Yes!

50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

By: Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, Robert B. Cialdini

Narrated by: Blair Hardman

Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Small changes can make a big difference in your powers of persuasion.

Every day we face the challenge of persuading others to do what we want. But what makes people say yes to our requests? Persuasion is not only an art, it is also a science, and researchers who study it have uncovered a series of hidden rules for moving people in your direction.

Based on more than 60 years of research into the psychology of persuasion, Yes! reveals 50 simple but remarkably effective strategies that will make you much more persuasive at work and in your personal life, too.

Cowritten by the world's most quoted expert on influence, Professor Robert Cialdini, Yes! presents dozens of surprising discoveries from the science of persuasion in short, enjoyable, and insightful chapters that you can apply immediately to become a more effective persuader.

Why did a sign pointing out the problem of vandalism in the Petrified Forest National Park actually increase the theft of pieces of petrified wood? Why did sales of jam multiply tenfold when consumers were offered many fewer flavors? Why did people prefer a Mercedes immediately after giving reasons why they prefer a BMW? What simple message on cards left in hotel rooms greatly increased the number of people who behaved in environmentally friendly ways?

Often counterintuitive, the findings presented in Yes! will steer you away from common pitfalls while empowering you with little known but proven wisdom.

Whether you are in advertising, marketing, management, on sales, or just curious about how to be more influential in everyday life, Yes! shows how making small, scientifically proven changes to your approach can have a dramatic effect on your persuasive powers.

©2008 Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

" Yes! is the Freakonomics of social psychology. This book changed my way of looking at the world. This thinking is the real deal. Don't miss out!" (Daniel Finkelstein, Comment Editor, The Times, London)

"Yes" is a great book

I would recommend to anyone no matter what your career!

Informative

Lots of tips that you can apply to everyday business and personal situations. A must have tool for home court advantage.

Mostly a rehash of Influence.

Good for a quick refresher, but not as powerful as Robert Cialdini's earlier book, Influence.

A bit of dry narrative with some great nuggets.

the narration is a bit dry, however you'll find some great nuggets of information and advice that you can use in your everyday selling life

Great Read

Lots of useful info, to be able to persuade with integrity and tact. A great read!

perfect book

its a good book and it helps me in my sales for learning the negotiation

It was read good. Didn't like the story line.

It was read good. Didn't like the story line. The book was written good. Just not my taste. Thats okay. Thats why we have a choice.

Fantastic book

Fantastic book, both concise and descriptive. I would highly recommend for anyone who wants to learn more about persuasion

Not What I Expected

This book is not what I initially thought it was. I was expecting a book about sales techniques that would act as a template for closing more sales. The approach is much more indirect. Few of the studies were directly related to sales and more about how subtle messages in environment and wording can influence decision-making. That being said, I still enjoyed it and recommend it to sales and marketing professionals.

Authoritative and well researched

There is an old adage that half of your marketing budget is wasted. The problem is knowing which half. This book will help you solve that problem.

How? By reconciling perfectly rational decision making with the imperfect irrationality of being human. Beyond the implications of using this book in your career and personal life, it is a fascinating examination of human behavior.

It is easy to read this book as a cookbook: Follow the authors' recipe and voila! But, it is wiser to read this like a chef. Listen closely to explanations to understand the 'raw ingredients' and the 'cooking methods' practiced. Therein lies the key to replicating their results.

Persuasion is a subtle art. You could follow an example to a 'T' and fall short of your goal if you overlook a detail that undermines your intent. The authors hint at this by alluding to the impact of tone of voice, stress, mental fatigue, environment, and cultural perspective on decision making.

So, 1) focus on the cognitive and social psychology that underly the techniques, and 2) be wary of unrelated, situational factors in play that could offset your results.

For example, if a boss who wants to deter employee theft follows 'Yes!' like a cookbook with tepid results, s/he may wonder why. If employees think the boss playing games with their hours just to avoid promised benefits or overtime, workers may be acting out of spite or revenge; or perhaps they are modeling the boss' underhanded sales practices, reflecting his or her 'me first' value system. Such factors were not part of the controlled research studies in the book.

Cialdini's reputation precedes him. His involvement in this book carries weight. Every conclusion drawn is backed by peer-reviewed scientific studies. Alas, the narrator is a bit 'old school' for me, with a touch of that 1970s narration artifice. If that sort of thing may distract you, listen to the sample before you buy.