1.
The Art and Science of
Influence
Daniel Crosby, Ph.D.
www.doctordanielcrosby.com
(256) 683-5551

2.
Influence and You
Meeting client needs- “know your customer”
Maximizing client profits – prevent irrationality
Expanding existing portfolio
Client retention
Work smarter – runs deeper than “sales”
Getting buy-in from team members

3.
Power and Responsibility
“With great power comes great responsibility”
- Peter Parker
The things you will learn today are real and powerful.

4.
Prisoner’s Dilemma
What is the best
communal outcome?
How does this play
out over time?
…if the other initially
confesses?
…if the other initially
remains silent?

5.
RECIPROCATION
People return
kindness for
kindness, and malice
for malice
Transcends cultures,
allows us to build
societies

6.
Client: “Thanks so much
for assisting me with
that, it was a huge help!”
You: ???

7.
So What?
Add value without expecting return
Not dollar for dollar
Make the first move
Take action: Share your expertise, buy a cup of coffee,
pass along an article, make an introduction,

8.
Choose One
Which is the cubic zirconia and which is the true diamond?

9.
SCARCITY
People want what
they cannot easily
have
People act with a
sense of urgency
when they perceive
opportunity slipping
away

10.
Which is more persuasive?
“Acting on this will provide
countless benefits, such as…”
“Failure to act on this will be very
detrimental to what you’re trying
to do, for example…”

11.
The Art of Scarcity
People are motivated by the rare but attainable
Making an idea, product, or behavior out of reach will
prompt dismissal
Be sure to “connect the dots” on how to get from here
to there

12.
So what?
Financial barriers to entry
Highlight unique ideas and approaches
Make it time-sensitive
Keep it scarce but attainable
Concierge-limit number of clients
What do you better than anyone in the world?

13.
AUTHORITY
Milgram Experiment
Son of Jewish refugees of
WWII
Wanted to examine
motivation of Nazi soldiers
65% compliance rate
90% compliance when
authorities disparaged
student

14.
The Power of “Expertise”
Would you choose a cardiologist with 5 or
20 years experience?
Would you choose a therapist with an
M.S. or a Ph.D.?
In teams – build one another up
Individually – humility and confidence

15.
The Art of Authority
All products, services, and ideas have
weaknesses
Individuals find experts who acknowledge
weaknesses more credible
Immediately follow coverage of weaknesses with
discussion of strengths
Promote believability and open the door for your
strongest points to be heard

16.
So What?
What qualifies you to handle my money?
Ground yourself in firm’s expertise
Match expertise to pain points
How can you build up others?
How can others build you up?
Do marketing materials reflect expertise?

17.
COMMITMENT AND
CONSISTENCY
We want to be seen as
consistent
We want others to be
consistent – cognitive
shortcuts
We devalue other
decisions post-choice

18.
Power of Commitment
Initial
Choice
1 2 3 4 5 6
Commit 1 3 2 5 4 6
Amnesia 1 3 2 5 4 6

19.
Foot in the Door
California housewives -
five minute survey
Three days later – Can six
men spend two hours
rummaging through
cupboards?
More than 2x as likely to
consent

20.
Power of Labels
Homogenous group
with respect to
grades and behavior
Randomly assigned
as “poor,” “fair,” or
“gifted”
Arbitrary category
was the best
predictor of final
grades

21.
Power of Labels
Rosenhan Experiment
12 subjects, 5 states
Hearing “thud”
All given Dx and Rx
Some incarcerated for
months
Not a single subject was
discovered by doctors
Discovered by fellow
patients

22.
So what?
Initial commitment is the hardest!
What committed clients might make a larger
commitment?
Determine a small initial commitment for
prospective clients.
Who do you want your clients to be?
How should you treat them as a result?

23.
Asch Experiment

24.
CONSENSUS
The Asch Experiment
Most people are followers
Another cognitive shortcut
“This is our most popular
dish.”

25.
Leverage the Unseen
“They”

26.
Influence the Influential
Hard truth: The merit of an idea does not
predict its adoption rate as well as its
adoption by influential others does.
John Lancaster invented a cure for scurvy
that took 200 years to catch on.
The most influential people in a group are
usually slightly more gifted than the
masses, but similar in other important
ways.

27.
So what?
RS Funds – “Alignment with Clients”
Most popular offerings
Popular offerings for specific subsets
Narrative for similar clients

28.
LIKING
We are most easily
influenced by
people…
…that we like.
…the we perceive to
be like us.
What assumptions
do you make?

29.
Who do we like?
Physically attractive – halo effect
People who pay us compliments – sincere or
otherwise
People who make us laugh
People with whom we share a common
struggle

30.
Be a Detective of Personal
Brands
People “brand” themselves
in myriad ways
Cars, clothes, haircuts,
pictures, relics are all
peoples’ attempts at being
understood on their own
terms
Find and build on similarities
Take an interest

31.
So what?
Matching – beard, broker tie
Dress the part
Pay sincere compliments
Emphasize common struggles
Discover and build on common beliefs
Connect around common interests

32.
Lived Learning System
“Nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” –
Oscar Wilde
“If you hold a cat by the tail, you learn things you
cannot learn any other way.” – Mark Twain
Challenge: Apply learning by completing weekly
challenges over the next month and a half.