NOTE: This is an “extra credit” post for the 10 Days to Winning @ Work free email course. It will make more sense if you have that context first prior to reading the post below. The course is available here:
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First, do yourself a favor and just buy Dr. Cialdini’s book: Influence: Science & Practice. It’s riveting and vitally helpful. More immediately, below are some questions to prompt ideas for incorporating a little more influence savvy are below:
Reciprocity:
- How can I do this person a favor?
- Can I do a little analysis that would help them out?
- Can I offer them food, “the good seat”, recognition?
- Can I introduce them to a person or a resource that they’d find handy?
Commitment / Consistency:
- What have they expressed interest in doing in the past? How can I link this to that?
- What values does this person hold dear? How can I link this request to those values?
- What habitual norms, expectations, and behaviors does this person exhibit,
Liking:
- What important personal projects / events does this person have coming up?
- Upon what dates do those occur? I’ll put them on my calendar and remember to follow-up.
- What do I appreciate about this person? How can I express that appreciation?
Authority:
- What credible source underscores the critical need for this?
- To which powerful individuals will these analyses flow?
Scarcity:
- Is there a scarcity of time to complete this? Why?
- What makes this opportunity unique, rare, and special?
Social Proof:
- How can I behave in a way that I’d like to see them see and model?
- Whom is most likely to say yes? Ask them first and then reference those onboard
