The Laws of Influence

Perhaps you've read the book 'Influence: The Science of Persuasion' or any of the other books on the subject of Influence by Robert Cialdini.

Persuasion is an art and science you must master to be successful in converting your visitors to prospects, prospects to customers and customers to evangelists. Marketers have been using the Laws of Influence for many years now affecting the decision making processes of people and steering them in the direction the marketer desires.

You should be aware that these Laws of Influence can be used for good as well as for evil. By reading this post, you're promising me you're going to use these laws for the good of your peers, family and prospects, right?

The 7 Laws of Influence

Robert talks about the 7 Laws of Influence that affects people's decision making processes. Before you start saying, "yeah, but I don't fall for that shit!" Think again, everyone is affected by these Laws whether you're consciously aware of it or not.

Law #1: The Law of Reciprocation

The Law of Reciprocation states that if you give something to someone, then they're much more willing to "return the favour" as they feel indebted to you. If you've ever been to North African countries on holiday such as Tunisia or Morocco, you've probably experienced young children coming to you and handing you a jasmine flower. Smart... very smart! These children know that if they give you an extremely cheap (free) flower, then they'll invoke a sense of reciprocity within the tourist that makes them want to offer them some money.

Reciprocity works the way it does because people don't like to feel indebted to another person. People have a natural tendency to understand the exchange of value in situations.

In fact, think of this situation. You've gone to your families house for Christmas and you begin to exchange your gifts. At the house is your uncle who you haven't seen for quite a while who hands you over a present. How do you feel as he hands you the present?

I'm sure the majority of use would feel guilty that we didn't get a present for him. You might say on a rational level that you didn't know he was going to be there. Tell me, if you had a spare universally suitable Christmas present wrapped in the car boot, would you feel inclined to go out and get it because you "forgot" the presents.

Law #2: The Law of Commitment and Consistency

The Law of Commitment and Consistency states that if we make a commitment to do something, then we want to act consistently in accordance with the commitment we made. Have you ever wondered why salespeople ask you a series of easy questions which are "yes" or "no" answers where the obvious answer to their questions are "yes". A series of "yes" answers can lead you towards making the big "yes" which results in the sale being made.

Law #3: The Law of Social Proof

The Law of Social Proof simply says that if enough people are doing something, then it must be true. Well, that makes good sense, right? Did your mum ever tell you, "well if your best mate stuck his head in the fire, would you?" I think mum was trying to teach us a valuable lesson about the law of social proof.

This law can be seen in full effect when there is a car accident with a wrecked car at the roadside. Everyone drives past the car and looks to see what happened and wonders whether the driver and passengers are OK. As the drivers are short of time to gather information and make an informed decision about the wellbeing of the passengers, they look to the other drivers to see if they have stopped. When they see the other drivers in front of them haven't stopped, they make the snap unconscious decision that the other drivers were correct and carry on as normal having decided that the passengers wellbeing is OK.

Law #4: The Law of Liking

This law simply states that we are more likely to take the desired action if we like, know and trust someone. This is one of the reasons why marketers always need to bridge the credibility gap. If the marketer is not known, trusted and liked, then there is little scope and opportunity for a sale to be made. If you want to know a master of invoking this law in the world of Internet Marketing, look to Frank Kern. Frank can sell thousands of dollars as an affiliate without offering the super-charged bonus packages that many other affiliates offer for prospects to buy products using their affiliate link. Frank can do this because he has credibility, likability and trust in the Internet Marketing community. If you've seen Frank speak at seminars, you'll know that he stumbles on stage cracking jokes every minute. Sure, he's a fun kinda guy but he sure knows that people will like, trust and respect him for being real, authentic and genuine and therefore end up buying more of his stuff.

Law #5: The Law of Authority

The Law of Authority states that people are more likely to believe an authority figure or source than a non authority. When was the last time you asked the postman for legal advice? Exactly! Our society is even set up in such a way as to go to authority figures as a trusted source of knowledge and wisdom. I'll leave you to make your own judgements as to whether this set up is right or wrong?

Law #6: The Law of Scarcity

The law states that the less of a resource that is available, the more that we want it. If you've studied the basics of economics, then you'll have covered the demand and supply curves and understand the relationship that demand and supply has on the price of the product or service. The higher the demand and lower the supply of the product, the higher the price point can be because the perceived scarcity of the product raises its value.

Want a real world example?

Hands up if you've had problems getting your mits on an iPhone in the past. Some people say that Apple do it on purpose to keep the phone seem scarce, the demand up and the buzz, appetite, demand and price high for the product. And you thought a good distribution was simply transporting the goods from a factory to a warehouse to a shop? Shame on you!

Law #7: The Law of Contrast and Comparison

The Law of Contrast and Comparison states that when you compare things against something else, you can get a more favourable result by comparing your offering against something much bigger.