by Juvoni Beckford@juvoni
Before readingWhy I picked it up
My interest for better understanding marketing was partially due to seeing how successful Apple has been with their marketing and brand development. As I expanded my psychology reading I saw Influence constantly being recommended. I like to read books that have an emphasis on some set of principles and wanted to dive into the principles of Influence.
After readingPosted
Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say "yes"—and how to apply these understandings. Influence describes the six categories of techniques that have the potential to influence us without our conscious awareness. These are called the 'Weapons of influence', which are: Reciprocation, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Authority, Liking, and Scarcity. The book's chapters are organized around these areas and provides many examples and anecdotes with some research sprinkled in. I'm not sure if my undergraduate marketing classes taught me everything I needed to know about influence, but I felt like I didn't gain much new knowledge from this and more so new perspectives and some extra validation. I found parts of the book repetitive, dry and felt the examples were not strong enough. Even so, having these principles carried the book and are useful if you want to improve your understanding around marketing and sales.
Three reasons to read it
- Understand why people say yes
- You'll learn the six universal principles of influence and how to use them to become a skilled persuader
- Learn how to defend yourself against unwanted influence
Notes for this book are still being transcribed.
