Plugging a Useful Meme
Imagine this was your drug rep.

I was over at #1 Dinosaur's, and he said he'd just been over at DB's, guess what he said: Just say no to drug reps!

And I thought I was all alone. (US site down? WTF?)

TANSTAAFL, people.

As a doctor and prescription-writer, I consider myself a judge of what medications to give, or not. "And you shall take no gift; for a gift blinds those who have sight, and perverts the words of the righteous." -Exodus 23:8

And now I'll repost (they're that good) Robert Caldini's "Six Weapons of Influence".

"* Reciprocation - People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing. In his conferences, he often uses the example of Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars in humanitarian aid to mexico just after the 1985 earthquake, in return to past gestures Mexico had with Ethiopia.

* Commitment and Consistency - If people agree to make a commitment toward a goal or idea, they are more likely to honor that commitment. However, if the incentive or motivation is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue to honor the agreement. For example, in car sales, suddenly raising the price at the last moment works because the buyer has already decided to buy. See cognitive dissonance.

* Social Proof - People will do things that they see other people are doing. For example, in one experiment, one or more accomplices would look up into the sky; the more accomplices the more likely people would look up into the sky to see what they were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people were looking up, that they stopped traffic. See conformity, and the Asch conformity experiments.

* Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts. Cialdini cites incidents, such as the Milgram experiments in the early 1960s and the My Lai massacre.

* Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware in what might now be called viral marketing. People were more likely to buy if they liked the person selling it to them. Some of the many biases favoring more attractive people are discussed. See physical attractiveness stereotype.

* Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a “limited time only” encourages sales."

Strewth!

--dex.

P.S. Wikipedia is having a pledge drive a la NPR. Reflecting on my heavy use of it, I gave $20 bucks. You should too. It's one of the best things about teh intarweb.  ¶ 7:32 PM