The sixth strategy is to trigger automatic behavioral responses when appropriate. This strategy and its sub-elements are adopted from the book: Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini.
Cialdini focuses on strategies that trigger automatic behavioral responses. These automatic responses allow us to manage a complex world without endless deliberation or choosing but do so at the expense of critical thought. For example, if we hear that others value a particular product, we tend to automatically assume that the product is valuable. In the process we suspend our critically thinking about the actual value of the product to us.
At their peak, such automatic behavioral responses can lead to increased price pressure. In the distant and not so distant past there have been”runs” on things like tulips, pet rocks and internet stocks that have more to do with automatic behavioral responses than critical analysis.
If you are invested in influencing others, you should at least be aware of the possibility of influencing them through automatic behavioral responses and consider using them when it is ethical to do so.
The automatic behavioral responses that Cialdini describes are:
- Reciprocating – people try to repay, in some way, a benefit given to them. This means, if you want someone to do something nice for you, do something nice for him/her first. For example, free samples have the power to increase sales because they tap into the reciprocation response. In one study, tips were increased by 14% if the waiter or waitress gave a second chocolate to the customer at the end of a meal.
- Consistency – people who commit to a choice or position, tend to behave in ways that are consistent with their commitment. For example, you can increase sales if you ask for a commitment at the point of contact, over the phone or in person, and you can increase sales further if you ask the buyer to describe the reason he/she is willing to make the commitment.
- Social proof – people behave in the way they see others behave, believing that if other people are doing something it must be the right thing to do. Remember the story of the emperor with no clothes? We all tend to do as others do and it takes real strength to stand out from the crowd.
- Liking – people prefer to say yes to people they know and like. This is the principle at work when someone has a successful Tupperware party–the fact is that a lot more Tupperware is sold among friends than via any other distribution route.
- Authority – people tend to comply with the instructions of those deemed to be legitimate authorities. Do you remember the Milgram studies? In these studies volunteers were asked to give an electric shock to fellow students who made mistakes when reciting words. People continued to give these shocks even as the fellow students started to scream in pain. The explanation for their behavior was that they were following the orders of the researcher in a lab coat that oversaw the process. In other words they complied with an authority figure.
- Scarcity – people place a high value on not missing an opportunity whether it be an opportunity to purchase something or to have an interaction. This is the principle at work when you respond to a sign that says “last day of sale” or “only a few left”. It is also what’s going on when you feel compelled to take a phone call in a meeting for fear of missing something that’s important.
When you choose to trigger an automatic behavioral response is up to you, of course. The ethical use of this strategy ultimately pivots on whether your intent is to manipulate or guide. Generally speaking, if you trigger automatic behavioral responses because of genuine good intentions for others and without regard for the outcome, you’re on sound ethical ground. Otherwise, you’re probably flirting with being unethical. After all, being genuinely likable is a powerful advantage when you are trying to influence others. On the other hand, acting likable only when you see an advantage, flirts with being anti-social or sociopathic behavior.
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