Dr. Robert Cialdini - Understanding Influence In The Digital Age

It was a true pleasure and honor to have Dr. Robert Cialdini on the show today, author of one of the most well-known books that many of our guests have referenced. When we got into marketing and entrepreneurship, one of the first books we read was his Influence, which explained the principles of how to execute what we put out into the world. Now with this updated, expanded version, it has been blowing our minds in terms of how practical it is, especially with a brand new principle added. Dr. Cialdini showed us how to get the ethical ‘yes’ and use these persuasion tactics in a very ethical way. 

He also discusses the ethical use of scarcity, with limitations on the number of the product, as well as countdown timers. He also talks about how he did not write his famous book for marketers, he wrote it as a book to learn how to avoid being influenced by others. Some other topics we chat about include the Unity Principle and understanding how you look at things differently when you identify with others in the same group. We also talked about the trust factor, and when you take the power away from the buyer by sharing the bad stuff first to create trust and a bond. We have shared our struggles with our guests and on our Therapy Sessions, and we have found this to be very powerful. Lastly, we had an opportunity to ask some questions from our audience, so listen in if yours was included. After you’ve delved into this episode be sure to check out our show that we mentioned about branding as well as our chat with Neil Patel who also knows a thing or two about growing your brand in an ethical way.

“People who are successful have recognized how these principles work at some level. What they often don’t recognize is how to optimize them, and the steps to take that not only activate the principle but maximize its impact in a situation.” - Dr. Robert Cialdini

Some Topics We Discussed Include:

• The universal things taught to businesses in order to be successful
• Why Dr. Cialdini’s book was not meant to be the bible for internet marketers
• If you have this one particular kind of authority, no one can beat you as a communicator
• An interesting study about showing your expertise
• The magic of sharing your weaknesses
• How to use this one word to get someone to trust you from the very first meeting
• How to implement scarcity in situations where there really is none
• What to tell people if you are early in the game

Resources From Dr. Robert Cialdini:

• Influence by Dr. Robert Cialdini
• InfluenceAtWork.com

References and Links Mentioned:

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• Here’s Why Branding Is Vital - Joe Fier & Matt Wolfe
• Content Strategies To Grow Your Online Brand - Neil Patel