Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

By Robert B. Cialdini

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This book has 19 recommendations

David Heinemeier Hansson (Co-Founder/Basecamp)

It taught me so much about marketing and human psychology. I keep referring back to that book all the time. It has been instrumental in inspiring the marketing strategies I used to propel Rails and Basecamp.

Charlie Munger (Vice Chairman/Berkshire Hathaway)

Robert Cialdini has had a greater impact on my thinking on this topic than any other scientist.

Ola Olusoga (Co-founder/Populum)

Always take away something new every time I read this book.

Noah Kagan (Founder/Sumo)

A few months ago, I was drinking a Noah’s Mill whiskey (cute) with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life... During the conversation, we got on the topic of books that changed our lives. I want to share them with you. I judge a book's success if a year later I'm still using at least 1 thing from the book.

Sean Seton-Rogers (Partner/PROfounders Capital)

Loved how it exposed how conditioned all people are. Being aware of it is important.

Primoz Cigler (Co-Founder/ProteusThemes)

The best business book I read is the Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini. I am reading it now for the second time. The reason why I like it so much is that it gives you a good explanation of human psychology that you can use in many different situations. The variety of the techniques and experiments used in the book will help you become a better negotiator, but also it will open your eyes how others are exploiting your human nature every day. Each chapter ends with the 'How to Say No' which also gives you a meaningful advice on how to react when you find yourself in the situations when someone wants to obtain your commitment with different persuasion techniques.

Adam Haritan (Founder/Learn Your Land)

For anyone interested in my career path, I’d recommend books in various genres. On a real practical level, I’d certainly recommend reading any and all plant/mushroom/tree/ecology/nature books you can acquire. It’s even more helpful to read the books that pertain specifically to your ecosystem and bioregion. Additionally, I’d also recommend reading a plethora of business and marketing books — both old and new alike. Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini, and anything by Seth Godin would be my top recommendations. And of course, every book I mentioned in the previous answers are strongly recommended as well.

Julia Enthoven (Co-Founder/Kapwing)

Recently, I enjoyed and learned a lot from Influence by Robert Cialdini, a book about how you can persuade, sell, and lead using soft skills. I think Cialdini does a great job of blending the research with stories that illustrate how you put his tactics to work.

Rand Fishkin (Founder/Moz)

Robert Cialdini’s seminal work on how and why mankind thinks and acts. Essential reading.

Dean Roller (Founder/Bliss Bean Bags)

Read a classic book like Claude Hopkins Scientific Advertising book and Influence by Dr. Robert Cialdini. Understanding fundamental principles to how humans operate is always a great starting point to focus on. It is easy to forgot tried and test examples when the next "new thing" comes along.

Louis Grenier (Podcaster in Chief/Everyone Hates Marketers)

If you want to understand people better, understand why people do stuff and why they don’t, you have the usual: “Influence” by Cialdini. I think you should read it but I don’t think you should spend too much time on it.

Holger Arians (CEO/Dominet Digital Corporation)

This book is already a classic in terms of how to influence people and persuade them to do what you want, and how to protect yourself from persuasion by others. These are two must-have skills for leaders and you should continually work on improving them.

Recently, the author has updated his advice with the book Pre-Suasion, with examples based on modern business interactions. However, you should start with the core principles explained in the original book and then follow up with updated evidence in the new one.

Bryan Choo (Founding Director/The Smart Local)

Question: What five books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path & why?

Answer:

Anthony Robbins Unlimited Power
Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers / The Tipping Point
Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Simon Sinek's Start With Why
Robert Cialdini's Influence: Science and Practice

Jeff Gibbard (Chief Brand Officer/From The Future)

There are five books that, when taken together, form the majority of my perspective on business: [...] Influence.

Tobi Lütke (Founder & CEO/Shopify)

Influence was just the most mind-bending book you can imagine, because it essentially taught you always humans are flawed and influential and how, yes, computers are predictable. And you can deal with it.

Anant Jain (Co-Founder/CommonLounge)

This one is a deep dive into behavioral science and human psychology. It’s shocking, entertaining, and introduces you to the fallibility of your own brain in quite a delightful way.

Chris Goward (Founder/WiderFunnel & GO Group Digital)

Here are some of the books that have been very impactful for me, or taught me a new way of thinking: [...] Influence.

Mikhail Dubov (Founder & CEO/Chattermill)

A few books had a dramatic impact on how I work day to day [...] Influence.

David Brudo (Co-Founder/Remente)

[One of the books that had an impact on David Brudo.]

Amazon description

Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say ""yes""—and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book. You'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.

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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

This book has 19 recommendations

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