Cialdini and Martin have pulled together six universal principles of persuasion that can lead to big differences in your ability to influence and persuade others in an entirely ethical way:

1. Reciprocity – people are obliged to give back to others the same form of behaviour, gift or service that they received first. In context of social obligation, people will more likely say yes if they owe you something. Ultimately be the first to give and make it personalised and unexpected.
2. Scarcity – people want more of those things they want less of. It’s not enough to simply tell people about the benefits of your product, you need to point out what is unique about your proposition and what they stand to lose if they don’t consider it.
3. Authority – people follow the lead of credible and knowledgeable experts. If someone introduces you by pointing out your credentials, you tend to have more selling success in the end.
4. Consistency – activated by looking for and asking for small initial commitments that can be made. By getting people to make voluntary, active and public commitments (and them in writing) breeds consistency.
5. Liking – we, as humans, tend to like people who are similar to us, pay us compliments and who cooperate with us. Give genuine compliments before you get down to business.
6. Consensus – people will look to the actions and behaviour of others to determine their own. Rather than relying on our own ability to persuade others, we can point to what many others are already doing to guide them.