Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive Paperback – December 29, 2009

Yes! is a wonderful book written in the spirit of Covert Persuasion and Science of Influence. That means you get the research results without the methodologies and referencing in favor of digestable techniques and strategies with which you can have confidence.Goldstein, Martin and Cialdini first saw success with this book in the U.K. and now here in the U.S.One of the most difficult elements in writing a book about persuasion that doesn't simply review literature and report findings is teaching applicable strategy.Here the authors succeed.Each minichapter weaves about 4 or 5 research bits together to make for a quick five minute read that is generally upbeat, fun and to the point.The authors do a nice job of taking many of the studies which originally didn't have such simple-to-understand results and make them about as simple to get....as it's going to get.Finally there are a number of testable ideas for internet marketers especially when it comes to framing.This is a wonderful little book and a great addition to your persuasion library.Kevin HoganAuthor of The Science of InfluenceThe Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say "Yes" in 8 Minutes or Less!

First I want to say that Yes! is not comparable to Robert Cialdini's long-standing masterpiece Influence: Science and Practice. This is because the two books are very different from each other in style and purpose. I recommend both, but not for the same reasons.With that out of the way, I want to thank the authors of Yes! for making a book that is highly accessible (only a few pages per topic) and highly usable (topics can be used individually or together in any combination). Most books on persuasion specifically and marketing in general lack both of these qualities, making them difficult to read and almost impossible to apply. A breath of fresh air was needed and this book provides a full oxygen tank.A good approach to take here is to read the whole book, front to back, at least a couple of times. The book is designed to let you browse through it, but a single idea presented in a single paragraph may not pop out at you right away, or may be skipped when you're window-shopping for ideas. After reading a couple (or more) times, they are easier to internalize. And as we all know, you have to internalize stuff, and apply it with your own style, before it really becomes useful.Internalize this book and apply it. You'll get your money's worth.

"Just because yes is simple and obtainable, we shouldn't be fooled into believing that anyone can easily secure it from others""Yes!; 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive" by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. CialdiniThe title says it all really; the book is filled with 50 ways (I'd rather say "examples") of persuasion. They are (for examples);"What one word can you start using today to increase your persuasiveness by more than fifty percent?""Which item of stationery can dramatically increase people's responses to your requests?"SPOILER ALERT!! (the answer to the two questions are; "because" and "Post-It notes")...I'm not going to list all 50 ways from the book; I'll go right to my Six Elements Review that the ideal business book is "easy to read, distinct, practical, credible, insightful, and provides great reading experience"Ease of Understanding: 8/10; the small book is separated into 50 chapters and each chapter takes less than 5-10 minutes so, it is easy to understand. However, the drawback of Yes! is its lack of structure; 50 ways are loosely tied (if at all) together.Distinction: 8/10; it is undoubtedly a great compilation of persuasion techniques. The highlight is the word "50'; it is difficult to provide readers with 50 ways "persuasively" but Cialdini, Goldstein, and Martin could do it.Practicality: 4/10; as interesting as those fifty ways are, I can say that it is very difficult (if possible at all) to implement any of them appropriately. Each situation in the book or in your lives is unique. It is more possible to successfully persuade others and look back to the techniques in the book and match them than the other way around.Credibility: 6/10; the gook point is that every way is backed with good and, sometimes, amazing example(s). The bad point is, it might not be enough to use one example (or a couple of them) to describe the ways and claim that they are "scientifically proven".Insight: 5/10; I think 5 is fair because as you know that there are fifty ways! It is impossible to dig deep into every (any) way.Reading Experience: 9/10; This is, by far, the most outstanding element of Yes!; this book is fun. Take this book with you along with another book and if you're bored with the other book, take some times off and read Yes!; it is refreshing. I would compare the book to Aesop Fable not that they are childish and fictional but they are;1. Concise and precise2. Every story teaches you a valuable lesson3. You mention it in a hindsight when something already happened! ("Oh, this situation is like the story of "The Hare and The Tortoise"... "I persuaded my friend and it was like the way no.XX from Cialdini's book"!)Overall: 6.7/10; I'd say "buy it"; it's fun and won't waste your time because you'll learn many things from the book and you'll find those examples and stories amazing. However, be careful when you try to do any of those ways; make sure you think of the other 49 ways first!Viriya Taecharungroj[...]