Yes!

50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

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

Narrated by: Blair Hardman

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)

Very useful tips

The book is very well written and laid out. I actually bought it in hopes of picking up some useful sales tips as I start out on a new career path, nervously. The book obviously focuses its topic on Persuasion and not necessarily sales but again, it contains lots of good tips for dealing with many different types of situations.

Excellent, to-the-point persuasion techniques

Yes! is a very practical compilation of many persuasive ideas. Some I already knew, some not. The reason I like it is because each point was made succinctly & persuasively, for immediate & practical use, then they move on to the next point. All the information may not be new, but it's good to have it concisely in one place. The reading is clear; it's difficult to make such purely information content exciting, but they do a good enough job & the text includes lots of interesting examples. One suggestion: I'd prefer that the chapter titles were more concrete, less catchy. That way I could write down the point immediately for desktop reference.

The title says it all

The title says it all. There are 50 good examples on how to be persuasive. Because it is broken into 50 ways, it is very easy to pick-up and read for short amounts of time. Finally, I like how their motives are not manipulative in nature (which a lot of sales/persuasion books are).

Not bad

Interesting psychological anecdotes, many of which have been featured in other books.
Fun, but don't take it as a persuasion manual. Authors repeatedly take a single experiment and extrapolate it to unrelated business advice without any evidence it would be effective in that situation.

Good Read

Being in sales, I found this book to be very helpful and provided real life examples of how to use these persuasive techniques, and I must say that most of them work quite well. I have read quite a few persuasive books, and this was up there with the best of them. You will be able to use these techniques almost immediately!!! I have already listened twice and taken notes so I can make these techniques habitual. Good Listen!!!

Gold!

This book is concise and to the point. Not only are the suggestions backed up with scientific evidence, but they are also actionable in a variety of different circumstances. Although some of the examples toward the end of the book were less about persuasion and less applicable to my particular situation as a small, local, service-based business owner, this is the best marketing book I've ever read. It made me feel energized and inspired to try the simple strategies rather than overwhelmed and demoralized by complex theory that may or may not work and requires a lot of time and effort to see results. Head and shoulders above "Guerrilla Marketing."

Fun!

I love this type of information. I suppose I would've enjoyed a few more examples and deeper explanation. However the short into the point examples and exclamation provided were very beneficial.

Great book

You have to read it if you want to improve your skill influence,so go ahead

Pure gold

So many nuggets of wisdom. This will be one I revisit every year as there is no way I could incorporate everything at once.

Very Informative

I liked the information presented in this book.
Many great ideas!!! I found any of Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Gilbert books much more entertaining. I am glad I purchased this book and will purchase the text as well. Any one in Sales/politics should read this one and put it to work.
H