The ability to persuade others is critical to success, whether you are selling cars or a new corporate strategy. Psychology and marketing Professor Robert Cialdini has examined the component parts of influence, in the lab and on the street. He has learned that persuasion is a science as well as an art. Today, Knowledge@W. P. Carey begins a six-part series that explores Cialdini's principles of persuasion. The first: the importance of liking the person you are trying to persuade.

Social psychologists have long known that human beings often make choices about what to think, and what to do, based on the thoughts and actions of others. Simply stated: We like to follow the crowd. As a psychological phenomenon, it's called "social proof." And according to Robert Cialdini, the Regents' Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University and Distinguished Professor of Marketing in the W. P. Carey School, "social proof" is one of the six key principles underlying the powerful science of persuasion.

Nobody likes being known as a liar or as wishy-washy or erratic. So, when people make public commitments or promises, they will almost always want to back up those words with action. They have little choice: For reputation’s sake, they must do so. In the world of psychology, this is a principle known as "consistency," and according to Robert Cialdini, it's one of the six key principles behind the science of persuasion.

People trust experts. In courtrooms, expert witnesses sway the views of jurors. On television, expert analysts shape public opinion on everything from politics to sports. And in the real world, people give their trust -- and their money -- to experts every day, says psychology and marketing Professor Robert Cialdini. In the fifth of a six-part series, Cialdini discusses the principle of "authority" -- one of the six basic principles of persuasion.

In the digital age, more information is available to more people than ever before. But not all the information. Truly unique and rare information -- a hot stock tip, for instance, or a warning of an impending market shift -- remains a near-priceless commodity. Smart businesspeople want the inside edge, and they're willing to pay to get it. In the final installment of a six-part series on the science of persuasion, psychology and marketing Professor Robert Cialdini discusses how the principle of "scarcity" can be leveraged to convince people to buy into our suggestions, heed our advice or accept our business proposals.