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

Preface

I'll never forget the excitement of finishing The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking. The very first review copy we sent out was to Robert Cialdini, the guru of academic influence and the author of Influence: Science and Practice—the work I had studied in college.

Ten years later John Wiley & Sons, Inc., asked me to pen a book sharing what was new and exciting in the field of influence and persuasion. According to the June 5, 2010 issue of The Independent in the UK, The Science of Influence, First Edition went on to be the 8th most downloaded book in the world for 2009.

Then I considered the research that has transpired in the past decade in this field. There has been research about some of the most incredible facets of influence and persuasion that I only dreamed of 20 years ago. We know so much now that we didn't know in 1990 or 1995—it is truly awesome.

The Science of Influence is truly a new text for influence in the 2010s. I've collected the most profound elements of influence and assembled them into one easy-to-understand, very readable book. And that's important. Scientific research can be exciting to a scientist but a sleeping pill to the nonspecialist. My work was to take all the research, test it in the real world, and describe it so that anyone can understand it—and then utilize it. My goal is for you to read this book and eventually become comfortable enough with me to have a conversation instead of engage in a science lesson. ...