The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say "Yes" in 8 Minutes or Less!

The author has a doctorate in psychology, and this shows quite dramatically in his book, which covers many varied aspects of influence. His sources include research in basic psychology, choice, learning, sales, and marketing. From this knowledge base, Hogan in his 320-page book develops numerous influence/persuasion applications that extend not only to the previously mentioned areas, but to advertising, politics, and different genders.There’s certainly a lot one can learn from this book, and it’s an excellent general resource for improving one’s leadership, sales, leadership, and general persuasion techniques. I must say, however, that I don’t recall (unless I somehow missed it) the author proving his subtitle’s claim: “How to get anyone to say Yes in 8 minutes or less.” Unless, of course, the reader somehow memorizes and becomes well-practiced in all the methods the author presents…or uses his fine index.For me, the best take-away is that found very near the end of the book on page 282, where the author discusses anti-authority message reactance (aka polarity response, as with N-N magnet repulsion): “You can’t have an authoritarian message and expect the customer to say yes. … You are pushing their anti-authority button. You are telling them they are stupid, or worse, that you are smarter than they are! If the pressure you use is directly from you and it is perceived as a win/lose, the other person says no, and they hit the brakes and dig in for a fight, defending their position more vigorously every second of the way.” The author then briefly discusses a slight exception or two; however, one need only go back to the beginning of the book to find innumerable work-arounds and strategic how-tos. You’ll also find on page 91 a way to reduce, often to your benefit, polarity responses in yourself.Bottom-line, read this book to become more persuasive! No, wait, that might be too authoritarian. Here’s another try: I highly recommend it, and look how many other reviewers do, too!Of possible interest:  Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation  and George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul , a best-seller at Mount Vernon. “Character is Key for Liberty!”

About a third of the way into this book, I realized I had a big "problem" with it.Well, not really a problem with the book, but with the title. And even calling it a "book". I'd call it an "Encyclopedia of Influence". Or maybe a "Compendium of Influence". Or maybe even a "Sales Bible". Any of those titles would do justice to this "book." Actually, Hogan says it himself in his Preface: "I've collected the most profound elements of influence and assembled them into one easy-to-understand, very readable book." To that I say--Amen! Another "problem" I had was with all the underlining and "Starring" I did of items of importance... and extreme importance. My book started to look like everything was important or of extreme significance. And that's not much off the truth. My last "problem" is only being able to give this book 5 stars. Doesn't really do it justice. But that's the system. Maybe you'll feel that way too--after you read it. OK, let's get into just a couple of the hundreds (no, I'm not exaggerating) of golden nuggets you'll find when you get your hands on this gem and engage it. Want to know the simple and easy things you can do to get your prospect leaning towards your Big Yes in less than half a second? Well, the specifics are all in Chapter 2--"The First Four Seconds". And when you read it, you'll know why you lost those sales that should have been a slam dunk. More importantly, you'll now, and forever, know exactly how to fix it. Maybe you've heard or read about the Omega Strategy. Or even own Professor Eric Knowles superb DVD program on it. Or maybe you never heard of it. Regardless, after reading Chapter 6--"Introduction to Omega Strategies, you'll have some new and powerful tools so you'll be able to respond differently... and more effectively... when you hit resistance from your prospect. Should you buy this book--and study it? Only if you have a business that's at least marginally successful (or you want to move towards becoming an expert in influencing others) and you want to install a supercharger under its hood. Apply what you learn from each of the 17 chapters, and be prepared to move into a higher orbit in more ways than just padding your bank account. Or pass it up and always wonder if you missed a book that could have been as impactful for you as Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich has been for millions over the years.

Humans ... we want everything and want to do as little as possible to get it. That simple concept applies to almost every aspect of our life and there is study after study to prove it. So how do you work with human nature in your business - where someone MAY have to work hard to get results?This book is a great read for everyone that likes to read scientific studies about how crazy and interesting we are as people. And this book does a great job of explaining the concepts and applying them to the real world - not just a science lab.Our brain does not distinguish between the person we see at the store and the person we see at the office. We don't have a personal and business brain ... so when you're studying influence and persuasion there's no real business application. It's an application to relationships and interactions."I will do the work for you" is a magical phrase to all people. Who doesn't want someone else to do their work??Here's some of the more fascinating tidbits I took away from the book (and there are hundreds so giving you a few is barely a taster of what's in there but will give you a sense): - When asked about hotly debated topics such as nuclear weapons people responded with OPPOSITE opinions depending on how the question was asked (so I think you want to be careful about how you ask questions!! Kevin Hogan explains this) - You can't persuade people if you can't get in front of them ... so how do you get your Foot in the Door (FITD) - he has several strategies. The big point here is that you should start with something small so people can say yes to it - then your foot is in the door to go for the bigger request. There are some fantastic examples of this. - What people will SAY THEY WILL DO is lousy predictor of their actions. Better to look at what they have done in the past to see what they will do vs asking them what they will do.Of course there are some common themes from other books like common enemy, law of reciprocity and law of consistency in here but it's all presented in a different way. Like I said in the title of this review if you are a Cialdini fan or you love reading about influence and persuasion strategies, want them with stories, examples AND scientific studies as examples, with applications to business and personal life you will enjoy this read!

Amazing book. It teaches you that people are emotional thinkers, not rational thinkers. Both men and women think emotionally and react emotionally instead of logically. So many interesting insights. This book has helped me in my professional career of sales and also in my personal life when dealing with relationships and my own emotions. Wish I had of read this book when I was in highschool and starting life as an adult.

Well written. Easily understood. Interesting perspectives. Well worth the time.