1.2.1: The Principle Of Liking

1.2.1 The Principle of Liking

Application: get real similarities and offer genuine praise.

Consequently, the first principle necessary for successful working process is considered to be The Principle of Liking. It may be explained by the following words – people tend to like those who have the same feeling and in general we prefer to say yes to those we fancy. For the reason that "liking" depicts a feeling of connection between people. But this simple word “liking” most honestly captures the concept and has become the standard appellation in the social science literature.
Robert Cialdini claims that if you want to influence people, make them your friends. How? Two factors are particularly important: the liking and praise. Liking is said to
W. Evans used demographic data from the insurance company reports to demonstrate that customers are likely to buy an insurance policy from a seller who was either about the same age, or the same religion, or he shared their political views, or simply was also a smoker.
Robert Cialdini underlines that managers can use the “liking” to build links with the new employee, the head of another department or even the new boss. Informal discussions during the working day may create the perfect opportunity to find at least one common theme. It is important to initiate communication as early as possible, as it will create a basis for trust and goodwill in subsequent conversations. Obviously, it is much easier to get support for a new project, in case one has got the buy-in from people that are invited to participate in that project.
Praise is said to be another reliable method to bind people to him. Praise is said to be flattering and disarming. Positive comments about the traits of another person, his attitude to the work or performance, in turn, creates a sustainable sympathy and a desire to follow someone, who gives appraisal. In addition to cultivating fruitful relationship managers can also use praise to recover corrupted or non-productive relationships (Cialdini, 2001, p.
More subtle application of this rule can be expressed as a manifestation of the trust, a spirit of cooperation and friendly location (Cialdini, 2001, p. 75).

Moreover, the effect of reciprocity can be found in the merchandising field as well. In spite of the large number of possible examples, it is possible to take a look at a familiar example of a “free sample.” As a marketing technique, the free sample has a long and effective history. In most instances, prospective customers are given a small amount of the product, which is provided with the following purpose: customers are told to try it to see if they like it. The principle of reciprocity says that they will come back for more as customers have to reimburse what they have for free.

Another good demonstration of the principle of reciprocity provides a number of studies carried out in restaurants. For example, when someone eats in the restaurant, it is likely that the waitress is going to bring some food for free, probably at the same time with the receipt. This could be a cookie with a surprise or just a mint. This raises the question - does somehow such a treat affects the size of tip? Most people say no, but the mint or the cookie might actually produce a wonderful effect (Cialdini R. B., 2011, p.