Last month I reviewed a book that described an approach to business I believe every entrepreneur should be aware of. Today I want to review another book, just in case you are short of ideas when asked what you want for Christmas!

Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini is a classic in its field and a fascinating read for anyone interested in how people are persuaded to agree to something. If your business involves marketing or selling this will give you an insight into the steps you can build into a sales campaign or elements to include in a piece of sales copy.

As the book explains the psychology of certain actions and decisions we are shown a wealth of examples, from why maternal turkeys would protect a stuffed polecat to the secrets of the worlds greatest car salesman.

You’ll discover why canned laughter works, despite nearly everyone despising its use, the best tactic to use if you want to cut into a queue, why a crowded New York neighbourhood ignored the screams of a woman as she was murdered and advice that could save your life in a crisis.

There are also some fascinating insights that can get your marketer’s mind racing. For example, did you know that information presented as being exclusive is more persuasive than information that is easily accessible?

The book also gives tactics for resisting the commitment and compliance tricks used by salesmen. Whilst reading the book I found myself almost wishing for a pushy salesman to come to my door so I could deconstruct and resist his sales pitch.

If you want an insight into the factors of persuasion that can increase the chances of a sale or just want to know how to sidestep being sold something you don’t really want I recommend you take a look at this book. Oh, and don’t worry, I haven’t used any of the tactics in this review. Or have I?