“Hey, hey, hey! Are you folks nuts? I’m telling you, this is the car for you.”

6 Principles of Social Influence:

• 1. Norm of Reciprocity• 2. Commitment & Consistency• 3. Social Validation• 4. Liking• 5. Scarcity• 6. Authority

1) Norm of Reciprocity

• Pay every debt, as if God wrote the bill.

» Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reciprocity

• Beware free gifts– Offer small gift,

then make request– Take advantage of

“norm of reciprocity”

Reciprocity:Door-in-the-face technique

• Begin with a very large request (which will be refused), then make a smaller request– Smaller request is what you want in the first

place• Why?

– Norm of reciprocity

ReciprocityThat’s-not-all technique

2)Commitment and Consistency

• It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.

» Leonardo Da Vinci

Gain Target’s Compliance With a Small

Request

Foot-in-the-Door

FIRST STEP SECOND STEPTACTIC

Example: “Would you

sign a petition to help feed

starving children?”

Foot-in-the-Door

Gain Target’s Compliance With a Small

Request

Foot-in-the-Door

FIRST STEP SECOND STEPTACTIC

Would you sign a petition to

help feed starving

children?

Make a Related, Larger Request

“Would you work for 2

weeks in the local soup kitchen?”

Foot-in-the-Door

Get an Agreement to a

Specific Arrangement

FIRST STEP SECOND STEP

Low-Ball

TACTIC

Get the Customer to

Agree to Buy a New Car for

$15,000

Low-Ball

Get an Agreement to a

Specific Arrangement

FIRST STEP

Low-Ball

TACTIC

Get Customer to Agree to Buy a New Car for

$15,000

SECOND STEP

Change The Terms of The Arrangement

“Oh, you wanted tires and seats?

Then that’ll be $15,999.”

Low-Ball

3) Social Validation

• Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.

» Walter Lippmann

Social Validation• National Public

Radio fund drives

• “Salting" the tip jar

• Amazon.com shows you list of books others with similar interests have purchased

• Canned laughter

4) Liking

• The main work of a trial attorney is to make a jury like his client.

» Clarence Darrow

The Tupperware Party

Liking

• Attractiveness– Halo effect– Attractive candidates

receive more votes of unattractive candidates.

– Appearance of job applicants more importance than job qualifications

– Good looking people likely to receive highly favorable treatment in the legal system.

• Similarity:– People more likely to

help out similar other

Liking

• Familiarity– In elections people

often just choose voters because the name looks familiar.

– The human face isn’t perfectly symmetrical; People prefer the way they look in the mirror, but their friends prefer their actual appearance

• Association

5) Scarcity• The way to love anything is to

realize that it might be lost.» G.K. Chesterton

• Opportunities seem more valuable when they are scarce– Scarcity increases appeal!

• Why?– Freedom of choice--don’t want choices

taken away– Scarce= valuable, popular

Scarcity

Scarcity• Limited Time • Limited Supply

6) Authority

• Follow an expert.» Virgil

Authority

Authority: Symbols