Law of Influence
Create pull by aligning the request with their interests
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 99%
The Law of Influence creates pull by connecting a desired action to the other person's own reasons for acting. Begin with internal motivation—know what outcome you seek—but direct attention outward. Ask how the request aligns with the person's goals, needs, wants, desires, and values. Identify the problem it helps them solve and the destination it helps them reach. If no credible alignment exists, change the proposal rather than pushing harder. This produces commitment because the person can see why the action benefits them; pressure produces only fragile compliance. The framework does not require self-sacrifice or becoming a doormat. It asks the influencer to place the other person's interests first within an exchange that can benefit everyone. Influence is therefore earned through relevance, trust, and alignment, not imposed through force of will.
Origin
Bob Burg presents the Law of Influence as the third Go-Giver law and uses the contrast between pulling and trying to push a rope to explain its mechanism.
Core principles
- 01Influence pulls rather than pushes
- 02Stay internally motivated and outwardly focused
- 03People act for their own reasons
- 04Alignment earns commitment more reliably than pressure wins compliance
How to run it
- 1
Define the desired action
Be clear about what you want the person to do and the legitimate goal behind the request.
Pro tip Separate the outcome from your preferred method of achieving it.
Watch out A hidden objective makes authentic alignment difficult.
- 2
Turn outward
Identify the person's goals, needs, wants, desires, values, and current problems.
Pro tip Use discovery and listening rather than guessing.
Watch out Your quota is not a customer benefit.
- 3
Test the alignment
Explain how the action helps the person become better off or move toward a place they already want to reach.
Pro tip Use the person's own language when describing the benefit.
Watch out Do not manufacture alignment that the facts do not support.
- 4
Invite commitment
Present the aligned action without pushing and allow the person to decide for their own reasons.
Pro tip A clear choice can reveal whether the alignment is genuine.
Watch out Pressure can turn a sound proposal into resistance.
In the wild
A salesperson needs to close a deal but does not make their target the customer's problem. They connect the proposal to the customer's stated goal of reducing processing delays, demonstrate how the change addresses that problem, and invite the customer to assess whether the improvement justifies acting.
→ The customer can commit for their own operational reasons rather than complying with pressure.
Common mistakes
Leading with your reasons
Quotas, financial needs, and personal urgency do not explain why the other person should act.
Treating influence as force
Pushing a person's will may create resistance or temporary compliance rather than commitment.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for salespeople, leaders, and negotiators seeking genuine commitment rather than reluctant compliance.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when the proposed action cannot honestly advance the other person's interests.
From the transcript
“the essence of influence as you said is pull as opposed to push”
“we need to be internally motivated but outwardly focused because remember people don't do things for our reasons they do it for their reasons”
“what problems am i helping them to solve how am i helping them to get to a direction or get to a place where they…”
From the episode
Bob Burg on Closing More Deals with the Go-Giver Sales Strategy