Weapons of Influence (Part Two)

Authority, Social Proof, Consistency and Unity – these words can mean only one thing: we’re back with part two of our deep dive of Robert Cialidini’s book, Influence, so you can protect yourself from these weapons of influence and prevent being duped.

We are back with part two of the Weapons of Influence. In part one, we talked about who Robert Cialidini is, the backstory of his book Influence, and we also covered three out of the seven principles of influence ( scarcity, reciprocity and liking). If you haven’t listened to that episode, please do so – we’ve linked it in the show notes.

In part two, we wanted to continue the deep dive into the book and cover Authority, Social Proof, Consistency & Commitment and the newest principle, Unity. And two of these take us into some pretty dark corners.

We’ll start with authority in a second, but we think it’s important to review Dr. Cialidini’s ethical principles. As a reminder, he did not write this book so online business owners and other profiteers could manipulate you; he wrote this book so people could use these principles responsibly and you could protect yourself from it.

Let’s quickly review his ethics to keep those in mind throughout the episode.

Be truthful
Forgo manipulation of others
Forgo manipulation of facts
Use the principle(s) that already exist naturally in your situation.
Use the principle that demonstrates what is wise for all concerned
Refrain from using any Principle in a way that could injure your relationship.
Inform (that is, educate) people into agreement
Ensure any “contrast” used is relevant to the situation
Own up to any mistake ASAP. And remember the “but”.

Authority

We have discussed this weapon of influence before on the podcast in our The Rise of the Fake Expert and The Truth About Influencers & Experts episodes.

What is it?

People are more likely to be persuaded by those who they believe are experts or hold a position of authority.

Cialidini argues that we realize that following authorities and experts is mostly rewarding, so we turn off our critical thinking skills when we think someone is an authority, which is a problem because signals of authority are easily manipulated.

How is it used in online business?

Be one step ahead of your client, 10% edge.
Use of a rags-to-riches story.
Trappings of authority using luxury lifestyle branding (private planes, racks and stacks of cash, luxury photoshoots).
Large following signals expertise (it doesn’t).
Proven formula – there’s one right way to do it.

How do you protect yourself?

Ask yourself, “Is this authority really an expert?”
- Check out their About page and look for what makes them an expert.
- Make sure their credentials are relevant to what they are selling and saying.
Ask, “How truthful can I expect this expert to be?”
- If you find someone whose expertise is relevant this is the next question to ask yourself about.
- Cialidini states,“Authorities, even the best informed, may not present their information honestly to us; therefore, we need to consider their trustworthiness in the situation.”

Social Proof

What is it?

Cialidini states, “We view an action as correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it. As a result, advertisers love to inform us when a product is the “fastest growing” or “largest selling” because they don’t have to convince us directly that their product is good; they need only show that many others think so, which often seems proof enough.”

We are more likely to rely on social proof when we are uncertain. What’s more uncertain than running a business? We are especially prone to rely on social proof when we don’t have the information we need, are unsure about what to do, or don’t know the right move.

When we feel uncertain, we look at what other people do and think we should do it, too.

A second condition where social proof is powerful is when we see many people following the advice of the web celeb. If all those people believe in what they are doing….shouldn’t you?

How is it used in online business?

Top 1% testimonials
“If I can do it, so can you.”
Showing your income and how much you make each month
Writing people’s names on post-it notes to show all the sales you’re making
Copycat messaging + marketing
Press logos
Celebrity endorsements

How do you protect yourself?

Realize that social proof is easily faked
- MRR episode where people were faking screenshots of their stripe account
Are they showing typical results or just the top 1%?
Cialdini suggests that just because others are doing it, it doesn’t mean it’s right for you!

Consistency & Commitment

What is it?

According to Dr. Cialidini, consistency occurs “once we make a choice or take a stand we encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to think and behave consistently with that commitment. Once we have decided about an issue, stubborn consistency allows us an appealing luxury: we don’t have to think hard about the issue anymore.”

We feel like this explains our era of divisive politics, but it also explains why so many people stick with a coach or program even if it’s not working. Consistency could be a driving force behind sunk cost fallacy.

One of the ways it’s most easily used is called the foot-in-the-door technique. You start with a small request and follow it up with a larger one. For example, if we ask you to sign a petition for a specific cause, you sign. Then follow it up by asking if we could put a large yard sign in your yard; people are more likely to comply with the follow-up request.

Essentially, agreeing to the first request changes your idea of who you are, and then, to stay consistent with what we think (and avoid the feeling of cognitive dissonance), we are more likely to comply with the follow-up request.

How is it used in online business?

Ascension models
- Lead magnets
- Tripwires or upsells
- Funnels
High-pressure sales calls “You said you wanted X, my program gives you X so why aren’t you joining?”
Offer ladders

How do you protect yourself?

Dr. Cialidini talks about two different ways to protect yourself against this weapons of influence:

Stomach test: basically, trust your gut. Do you feel like you’re being pushed or pressured? Does complying feel like the wrong thing to do?
Heart of heart signs: Ask yourself, knowing what you know now, would you make the same decision about the first request? (Would you purchase the tripwire if you knew you’d be pitched a $5K program to get the most value out of your $97 dollar purchase.”

Unity

What is it?

Unity is the newest and, we think, a super interesting principle of persuasion because it plays on something we all need: A feeling of belonging.

Cialidini says “Unity is the bond formed by a shared identity. This identity can come from being part of a family or a close-knit team, but also can be based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political affiliation, and other factors. The key distinction is that members of these groups feel “at one” with other members.”

We are more likely to say yes if they are considered one of us.

In the words of Seth Godin, “People like us do stuff like this.”

Clearly, this powerful principle can be used for good (communities, movements, etc) AND for cults and MLMs.

But it’s also used in online business.

How is it used in online business?

Naming a villain who can be used for good or bad – any criticism is ‘haters.’
Naming your people – “boss babes.”
Not being allowed to question the business owner or dissent is shut down.
Sending your followers after someone because of criticism.
Love bombing and support members of the community.
In group/out group culty dynamics.
Sales pages and pitches – this is for you if/not for you if.

How do you protect yourself

What is the code of conduct – look at the terms and conditions, or at least listen to that episode of Duped!
Be aware of the exploitation of the “we” once inside the group.

Wrapping It Up

As we wrap up this two-parter on Cialdini’s book, there are a few things we’d like you to keep in mind so you can protect yourself and your business from the profiteers of persuasion.

Keep in mind Cialdini’s Code of Ethics when you’re in a persuasion situation.
- Is it truthful?
- Is your gut telling you that you’re being manipulated?
- Are they juicing their marketing and sales with fake scarcity, misleading social proof, fake authority?
SLOW Down: Each of these weapons of influence is an automatic response designed to shut down critical thinking. Don’t rush to the buy button, take a pause (or a long walk) to *think* about if something is right for you.
Question Everything: If you’re unsure if the person is an expert, find out. If the testimonials seem unbelievable and results not typical, ask what a typical result is.
Follow your gut: If something feels off, it is. Trust your instinct.