Question

Define and discuss the 6 principles of persuasion. Next, describe a situation, either fictional or real-life, where you were tasked with persuading an individual or group at your place of work to do something that you wanted them to do or help you with. Remember that this should not include a situation in which you, the boss are telling your subordinates what to do; the communication should occur between equals. Describe how you used thee 6 principles during the persuasion process. Were all 6 of the principles applied to the process of persuasion? If not, what was missing from your argument?

Answer 1

Reciprocity: it recognizes that people feel indebted to those who do something for them or givethem a gift. People tend to return a favor, thus the pervasiveness of free sample in marketing.For example in marketing, the reciprocation principle    explains why free samples can be so effective, people who receive a free, unexpected gift      are more likely to listen to a products features.

Commitment and consistency: if people commit orally or in writing,they are more likely to honor their commitment because of establishing that ideal or goal       as being congruent with their self-image. People do not like to back out of deals;people strive for consistency in their commitments.

Social proof: people will do a thing that other people are doing. For example when people are uncertain about a course of action,they tend to look to those around them to guide     their decision and actions.They want to know what everyone else is doing especially their peers.

Authority: people will tend to obey authority figure,even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts. People respect authority;they want to follow the lead           of the real experts.

Liking: people are easily persuaded by other people that they like/know. People are also likely to favor those who are physically attractive, similar to themselves or those who give them compliments.

Scarcity: perceived scarcity will generate demand. The more the rare and uncommon a thing,the more people want it

Part time, I deal with marketing of Energy Saving Jikos. Recently, I had approached a close family friend of mine, whom I would closely regard as a brother.We are colleagues, working in the same NGO. I wanted to increase my sales and I saw him as a viable opportunity.Due to our friendship relation, I was informal as we could make a joke or two.(liking)I explained to him the advantages of using the jiko : how economical it was cause it was cheap, how fast it cooked meals and it was also environmental friendly,as other customers who had recently purchased it had confirmed the benefits to be true.(social proof).

Furthermore, I went ahead to inform him that such a jiko was not distributed all over. This was because the jikos were only getting famous in the market thus the need to avoid a huge supply that can result to losses.

Not all the principles were applied in the persuasion.From my argument , I could not be able to give him a sample of the jikocause at the mean time I did not have one hence lack of visuality of the object being sold. Also due to our relation, I took advantage of the fact that he was my companion hence avoided the need of being committed and having persistence.