The third of Dr. Cialdini’s principles of influence is Authority.  This principle simply states that people tend to believe that “If an expert says it, it must be true.”

Now, by including the word “expert” when explaining this principle I think it can be a little too limiting.  This principle does not apply just to “experts”, it applies to everyone.  Another way of thinking of it is that the person with the most credibility in any situation will generally have the greater influence.

Dr. Cialdini gave two great examples of how businesses have used specific tactics to increase their credibility with customers, therefore giving them more influence.  In both cases, the businesses used the understanding of the following to increase their credibility:

Mentioning a weakness honestly before stating a strength establishes trustworthiness (credibility).

Think about it.  If you were having a conversation with someone and they honestly admitted a weakness of theirs before stating their strengths, wouldn’t you feel that they were honest and credible versus boastful and egotistical?  Well, the same is true in the marketing slogans of businesses.  The two examples that Dr. Cialdini gave are:

“We’re #2, so we try harder.”

and

“We’re expensive, but you’re worth it.”

If you didn’t immediately recognize them, these are the slogans of Avis and L’Oreal.  Both of these slogans do a fantastic job of honestly mentioning a weakness before establishing a strength, and both brands were very successful in winning customers for their brands.