Loading · A moment
Good things, in formation.
Pulling your pages from the printer. The experience is assembling itself — thank you for the patience.
Principle at play: Scarcity. Anticipation is half the pleasure.
Dr. Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence
Seven principles decide who says yes.
Plus contrast, the amplifier that makes every one of them land harder. You already use some of these without thinking. Read how each one works, then find out which you lead with.
01
Reciprocity
You build loyalty through generosity — giving freely before you ever ask.
Give something real before you ask for anything, and the ask barely needs making.
57% lead with it
Read02
Commitment & Consistency
You shape behavior by anchoring people to their own words and values.
People who lead with commitment don’t chase the big yes; they build it, one small kept promise at a time.
14% lead with it
Read03
Social Proof
You move people by showing them what respected others are already doing.
The fastest way to make a decision feel safe is to show someone that people like them have already made it.
6% lead with it
Read04
Authority
You lead with earned expertise and speak with the confidence it deserves.
When people can’t judge the claim, they judge the person making it.
5% lead with it
Read05
Liking
You make people feel so welcomed and seen that saying yes feels natural.
People rarely notice the moment they decide to say yes; it’s usually the moment they decide they like you.
7% lead with it
Read06
Scarcity
You understand that rarity creates desire — and you frame it masterfully.
Nothing sharpens desire like the sound of a closing door.
2% lead with it
Read07
Unity
You lead through shared identity, making people feel part of something larger.
Before people ask whether you’re right, they ask whether you’re one of them.
5% lead with it
ReadEveryone uses all seven. Nobody uses them equally.
Most people lead with two or three and barely touch the rest. The gap between them is where you lose the yes you were sure you had.
See your mix, free
Where they came from
He went undercover to learn why people say yes.
For nearly three years Dr. Cialdini trained inside the trades that persuade for a living: sales floors, fundraisers, advertising agencies. Then he tested what he saw, in the lab and in the field, for four decades. The principles on this page are what held up.
More about Dr. CialdiniYou lean on two or three of these. Which ones?
The free read shows which principles you reach for first, and the one you leave on the table.
Take the free read