8: How to Become More Influential
The first part of this book has been foundational knowledge about influence. In this chapter the author will turn to more practical concerns - actions the reader can take to improve their ability to influence others.
He repeats that influence is iterative - even highly influential people don't often succeed on the first try. It often takes multiple attempts using various tactics, and in some instances a person will not yield to anything. With a little knowledge, you can try tactics that are more likely to succeed and save time by avoiding tactics that are not likely to succeed.
Build a Power Base
There are certain resources and characteristics that form a basis for power in exerting influence. The author provides a summary:
- Knowledge/Expertise - Moderately difficult to obtain, very high value
- Communication Skills - Moderately difficult to obtain, very high value
- Personal Reputation - Moderately difficult to obtain, very high value
- Network/Connections - Highly difficult to obtain, very high value
- Role/Title of Authority - Highly difficult to obtain, high value
- Charisma - Moderately difficult to obtain, moderate value
- History - Not difficult to obtain, low value
- Resources - Highly difficult to obtain, low value
The first three items have a very high value, but are only "moderately difficult" to obtain, so a person who is just starting out should focus on those first: gain knowledge, learn communication skills, and develop their personal reputation.
The next two, a network and a role, are things that accrue naturally. In the workplace, a person rises through the ranks and builds a network over time. It is possible to advance and network more quickly, but this often requires a lot of effort and make it obvious to others that you are attempting to gain influence, which makes them defensive, and in so doing you will acquire enemies.
Charisma is a difficult thing. People who are naturally physically attractive have an easier time influencing others, whereas more average people have to slowly build their personal magnetism.
The author's description of history is similar to reputation - it is simply the actions that are in the past that cause him to regarded a certain way. A person who has a history of being fair with others gains a reputation for being fair because it is expected this trait will govern his future behavior as well. However, history can have a high negative impact for much the same reason.
Resources are the least important: a person who has a lot of resources at his disposal is often the target of others who want access to the resources he has to offer. He can use his resources to recruit help (such as paying for assistance), but in so doing he diminishes his store.
Improving Relationships and Position
Relationships and position are important to influence because to be influential one must first be heard, believed, and paid attention to. A low-ranking person who is not well known will find that his good ideas are often ignored - and when the same idea is mentioned by someone who is higher in the organization or better connected, it gets attention promptly.
There are four main benefits of relationships and position:
- Being known - People are naturally suspicious of strangers: they do not know their motives, and do not trust them to be beneficent or play fair. Strangers are dangerous. But people are more amenable to proposals from someone they know - and the better they feel they know a person, the more open they are to being influenced by them.
- Being liked - Just being known is not sufficient: you might be known to be a jerk. So it's also important to be liked. People will do favors for others whom they like, and are more open to listening to and going along with their suggestions. It takes a great deal of effort to get someone to like you - but it may be just once careless gesture that causes them to dislike you, so be careful how you treat others at all times.
- Being respected - Respect is granted to people who are confident and competent at things that are considered to be important. A person may know the village idiot and think he is a decent fellow, but this does not mean he will follow them if they attempt to lead.
- Being trusted - Trust is given to people who are ethical and play fair with others. When a person cheats, lies, or takes advantage of others, there is always some suspicion that he is up to no good, and what he suggests may be good for him and bad for others. There is less suspicion when dealing with a trusted person, and people will often go along with their requests and give them the benefit of the doubt.
Choose the Right Tactics
In previous chapters, the author has discussed when certain tactics are highly effective or ineffective, depending on your audience and what you are trying to influence them to do. Using the right tactic increases your chances of success, whereas the wrong one damages your chances - not just for the present attempt, but for future attempts as well.
The author presents a list of the tactics that he described in previous chapters - but it's just a summary with nothing new to add. The main point is that there are situations in which some tactics are more likely to succeed than others. To be an effective influencer means knowing all the techniques and using the right tool for the right job.
The danger in becoming over-specialized is that the tactic that is most comfortable or easiest for you may not be the best suited to a given situation. Not only will you fail in that attempt, but you will make it more difficult to succeed in future attempts - your mark will know what you are after, and will recognize it when you come at him from a different angle and will eventually perceive you as a dishonest person who will say or do whatever it takes to get him to do your bidding.
(EN: From other sources, there is a "two strike" rule. If you fail in your first attempt, people will be open to being approached a second time, provided you didn't do anything particularly offensive. But if you fail the second time, they will be galvanized against you when you come at them the third time.)
Develop Influence Skills
The author has identified 28 skills that are pronounced in influential people, which he has listed in an appendix to this book. He stresses that these skills are the bases of influence - the "core capabilities" listed are things that can be gained through the application of these skills, and skills are necessary to execute once the right tactic is chosen.
(EN: The rest is just a teaser to get the reader to refer to the appendix, so I'll skip the rest.)
Leverage Biases
While we extol the standard of rational and objective decision-making, the truth is that every person has biases. Their initial reaction is often emotional, or a knee-jerk conclusion based on superficial observation and specious logic - and even when their frontal lobe kicks in, it often seeks to rationalize and justify the original decision and seldom recognizes that the first-blush impression was flawed.
The author suggests that understanding these biases fives you the ability to "take advantage of them." (EN: I would add a note of caution - as people often recognize when someone is trying to take advantage and raise shields. Or they realize they were taken advantage of in the past and are defensive or even hostile in future encounters. Leveraging bias is for the short-con where you don't mind alienating people - proceed with care if you mean to have a long-term relationship with a person.)
There are many biases, and he lists a few he considers to be most common.
- Liking and similarity - people are more inclined to say "yes" to others who they perceive as being similar to themselves. A con will point out a personal similarity before making the ask.
- Consistency - A person feels a deep need to be consistent, so if you can get them to do you a small favor, you can often ask them a larger one. A con will test the waters by asking a small favor before making the major play.
- Social Proof - People wish to be similar to other people who they respect or to fit in with. Teens are easily conned by telling them that someone they consider to be cool or popular is on board with an idea.
- Authority - While this tends to be diminishing, many Americans still kowtow to authority and will obey orders, even outrageous ones, when it comes from someone who is or poses as an authority.
- Sunk Cost Bias - When a person has made an investment (time, effort, and money) they will make additional investment to "protect" it, even when they are throwing good money after bad. This is the basis of cons that give a person a little something but require them to take action to get a little more.
- Reciprocation - People feel the need to reciprocate gifts and favors, even when the other person insists they don't have to. The reason that beggars give paper flowers away is people who receive them feel obligated to reciprocate by donating or buying from them.
- Scarcity - People place more value on things that are believed to be scarce, which his the reason sales copy uses terms such as "limited time" or "while supplies last" when time is not limited and supply is quite ample.
- Anchoring - People are highly influenced by first impressions when haggling. Sellers will ask a high price and offer a discount, and people feel it is a good deal when the same item is routinely available for even less at other merchants.
He ultimately refers to Cialdini's book on influence for a more thorough and comprehensive consideration of these tricks. Cialdini's book is written to help consumers avoid being victimized, but it is also a valuable reference for those who wish to victimize them.
Consider Personality
The same tactics will not work with all people, and one of the most significant factors in determining what motivates a person is their personality. The author gives a brief summary of the MBTI, which sorts people into 16 personality types based on four factors - introversion or extraversion, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving - to arrive at a four-character type (e.g. ISTJ) that indicates their tendencies.
The personality type suggests people are more prone to certain forms of influence: extraverts are more susceptible to social influence whereas introverts are less inclined to yield to social influence, the thinking/judging types respond better to logical persuasion, and the sensing/feeling types respond better to emotional appeals. It is not flawless by any means, but considering personality will help to deliver an appeal that resonates with a given type of person.
Consider Culture
A culture is the personality of a group of people, collectively. Even those whose personal inclinations are contrary to those of their culture will often lean toward what is customary or normal for their group. This is far more difficult than it once was, as there is a greater diversity of cultures and groups to which people belong, and many are aware of cultural stereotypes - though it generally bears out that a person adopts a different culture in a different context: if you are trying to persuade them as an employee of a firm, they will follow the norms of their corporate culture; but if you are trying to persuade them as the leader of a committee of their religious organization, they will follow a different set of norms. People who rise to positions of leadership in an organization are often those whose behavior (including motivations and decision making) most closely conform to the organizational culture.
There are various models for the categorization of culture, but the most common seem to consier factors of how power/authority are assigned and exercised, how information flows, the level of formality, the tolerance for risk, and the like.
In many organizations, the culture is communicated clearly and explicitly as a means to spread that culture within the organization. A corporation generally has a declared purpose, and its culture is reflected in the means by which that goal is pursued - and very often there are statements of values and ethics that are communicated within the organization, which can be useful to those outside the organization in knowing how to interact with its members. While the intent of these documents is to declare and defend its values, they can be very useful to those who wish to work the culture to influence members of that organization.
Preparing to Influence
In many instances, we simply improvise when we are attempting to influence someone - either there is not enough time to plan our approach or the matter is so trivial it doesn't seem worth the effort. But when there is time and the outcome is important, preparation significantly improves your chances for success.
The author suggests a series of questions to ask in order to be prepared:
Objective
- What am I trying to accomplish?
- What is the ideal outcome I would like to achieve?
Audience
- Whom am I trying to influence?
- Are they the right person? Are they able to do what I want or do they have the authority to obligate others?
- What is my relationship to them? Do I already know them? Do they trust and respect me?
- Which of us has the most power? Are there any formal or informal obligations between us?
- How do they benefit by doing what I am asking of them?
- What will it cost them (collateral damage or opportunity cost) to help me?
- What is their organizational culture?
Tactical
- What methods of influence does this person used or might be accustomed to having used on them?
- Do I know enough about them to determine what methods will be most effective?
- Do I have time to present a logical case, and is it likely to be persuasive?
- Can I evoke authority or apply social pressure without being heavy-handed?
- Are there values or emotional elements to which I can appeal?
- Can I make my case directly, or use a more indirect approach?
- Can I leverage our existing relationship?
- What other people are important to them, who might be impressed or disappointed in their decision? Can I leverage their connection to someone else?
- What objections might they raise and how can I best counter them?
- Am I asking too much or too little of them?
Skills Assessment
The author provides a rather lengthy quiz that is intended to help the reader gauge their skills in using influence techniques, though some of the questions pertain more to situations than the individual. I'll try to summarize more succinctly:
- Logical Persuasion - Requires the ability to use formal logic to substantiate an argument and to be able to communicate data and logical relationships clearly.
- Legitimizing - Requires a person to have formal authority or to have the support of others who have that authority, or at least to be able to convince people (by tone, posture, etc.) of being in a position of authority.
- Exchanging - Requires a person to have something to trade, to understand what the other person values, and to negotiate a bargain that is fair to both parties.
- Stating - Requires the ability to project confidence, to intimidate others into complying or accepting without question. Being in a position of authority helps.
- Socializing - To be an outgoing person who easily engages in casual conversation, to be a good listener and have a good memory about what others have to say, to be able to create mutually supportive relationships.
- Leveraging Relationships - Requires having relationships that can be leveraged with people who are inclined to provide assistance.
- Consulting - Being able to ask meaningful questions in an open and non-manipulative manner. Being seen as a helpful and supportive person who provides coaching and assistance without a personal agenda.
- Alliance Building - Being able to identify common interests and build consensus in spite of areas of difference. Being able to bring people together and focus them on the common goal.
- Appeal to Values - Having a clear moral code and being passionate about achieving meaningful things. Being able to determine what other people value and speaking to those values in a direct way. Having the ability to deliver a rousing speech and leveraging personal charisma.
- Modeling - Either being a positive role model or being able to depict someone else who is a role model. Being recognized as successful or a subject-matter expert.
In scoring the quiz, it is reiterated that your strongest influence technique is not always the right one for a given situation. When your strength matches the best tactic to use, you're in good shape; when you are weak in the best tactic, you may need to use a different tactic at which you are more skilled. But ultimately, using the appropriate tactic is worth more than using your best skills - doing the wrong thing well does not produce good results.
Skills development across the range of influence techniques is advised, though it's likely to be impossible to become a master of all forms of influence. OF particular importance: consider the forms of influence that are most appropriate to an environment or situation in which you expect to find yourself regularly - your organization, your clientele, and your profession might make it particularly important to sharpen up in some methods more than others.