Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini was a good listen. It worked quite well as an audiobook as I listened to various anecdotes that spoke to some principles of influence. I will say that if I want to start using it purposefully in my life, I will probably have to go through the book again and really study the principles (or possibly just a summary at that point). However, even a passive listen to it can be quite beneficial.
The benefit of listening to Influence is that it will help you recognize various sales tactics that are being used on you. It’s the, “this is a tactic, not genuine” feeling that you’ll get when someone tries to get you to buy now with Scarcity tactics or by using Authority to promote something. No, that actor wearing a lab coat on TV is not actually a doctor, but your subconscious will still associate him with one even as that little text at the bottom says actor portrayal. Having a better recognition of those tactics in their various forms will help prevent you from making bad decisions.
The only real complaint I’d have is that some of the anecdotes don’t feel real. I doubt the author is really as gullible as he pretends to be… and then learns from it. I don’t believe his story about how a cute sales girl came to his door and asked him some survey questions then turned around and used his answers to get him to buy what she was selling. Is he really lying in the first place just to impress a cute sales girl that he doesn’t know and will probably never see again? It’s not like he’s hitting on a girl at the bar, he’s talking to a door to door saleswoman. I doubt it really happened or at least I hope it didn’t. I might think less of the author if it’s real.
Getting past that, the advice all seems good. He’s got 7 (in the updated version I read) principles and I can’t disagree with any of them. I’d recommend reading this book for anyone. We all are living in a world of sales people and other negotiations where we should be armed with our own weapons or at least recognize the opposing arms and counter them.