Product Description

Most of us are only too aware that, whatever roles we have in today's fast-moving world, much of our success lies in getting others to say 'Yes' to our requests. What many people might not be aware of, though, is the vast amount of research that has been conducted on the influence process. What factors cause one person to say 'Yes' to the request of another? Yes! is full of practical tips based on recent academic research that shows how the psychology of persuasion can provide valuable insights for anyone interested in improving their ability to persuade others - whether in the workplace, at home or even on the internet. It combines the counter-intuition of Freakonomics with the popularising of Does Anything Eats Wasps? For each mini-chapter contains a mystery which is solved in a way that provides food for thought for anyone looking to be more persuasive, and for anyone interested in how the world works.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3641 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 250 pages

Review
`If a CEO or head of state was limited to a single advisor my nomination would be Bob Cialdini' --Richard H. Thaler, co-author of Nudge

Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
"The ideas in this book changed my way of looking at the world. This thinking is the real deal. Want to be in on the next big idea? Don't miss out."

Octavius Black, Management Today
"You should read this book. You should read it because you'll enjoy it; because it's perfectly pitched for smart businesspeople; because it's easy to dip into while waiting for a colleague or a plane; and because if you don't someone else is going to get one over on you."

Customer Reviews

Too much of a good thing
'50 secrets from the science of persuasion'... Well, I'd never heard of `the science of persuasion' before and this is actually a series of short case studies based on social psychology academic papers published over the last decade or so. Each case study is presented as a problem, the experiment and results are described and then a `scientifically proven' solution is suggested. It's an appealing way of covering a broad subject and most of the results are thought-provoking and maybe genuinely useful. The only problem is that these snippets are not structured or ordered in any way so unfortunately fact fatigue sets in after about 30, and by the time you struggle to 50 the science of persuasion began to seem a rather disorganised discipline. An admirable book, but you might have thought `persuasion scientists' would have known a bit better how to determine exactly how much is a `good thing'.

A Treasure Trove of Insights
I have read The Tipping Point and Freakonomics and enjoyed them immensely. Yes! is a similar type of book - really enjoyable and based on what appears to be pretty solid evidence and research. It's practical too. As enjoyable as The Tipping Point and Freakonomics were I was left wondering how I could use the information. Short of impressing people at dinner parties with my new found knowledge of why drug dealers live with their mothers the personal applications of both books are few and far between. Not so with Yes! It is a treasure trove not only of the theory of persuasion but also how to put the theory into practice and become more persuasive (and let's be honest who doesn't want to be more persuasive?). In my humble opinion I think Yes! is highly readable, highly practical and highly recommended.

Isn't it all about getting to 'Yes!'?!
I work in professional services where the difference between winning a new client and losing an existing client is very often down to the small things like being more memorable in the customer's eyes. Yes! brings all of the important, and sometimes just small, things to the surface and offers them in a concise, crisp and fun to read book. Anyone who is looking for an edge in business does not need to attend one of the myriad of 'Become a success overnight!' courses currently on offer from many different sources but just to start by investing in this very useful book and not lose the opportunity to get an insight into those things that work! Not just because the author's say so but because research and scientific rigour has proven the approach as being superior!

Great topic, useful timing and extremely useful material. Thank you author's for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us!