Small changes can make a big difference in your powers of persuasion.

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?

How can you win over your rivals by inconveniencing them?

Why does knowing that so many dentists are named Dennis improve your persuasive prowess?

Every day we face the challenge of persuading others to do what we want. But what makes people say yes to our requests? Persuasion is not only an art, it is also a science, and researchers who study it have uncovered a series of hidden rules for moving people in your direction. Based on more than sixty years of research into the psychology of persuasion, Yes! reveals fifty simple but remarkably effective strategies that will make you much more persuasive at work and in your personal life, too.

Cowritten by the world’s most quoted expert on influence, Professor Robert Cialdini, Yes! presents dozens of surprising discoveries from the science of persuasion in short, enjoyable, and insightful chapters that you can apply immediately to become a more effective persuader.

Why did a sign pointing out the problem of vandalism in the Petrified Forest National Park actually increase the theft of pieces of petrified wood? Why did sales of jam multiply tenfold when consumers were offered many fewer flavors? Why did people prefer a Mercedes immediately after giving reasons why they prefer a BMW? What simple message on cards left in hotel rooms greatly increased the number of people who behaved in environmentally friendly ways?

Often counterintuitive, the findings presented in Yes! will steer you away from common pitfalls while empowering you with little known but proven wisdom.

Whether you are in advertising, marketing, management, on sales, or just curious about how to be more influential in everyday life, Yes! shows how making small, scientifically proven changes to your approach can have a dramatic effect on your persuasive powers.

UK Sunday Express review of YES! says “For those of you who regard the advertising business as a short step down from selling snake oil, this book may make you go out and attack advertising billboards. Alternatively, it may just give you a valuable insight into the crazy world of selling. At the heart of this book is the belief that people’s decisions are strongly influenced by what we believe other people approve of us doing. The authors argue that six key principles lay behind favourably influencing outcomes. This book from Goldstein, Martin and Cialdini serves up plenty of weird and wonderful case histories, which certainly make for an unusual read.” — 2008 Jan 20

“A Jedi-like tome on persuasion. Combines expertise to make an entertaining guide to tried and tested methods of persuasion.” — Esquire Magazine

“A treasure trove of new information – fascinating offering countless insights into the way consumers behave.” — British Airways In Flight Magazine

“This easy-to-read summary of the social psychological research on persuasion really does tell people how to get to ‘yes.’ Since we are all selling something, including ourselves, all the time, everyone can, and will be, reading this amazing book.” — Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business and author of What Were They Thinking? Unconventional Wisdom About Management

“The ideas in this book changed my way of looking at the world. This thinking is the real deal. Want to be in on the next big idea? Don’t miss out.” — Daniel Finkelstein, The Times

“Yes! is the single best introduction to and distillation of research and wisdom on how to change peoples’ minds, including your own.” — Warren Bennis Distinguished Professor of Business, University of Southern California and author of On Becoming a Leader and coauthor of Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls

“If you had a team of bright guys looking for research that you can actually use to improve your effectiveness, and they wrote it up for you with wit and style, putting it in nifty little reports of 3 to 5 pages, would that be useful? YES! This book is the trifecta: first-rate research, lively writing and practical advice. Read it, enjoy it, use it.” — Dale Dauten, nationally syndicated King Features columnist, and author of The Gifted Boss

“In a world where persuasion is a more and more important part of what governments and organisations have to do, this book is invaluable.” — Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, RSA

“You should read this book. You should read it because you’ll enjoy it; because it’s perfectly pitched for smart businesspeople; because it’s easy to dip into while waiting for a colleague or a plane; and because if you don't someone else is going to get one over on you." — Octavius Black, Management Today

“YES! is the Freakonomics of social psychology. It’s a handbook to the world.” — The Times

“Surprising, provocative, fun.” — Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist

“Are there any nice little books I could buy as a present that wouldn’t insult the recipient’s intelligence? Yes. Or rather Yes!. It will help you understand why you’re buying Christmas presents when you don’t want to and when the people you’re buying them for don't want you to either.” — Guardian

“Fascinating, really.” — Jon Ashworth, The Business

“Essential Reading for Everyone in Sales or Marketing. Most of us are looking to be more persuasive. We want more sales, a bigger audience, more people on our team and want to convince others to see the value in our message. Scientific research shows that very small changes in how you present your message can make for monumental changes in the outcome of your persuasion efforts. Building on the principles taught in Cialdini's ‘Influence,’ ‘Yes!’ contains 50 short simple ways to be more influential. Easy to read, easy to implement. Anyone can find dozens of new ideas to get more results in everything you do.” — By Warren L. Whitlock “BestSellerAuthors.com” (Vegas)

“This is actually a series of short case studies based on social psychology academic papers published over the last decade or so. Each case study is presented as a problem, the experiment and results are described and then a ‘scientifically proven’ solution is suggested. It’s an appealing way of covering a broad subject and most of the results are thought-provoking and maybe genuinely useful. An admirable book.” — C. Young (Glasgow, Scotland)

“I’ve been a big fan of Dr. Cialdini for fifteen years. This book is such a wealth of information that you can literally take one page at a time and put its power to use over and over again. Based on the most current scientific research and studies, YES! is a cookbook of the most effective, useful and powerful techniques of persuasion and influence ever laid out for the public to see. It’s so simple you too can put it to work immediately after reading the short three pages detailing its precise method and use. And maybe even more important, there are a tremendous amount of unethical people out in the world trying to influence you without your knowledge. Protect yourself from these unscrupulous people! This is one book that has the power to enhance anything you seek to accomplish in your life.” — Steven Dworman (Los Angeles, CA USA)

“I work in professional services where the difference between winning a new client and losing an existing client is very often down to the small things like being more memorable in the customer’s eyes. Yes! brings all of the important, and sometimes just small, things to the surface and offers them in a concise, crisp and fun to read book. Anyone who is looking for an edge in business does not need to attend one of the myriad of ‘Become a success overnight!’ courses currently on offer from many different sources but just to start by investing in this very useful book and not lose the opportunity to get an insight into those things that work! Not just because the authors say so but because research and scientific rigour has proven the approach as being superior! Great topic, useful timing and extremely useful material. Thank you authors for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us!” — Dilraj Sidhu (London, England)

“This book is a goldmine of ideas. Whether you want to improve in managing your business life or personal life the book has it all for me. It now has a permanent place on my desk and I am able to pick it up at a moments notice and choose a chapter to revitalise myself. A must for those wanting to get better.” — Roger Easter (Surrey, England)

“Yes! is really enjoyable and based on what appears to be pretty solid evidence and research. It’s practical too. It is a treasure trove not only of the theory of persuasion but also how to put the theory into practice and become more persuasive (and let’s be honest who doesn't want to be more persuasive?). In my humble opinion I think Yes! is highly readable, highly practical and highly recommended.” — S. Kukielka (UK)