How one classic unlocked my instincts, sharpened my thinking, and changed how I see the world

By Steve Sharpe

I used to be the kind of young man who believed everyone was telling the truth. Wide-eyed, eager to please, one of life’s agreeable types. Not naïve exactly, but open in a way that made me easy to steer. Like Pinocchio before the strings were cut. Or Simba before the scars.

I didn’t grow up cynical. But I did grow up in a world that runs on persuasion. And I didn't have the tools to decode it.

That changed when I read Influence by Robert Cialdini.

I was in my early twenties, just getting started in marketing, and something about it hit differently. It wasn’t a business book, not really. It was more like the manual I never knew I needed… a guide not just to persuasion, but to protection.

A defence manual for the digital age

What struck me most was that Influence didn’t teach me how to manipulate. It taught me how to see. Why we say yes when we don’t mean to. Why we follow crowds. Why we feel obliged to return favours. And how these instincts perfectly human — are used against us all day, every day.

It gave me language for things I’d felt but couldn’t articulate. Social proof. Scarcity. Reciprocity. Authority. Consistency. Liking. These weren’t abstract theories. They were patterns, hidden in plain sight, shaping everything from politics to sales to the way we interact on social media.

I started spotting them everywhere.

A politician rallying in a packed stadium? That’s social proof. A sales email offering a free trial “for a limited time only”? That’s scarcity and reciprocity, neatly stitched together. Even the way content creators apologise for not posting — that’s consistency. We like people to stay the course.

From dopey-eyed to sharp

What the book gave me, more than anything, was a shift in posture. I began to see the world a little more sharply. Not bitterly. Not distrustfully. Just clearly. I stopped feeling like I had to go along with everything. I started pausing. Questioning. Watching what was being nudged, and why.

And as my career progressed, it became more than personal. Influence became the lens through which I understood great advertising. Not the loudest campaigns, but the most emotionally precise. The ones that understand how people really decide. Not what they say they want, but how they behave.

I’ve referenced it in brand meetings more times than I can count. I’ve used it to shape campaign logic, creative thinking, user journeys and pricing strategies. Not because it tells you what to do, but because it explains the forces beneath the surface.

It gives you psychological X-ray vision. Once you’ve got that, you don’t go back.

Why this matters more than ever

We live in an age of infinite influence. Every scroll is a decision. Every headline a hook. Every app notification a nudge. It is not paranoid to say the digital world is built to persuade us. It is just true.

In that context, Influence is more than useful. It’s essential. It doesn't make you immune, but it makes you alert. It gives you the tools to pause when you’re being pulled. To recognise that feeling in your gut, the one that says I’m being steered, and match it with language. With understanding. With choice.

It grows with you

The most powerful thing is this: the principles don’t just help when you’re young and green. They become even more vital as life matures.

When the negotiations get tougher and the stakes rise in your career, understanding how to frame value and read the room becomes everything. When financial decisions carry more weight — mortgages, investments, salaries — spotting the psychological levers at play can mean the difference between a good call and a costly one.

And then there’s parenting.

I’m about to become a dad, and already I’m thinking about the kind of influence I want to have. Real guidance, the kind that helps a child make better decisions for themselves. That builds confidence, awareness, and resilience. And Cialdini’s work has helped me realise how subtle and powerful those daily signals will be.

Every reward, every boundary, every moment of praise, they all carry weight. And now I have a framework to reflect on how that weight lands.

For anyone stepping into marketing

If you’re just starting out in marketing, or the creative industries more broadly, make this your foundation. Before you learn the tools, learn the truths. The fundamentals of how people think, decide, and respond.

You’ll work more ethically. You’ll sell more effectively. And you’ll know when someone’s trying to sell something to you.

It is, in the best sense of the word, a book that makes you sharper.

About the author
Steve Sharpe is a London-based senior client lead working in marketing and digital spheres. He has helped deliver campaigns and grow revenues for blue chip brands including Microsoft, Stellantis and the John Lewis Partnership, and has worked on marketing projects involving Ed Sheeran and online fitness creator Armz Korleone. Alongside his professional work, he is passionate about fitness, boxing, animal welfare and the everyday joy of becoming a father.