenced by other.
Principles of psychology work on most people. Ask people if they think they are adventures or fancy themselves to be explorers before offering a test product, and more often than not, you will find them amiable to the idea, says the author. The book packs in a lot of similar observations that are rooted in research.
This is not the kind of book you will read end-to-end, neither is it a guide that tells you how to do things. Pre-Suasion is a kind of book that you pick to read a chapter and then spend time of digesting the information that the author has shared. Although the author talks about specific instances and situations, the principles apply to a lot of different situations. There is tons of research in the book and it is a treasure trove of information on how conversations before an event influence the outcome of a certain event.
Robert Cialdini presents this evidence with real-life examples and in a story form and avoids the academic tone in the book. However, the extensive Reference section at the end of book will give students of Influence a comprehensive resource for everything related to psychology of influence. Pre-Suasion is not a book you want to miss if you are interested in knowing how people think and do what they do.