7.2 Common Persuasion Tactics

The Six Laws of Persuasion proposed by Robert Cialdini (1993) are:

Reciprocity

Cialdini’s first persuasion principle is reciprocity. We can think of this principle as “give and take.” If we focus on our dance, consider the idea of how one dance partner leads and the other follows. This creates a harmonious dance through mutual understanding and exchange. If both partners tried to lead at the same time, harmony would be lost. Similarly, if both partners chose to follow at the same time, nothing would really happen as each would be waiting for the other to make the first move.

Negotiations are a dance of give and take. If you want to persuade the other party to give you something, you must give them something as well. For instance, if there is a specific aspect of the negotiation that you are unwilling to concede on, think about where you might be more willing to concede instead. By offering a concession to the other party, they may be more influenced to concede on the point that matters most to you as a reciprocation of your concession and goodwill. It goes back to the point that we considered at the beginning: negotiations are all about creating value through balance.

Commitment and Consistency

The second principle focuses on commitment and consistency. Commitment and consistency are both important in a negotiation because they can persuade the other party to slowly come around to our position or point of view. For instance, if we propose an idea that the other party cannot agree to, we can try to persuade them by putting forward a series of smaller changes or commitments that the other party may agree to. As they slowly agree, the changes begin to add up, and eventually, the small agreements may lead to them accepting the larger concession. Similarly, if we want to change the entire dance or dance style, the other party may not agree. But if we slowly change the steps, eventually, the entire dance will change without a lot of pushback.

Liking

The next principle we will discuss is the law of liking. Would you rather dance with a partner you like or dislike? Similarly, we are more likely to negotiate or be persuaded by individuals that we like. What does this mean for us? We need to focus on building rapport and a positive relationship with the other party. The more that they like us, the more likely they are to agree with our point of view.

Scarcity

Scarcity is all about rare, unique, or limited benefits. Think about a dancer who can perform a unique move that no one else can. We would rather dance with them or watch them perform rather than someone who can only perform dance moves that are more general. The same idea applies to negotiation. The more that things are rare or diminishing, the more appealing they will be to us. Have you ever purchased a car that was a limited-edition model or the last one of that type on the lot? If you have, you can probably remember that you were willing to pay more and concede more on the deal because the chance of losing it was higher. The less there is of something, or the less time we have to make a decision, can help us by making that particular item or decision more desirable for the other party.

Authority

Credentials, credibility, and knowledge are all factors that persuade us to listen to an individual. We would listen to our dance instructors because we believe that they have the expertise or authority to tell us how to dance. What does this mean for us in negotiations? We need to establish our credibility or emphasize our credentials to persuade the other party by making our arguments appear stronger and more appealing. We don’t usually listen to individuals who cannot back up their position with knowledge or experience, so we need to focus on establishing that authority or credibility to have more persuasive power.

Social Proof

The final factor or principle of persuasion is social proof. The social proof relies on the idea that we like to be a part of something others are a part of. We want to belong, and we want to belong to something that already exists because it signals that it must be doing something right. If we can demonstrate that other parties have agreed to a specific proposal, it makes our proposal more persuasive. We want to leverage the power of social and group influence to influence the behaviour of the parties that we are negotiating with. You want to make the other party think, if others are agreeing than it must be right.