Sixth entry of the new series of posts in which we have as protagonist a really interesting concept. Specifically, we are highlighting Robert Cialdini’s 6 principles of persuasion. For this sixth entry in the series we will put the focus on the principle of engagement.
Robert Cialdini is a famous psychologist and researcher from the University of Arizona, USA. He rose to international stardom thanks to the success he achieved in 1984 with his book “Influence. The Psychology of Persuasion.
Robert Cialdini’s sixth principle of persuasion: Engagement
Cialdini points out that the principle of commitment and consistency implies that people are more willing to take actions that are consistent with what they have already done in the past. Even if they have not acted rationally. Therefore, we tend to look for what is reaffirming and familiar to us.
This principle of persuasion is commonly applied in sales. To attract new customers, we first study their behavior and habits. In this way, the guidelines are defined to design the type of offer to be projected. The principle proposes that we all act in a cyclical manner, i.e., repeating our actions because we prefer what we already know to experimenting with new experiences. In other words, we seek to be consistent with our past decisions.
Therefore, in order to introduce novelty, the objective is to achieve a first “yes” from the consumer or user. For this reason, we say that it is easier to retain existing consumers or users than to attract new ones. The key, as we said, is to achieve that first “yes” to one of our proposals, which will make it much more likely that they will say “yes” to the rest.
The success of this principle, therefore, is defined in achieving commitment. From then on, the consumer or user will act consistently. For example, a website that offers some kind of action such as a subscription, a free trial or a review, has the opportunity to achieve that first “yes”.
Discover the three principles above:
Photo credit: LB
