Dr. Robert Cialdini – Kickoff Keynote – Pubcon NOLA 2014

Dr. Robert Cialdini kicked off Pubcon NOLA 2014 with a great presentation entitled “The Power of Persuasion Under Conditions of Uncertainty,” which was an updated version of the opening kickoff keynote he gave at Pubcon Vegas 2014. Here are some notes I took during his talk:

• People freeze in uncertainty waiting for things to change before they move forward
• Influencing them is important in this situation
• While there are no hard, fast rules for persuasion, you can influence how others perceive you
• 3 Consequences Of Decisional Uncertainty
  • Freezing – reluctance to act until the uncertainty is reduced before they will move forward
  • Loss Aversion – A tendency to prefer choices designed to prevent losses instead of those designed to obtain gains
  • Heuristic Choices – When choices are made, they are based on a single relevant factor rather than on the total set of relevant factors
• “New” implies uncertainty – new, untested, untried
  • Don’t use “New” as a headline
  • Only around 5% of consumers are early adopters
• 6 Universal Principles of Social Influence:
  • Reciprocation
    • In every human culture there is a rule – I am obligated to give back to you behavior that you showed me (return invites to parties, favor for favor, etc.) – This rule is taught to everyone from childhood
    • People say “yes” to those whom they “owe” something
    • We can get something by giving it first
    • People listen differently if you give first
    • Invest in those whom you want to invest in you
    • Give something personalized to the other person’s circumstances. That will really get their attention. Personalization to the target audience is very beneficial
    • Don’t expect value back if you don’t give it first
    • This is activated by going first
  • Liking
    • No surprise: people prefer to say “yes” to those they like
    • When pride gets in the way, concessions are not made and negotiations break down
    • Getting to know the other person and sharing information about yourself helps bridge barriers and can personalize talks
    • People like those who are like them. Finding commonalities can help in great ways
    • Learn about the other’s background, interests, hobbies, etc. to build rapport – Look on social media for clues of things you have in common with them
    • It also pays to be proactive about sharing information about yourself. Put some personal information in “About Us” pages. Personal information helps to build rapport from the connections they see in common interests
  • Commitment/Consistency
    • People want to be consistent in what they have committed themselves to in public
    • People don’t want to be seen as inconsistent
    • Before you ask people to take a step in a direction that’s big, ask them to take a smaller step. This builds the case for consistency
    • If you want to get people to follow through in a significant way, we need to get them to write it down. “People live up to what they write down.”
    • Don’t praise “progress” because progress often causes people to “let off the gas.” Congratulate on “commitment” to goals instead of “steps towards” or “progress” – different frame of reference. Progress is behind us, commitment is in front.
  • Scarcity
    • People want more of what they can have less of
    • “If I can’t have it, I want it”
    • Think iPhone or iPads on launch day or Black Friday specials
    • Scarcity is about loss
    • The tendency to avoid loss predominates decisional uncertainty
    • Talk about how much or what a person will lose if they don’t go with your product or service rather than what they will gain
    • You have the right to honestly tell what potential customers will forego or lose if they don’t go with you
    • Don’t do scare tactics … you don’t need to
    • Bose Wave Music System
      • Used “New” for headlines in their ads – only early adopters bought (“New” communicates uncertainty)
      • Changed “New” to “Hear what you’ve been missing” and the ad brought a 45% jump in sales
      • Scarcity of information is also important to remember.
        • “Exclusive” information tends to be more persuasive.
        • “I just got this today …”
        • It doesn’t have to be proprietary or “secret” – it can be something you just happened to hear first
        • The merits of the case and the information need to be true – no being dishonest is allowed
  • Authority
    • If experts say it, it must be true
    • One way you can reduce uncertainty is to honestly tell what authorities on the topic are saying
    • Credibility
      • Knowledge
        • Before you try to be influential, be honest about your background, experience and other credentials in the area you are trying to be influential
        • But – don’t do it yourself. Have another expert introduce you. Otherwise you come across as self-promotional. This is where introductions from a mutual 3^rd party can be important
        • A letter of introduction before the first meeting can be used in place of a 3^rd party introduction when the introduction isn’t possible
        • Trustworthiness
          • Letting others know you are being truthful in what you are telling them
          • This can be built up over time – a perception of you as a trustworthy source grows as you are honest and a straight-shooter with them
          • When establishing trustworthiness on a first meeting, lead with a potential weakness in your case before hitting them with the most compelling information. This is counterintuitive, but it helps build credibility early in an engagement
          • You don’t need to change the words of your argument, just the sequence in which they are presented
        • People want to know what the experts are saying about a topic – even if that’s you
  • Consensus
    • What are the people around me, or like me (peers) doing in this situation
    • Think about how many people check product reviews before buying – this is persuasion by consensus
    • Consider marking items that are “most popular” – even with no other changes sales will likely go up
    • This is entirely honest, and hardly ever employed
    • Amazon uses this very successfully
    • We follow the lead of
      • Many others
      • Similar others
    • Consensus is at the core of social media
    • Potential buyers are now able to access what “many others” and “similar others” are saying
    • Moms use social media like this 243% more than other groups