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

Chapter 1. Influencing Others to Change

This book is about getting people to change . . . something—a behavior, an attitude, a product, a service, their relationship to or with you. You want someone to do something different from what they were doing a few minutes ago. You want someone to say yes to you, now. In order for that to consistently happen it would probably be a good idea to know what it is that makes people tick. I want you to know precisely what it is that gets people to not only say yes but, if necessary, say yes all the time!

My life has been about helping people change and teaching others to change people. It's exciting, it's fun, and I've been fortunate enough to discover many keys that other promoters of influence have neglected to look for. I've also been fortunate enough to have access to a world of research from both the academic and real (i.e., private sector) worlds. The process of causing change, getting people to question the status quo, and actually implementing the change in another person's brain is an exciting process.

Short-term decisions of yes or no are much easier than achieving long-term change. Permanent change is difficult. Period. You go to the same grocery store every week. You go to the same gas stations, attend the same church, take the same route for your daily walk or jog, work out at the same gym . . . well, you get the idea. You do the same things every day, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, the stability of these behaviors can ...