The entire study of customer behavior is dedicated to examining the factors and motives that form purchase decisions, as well as the emotional, mental, and behavioral responses and influences these decisions have.

Customers are motivated by factors such as economics and finances, perception and market pressures, and their attitudes and beliefs—all while making a single purchasing decision.

Considering the various factors affecting a purchasing decision, understanding how to directly influence customer behavior is a marketing priority.

Learning about the psychological tool of persuasion—and how best to use it in your marketing materials—can serve as a powerful pathway to influencing customer behavior, relationships, and sales.

The Psychology of Persuasion

Persuasion, as defined by Psychology Today, refers to people's influence on one another. It's the ability to alter someone's beliefs, decisions, and behaviors through reasoning or appeal.

Persuasion has been a powerful tool of influence for a long time. The ancient philosopher Aristotle published ""three modes of persuasion" in his work about rhetoric. He suggests persuasion can be achieved by appealing to a belief in authority or trustworthiness, appealing to emotions, or appealing to reason and logic.

In modern thought, the science of persuasion has been championed by Psychologist Dr. Robert Cialdini's six principles of persuasion. Those principles are not just about influencing someone to do something. If manipulation is the goal, it can easily backfire in the form of a broken relationship. Instead, they serve to establish trust and common ground between two parties:

1. Reciprocity is gift-giving. If someone does something nice for you, naturally you are inclined to do something nice for them.
2. Commitment and consistency are about building trust. As humans, we like predictability and being able to rely on someone or something.
3. Social proof is feeling affirmed by others. If someone is leading and has already proved something is safe or sound, others are more likely to follow.
4. Authority is proving credibility through experience or expertise. As Aristotle demonstrated, people like to receive influence from those they deem credible.
5. Liking is building rapport. People are more likely to adhere to a request coming from someone they like or admire.
6. Scarcity is being valuable or rare. Naturally, people are motivated by things that are unique and valuable.

Persuasive principles and appeals like those can't guarantee a particular result or outcome. However, they may be helpful when presenting new thoughts or ideas.

How Persuasion Can Shape Customer Behavior

Persuasion techniques can shape customer behavior by serving as ">heuristic pathways (mental shortcuts) to purchase decisions. Since customers are saturated with advertisements, decision factors, and options, they're naturally looking for influences to shortcut the buying process. That's when persuasive marketing techniques can really drive customer behavior.

For instance, if a potential customer is looking for assurance while buying a software subscription, marketing messages that demonstrate authority—such as the number of years in business or having multiple reviews by satisfied customers—can influence the company to make a subscription decision.

Or if a company isn't sure which supplier to go through, having marketing materials that suggest social proof and demonstrate other businesses trust that supplier can help influence the decision, thereby creating a mental shortcut.

However, identifying what a customer is looking to fulfill in a purchase decision is not always straightforward. Compiling voice of the customer (VoC) research can direct you to real data on what a company's employees—as well as the primary decision-maker—think and perceive regarding their experiences with a brand. That data can then be used to link appropriate persuasive techniques with what customers need in order to make a purchase decision.