Recently, I went home for the weekend to visit my family. I went to look in the freezer for something, and it was taken over by a ton of cardboard boxes filled with cookie dough. My dad was in the kitchen with me and explained he bought the from a friend for his son who was selling for a fundraiser. I was beyond confused as there are only 3 people in my house while I’m at school, and I knew there was absolutely no way that they were going to eat 100 cookies anytime soon. It seemed like a waste, especially because we don’t really like the school fundraiser cookie dough. When I questioned this, he told me his friend’s son was selling them as a fundraiser for school. He said he really didn’t want them but because he liked the guy who was pushing them for his son, and he knew his son, he decided he would. I still didn’t think it was necessary to buy 100 of them, but he said that he felt pressure to ensure that he did his duty to the fundraiser to help and support his friend, because again, he really liked the guy and felt incline.

In Cialdini’s book Influence, chapter five discusses the concept of liking. Cialdini says that “as a rule we most prefer to say yes to the requests of someone we know and like.” (Cialdini, 167) Liking is essentially how a consumer acts when being asked buy a friend to buy or participate in something. You could need the product or you could not need the product, but either way you will be more inclined to purchase something from someone you like, according to Cialdini. “Other compliance professionals have found that the friend doesn’t even have to be present to be effective; often just the mention of the friends name is enough.” (Cialdini, 169) This is another interesting idea that Cialdini points out. The idea of pressures from friends can come from even just hearing their name, and from that we will be more inclined to participate or purchase. This can go to explain why so many business relationships are formed with an initial friendship as “professionals seek to benefit from the rule even when already formed friendships are not present….they get us to like them.” (Cialdini, 170) Overall, we find in most scenarios whether it be fundraising, business, parties, etc. the idea of liking plays a large role in participation and purchases.

While we certainly did not need 100 premade frozen cookie dough balls in my freezer at home, because my dad liked the guy who was selling for his son and did business with him, he felt inclined and essentially obligated to buy the cookie dough. He even decided to go above and beyond to really ensure that he was doing the right thing. This could also be considered from the flip side as my dad does business with this guy, and this small gesture could lead to liking from him, possibly encouraging the friendship and future business. Liking relates directly to this because if my dad had not known a man, trying to selling cookie dough for his son, he most likely would have declined. But, because he knew and liked the guy, and was probably trying to get the guy to like him even more, he fell into the persuasion trap of liking.