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- Offer ‘freemium’ options to people’s problems (reciprocity).
Offering free servi ...
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These principles could easily lead people into pitfalls if used for evil instead of goodness. It might encourage predatory behavior, indebting people through favours and using manipulation techniques. Cialdini
Reciprocity: free mints to increase tips
One study seemed to show the impact of reciprocity, with a slight increase in tips as a result of diners receiving free mints at the conclusion of their dinners.
Commitment: Writing down the appointment
One study showed that missed appointments at health centres were reduced by 18% when patients wrote down the appointment rather than staff.
Liking: closing the deal
According to Cialdini, in a study on negotiations of MBA students, one group was told to focus on getting the deal done, the other group was told to identify something in common before they began. The first group came to an agreement 55% of the time, the second group came to an agreement 90% of the time.
Consensus: nudging tax payments
The Behavioural Insights Team in the UK, or original Nudge Unit, discovered that by tweaking the wording of letters to taxpayers to reference the fact that most people in their town paid tax on time, resulted in a 15% increase in timely tax payments.
These principles are often used in sales and marketing and tend to play on common unconscious biases. They have been further explored by cognitive psychologists exploring behavioural economics. That said, they can be used in developing relationships and influence.
Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave Cialdini’s six principles of influence into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above.
Connected models:
- Fast and slow thinking: which underpins many of these approaches.
- Social proof: as it relates to liking and even authority.
- Supply and demand: as it relates to scarcity.
Complementary models:
- 4Ps of marketing: considering the combination of these methods with the 4Ps.
- Hanlon’s razor: to support the development of effective relationships.
- Non-violent communication: to help uncover needs and connect.
Find out more from Dr Robert Cialdini’s book ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’ and his broader services at his website Influence at work.

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Huge thanks for picking up the typo Amin - all fixed now :)