Have you ever bought a product or service and later had buyer’s remorse? Did you then kick yourself, wondering why you bought that product or service?

You might have fallen prey to one of many sales techniques that tap into deeply ingrained psychological patterns that sometimes bypass our conscious decision making process and cause us to make decisions on auto-pilot.

For example, have you ever bought a product or service from a friend that came from a direct sale, MLM, or other pyramid-like sales organization? Was this something that could have been purchased at the store down the street for much less than you paid?

Your purchase might have been triggered because you:
a) Had a liking response to the person or
b) You responded to social proof.

These are just two of the topic covered in Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.’s book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion .

This book has really changed my life. It has made me see the techniques that many sales professionals knowingly or unknowingly use to gain influence over my buying decisions. I promise you, if you have been taken by a confidence professional or want to avoid being scammed in the future, then get this book. You will not be disappointed.

Check it out:

Commentary: I just realized that I might be influencing your decision (Social Proof) by talking about the book and providing a link using an Amazon referral (how bad of me!). If you don’t want to use the referral link, then go to amazon.com (without referral link) or Google Book Search to search for a copy of the book.