Universal Influence Principles

Question 1

Nine Influence Tactics

Answer 1

*Legitimacy. Relying on one’s authority position or stressing
that a request is in accord with organizational policies or rules
*Rational persuasion. Trying to convince someone with
reason, logic, or facts
*Inspirational appeals. Trying to build enthusiasm by
appealing to others’ emotions, ideals, or values
*Consultation. Getting others to participate in decisions and
changes
*Exchange. Making express or implied promises and trading
favors
*Personal appeals. Asking for compliance based on friendship
or loyalty.
*Ingratiation. Getting someone in a good mood prior to
making a request
*Pressure. Demanding compliance or using intimidation and
threats
*Coalitions

Question 2

Influence Tactic Effectiveness

Answer 2

 *Most effective:
◦ Rational Persuasion
◦ Inspirational Appeals
◦ Consultation 
 *Least effective:
◦ Pressure
 *Combining tactics increases effectiveness
 *Direction, sequencing, individual skill, and organizational 
culture modify effectiveness

Question 3

Universal
Influence
Principles

Answer 3

Reciprocity
9harikrishnas - Strategy Change
 Blend in
 Give book or flower
 Don’t accept no (it is our gift to you)
 After accepted-ask for donation
Eco

• Reciprocity
• Commitment and consistency
• Social Proof
• Liking
Authority
Scarcity

Question 4

Reciprocity

Answer 4

You, then me, then you, then me…
Rule says we should try to repay, in kind,
what another person has provided us
◦ Sense of obligation
◦ Appears to hold across all societies
Be the first to give service, information,
concessions
◦ Give what you want to receive
◦ Model the behavior you want to see from others

Question 5

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Answer 5

(Rejection, then
Retreat)
Reciprocating concessions
–stero salesman, guaruntee

Question 6

Defense against Reciprocity

Answer 6

The real opponent is not the requestor but the rule—you
must take steps to defuse its energy
Can we prevent the rule’s activation?
◦ What happens if you reject the offer?
◦ Was the offer honest or was it the initial step in an exploitation
attempt?
Accept offers of others only for what they fundamentally are,
not for what they are represented to be
◦ Nice favor obligates us to return the favor in the future
◦ “Trick” favor designed to stimulate our compliance with a larger
return favor suggests a profiteer rather than a benefactor. Respond
accordingly

Question 7

Commitment
and
Consistency

Answer 7

ferbee
Consistency
People align with their clear commitments
People fulfill active, public, and voluntary
commitments
◦ Get it in writing
◦ Let others know
◦ Link the commitment to employee’s values

Question 8

Foot in the Door Technique

Answer 8

Make small easy to meet request. Follow up at
a later point in time with a larger ask.
petition, then mail in

Question 9

Commitment and
Consistency at the
Car Dealership

Answer 9

This is how
low-balling works
Salesperson offers a great deal, pending approval
You agree to buy and complete deal, financing, etc.
paperwork
Salesperson takes deal to manager and has you wait
Salesperson returns—says manager won’t approve deal at
that price, offers counteroffer which is not a great deal
What do you do?
–reservations, will you..?

Question 10

Defense Against Commitment and

Consistency

Answer 10

Awareness that although consistency is generally good,
even vital, there is a foolish rigid variety to be shunned
Know when such consistency is likely to lead to a poor
choice
◦ Stomach signs
When you feel trapped into complying with a request we know
we don’t want to perform
◦ Heart-of-heart signs
Knowing what I know now, if I could go back in time, would I
make the same choice?

Question 11

Social Proof

Answer 11

amazon review
 Power of the crowd – people proof, 
people power
 We rely heavily on the people around us 
for cues on how to think, feel, and act
◦ Unleash people power by showing: responses 
of many others, others’ past successes, 
testimonials of similar others
◦ Use peer power to influence horizontally, not 
vertically
Operators are waiting, please call now
If operators are busy, please call again

Question 12

Manipulating Social

Proof: Entertainment

Answer 12

Salting the tip jar
Sitcoms and laugh tracks
Advertised rates of the Italian Claque (1920)
◦ 25 lire-For applause on entrance, if a gentleman
◦ 15 lire-For applause on entrance, if a lady
◦ 10 lire-Ordinary applause during performance, each
◦ 17 lire-Still more insistent applause
◦ 5 lire-For interruptions with “Bene!” or “Bravo!”
◦ 50 lire-For a “Bis” at any cost
◦ A special sum to be arranged-Wild enthusiasm

Question 13

Manipulating Social Proof: At the Racetrack

Answer 13

The minute the mutual windows open, a high roller places a $100 bet on a horse
with long odds that doesn’t have a realistic chance to win
That horse becomes an instant favorite as its odds on the board drop to about 2-1
Since most people are uncertain about their choices, they will bet the odds and
support the new favorite
Support will continue to build as rumors begin to circulate that the early bettors
must know something
Near the end of the betting period for the race, the high roller goes back to the
window and bets heavily on his true favorite which should now have better odds
given the new favorite

Question 14

Defense against Social Proof

Answer 14

Difficulty in defending against social proof is that most of the
time we don’t want to guard against that type of information
Recognize situations where the social proof automatic pilot is
working with inaccurate information
◦ Disengage autopilot
◦ Make necessary correction for misinformation
◦ Reset the automatic pilot
Even when automatic pilot is working fine we should never
trust it fully
◦ Think about alternative explanations for the social proof you see
(e.g., large crowd in front of the doors of your bank)

Question 15

Liking

Answer 15

tuperwera- all 4
 Making friends to influence people
 People like those who are like them 
◦ Uncover real similarities
◦ Create early bonds with new peers, bosses, and 
direct reports
◦ Find areas for genuine compliments
◦ Locate opportunities for cooperation
 People prefer to say yes to individuals they 
know and like
◦ Charm and disarm

Joe Girard—Chevrolet Car Salesman, gifts

Question 16

Defense against Liking

Answer 16

Given the many ways to influence liking and the fact
that several of these have been shown to work
subconsciously, we need a general approach
Rather than work preventatively at the front end,
allow the forces to work but be sensitive to undue
liking for the practitioner
Separate the person from the deal
Consciously focus on the merits of the deal
Remain alert to your undue liking so you can be
continuously vigilant with yourself about focusing
on the merits of the deal

Question 17

Authority Experiment

Answer 17

Researcher made an identical phone call to 22
separate nurses’ stations on various wards
Identified self as a hospital physician and directed
the answering nurse to give 20 milligrams of a drug
(Astrogen) to a specific ward patient
Nurses should have been cautious because
◦ Prescription was transmitted over phone
◦ Medication itself was unauthorized since it had not been
cleared for use or placed on the ward stock list
◦ Prescribed dosage exceeded maximum daily dose (10
milligrams)
◦ Directive given by a man the nurse had never met, seen, or
even talked with before on phone
95% compliance
(nurse was stopped before drug
administration)

Question 18

Authority

Answer 18

Showing knowing
People defer to experts who provide
shortcuts to decisions requiring specialized
information
◦ Don’t assume your expertise is self-evident
◦ Establish your expertise and trustworthiness
before doing business through professionalism,
industry knowledge, your credentials, admitting
weaknesses first
–old lady bank/police

Question 19

Defending Against Authority

Answer 19

Remove its element of surprise by having a heightened
awareness of authority power
You wouldn’t want to resist authority altogether, or
even most of the time, since authority figures generally
know what they’re talking about
Trick is to recognize without much strain or vigilance
when authority directives are best followed and when
they are not
◦ “Is this authority truly an expert?”
Credentials, Relevance of Credentials
◦ “How truthful can we expect the expert to be?

Question 20

Scarcity

Answer 20

elmo/wii

The rule of the rare – people want more
of what they can have less of
◦ Emphasize genuine scarcity, unique features,
and exclusive information
◦ Frame offers not in terms of what they stand
to gain but in terms of what they stand to lose
if they do not act on the information
◦ Potential losses figure far more heavily in
managers’ decision making than potential gains

Question 21

Anatomy of a Scarcity Scam

Answer 21

Opening Call
◦ Salesman identifies self as representing company with an
impressive sounding name and address. He will ask the potential
customer to receive the company’s literature.
Second Call
◦ Sales pitch. Describes the great profits to be made and then tells
the customer that it is no longer possible to invest.
Third Call
◦ Gives the customer a chance to get in on the deal and is offered
with a great deal of urgency
If Customer Bit on Third Call
◦ Call later with additional “opportunities”

Question 22

groupon

Answer 22

Scarcity
+
Social
Proof

Question 23

More Scarcity

for Profit

Answer 23

Purchase good used cars (at bottom of their blue book value), clean
up, place well written ad for next Sunday’s paper.
Field calls Sunday morning from interested buyers and make all
appointments to see car at same time…say at 2 pm.
First buyer comes and does careful study of car and asks about further
discounts until next buyer arrives.
◦ If first customer didn’t say “Excuse me, but I was here first”, then you say “Excuse
me, but this other gentleman was here before you. So can I ask you to wait on the
other side of the driveway for a few minutes until he’s finished looking at the car?
Then, if he decides he doesn’t want it or if he can’t make up his mind, I’ll show it to
you.
◦ Pressures mount as additional potential buyers show up

Question 24

Defense Against Scarcity

Answer 24

Our typical emotional response to scarcity
hinders our ability to think
Need to calm ourselves and regain a rational
perspective
Think why do we want the thing
◦ Is it for the social, psychological or economic
benefits of possessing something rare?
◦ Is it for its utility value?
Scarce things don’t taste, feel, sound, ride, or work
any better because of their scarcity

Question 25

Summary—Universal Influence

Principles

Answer 25

The mechanisms involved in the principles often
invoke an automatic response on our part
Recognizing the principles as they are used against you
can help you defend against them as you bring them
into conscious processing
These principles are tools which can be abused
Use them ethically and help expose those who use
them unethically