---
name: cialdini-outreach
description: Cialdini's 7 influence principles applied to B2B outreach with ethical guardrails and compliance boundaries
---

# Cialdini's Influence Principles Applied to Outreach

## The 7 Principles — Outreach Application

Each principle has an ethical boundary. Crossing it transforms influence into manipulation. The boundary is a hard constraint for this agent.

### 1. Reciprocity — Gift Emails

**Mechanism**: People feel obligated to return favors. Provide genuine value before asking.

**Outreach application**: Send a "gift email" before any pitch -- a relevant insight, industry data point, or analysis specific to the prospect's context. No ask attached.

**Template -- Value-First Email**:
```
Subject: [Industry] insight I thought you'd find useful

Hi [Name],

I came across this [data/analysis] on [their specific challenge]
and thought it was directly relevant to what you're working on.

[2-3 sentences of genuine value -- a specific finding, a data point,
a connection between their situation and something you've observed.]

No agenda here -- just thought you'd find it useful.

[Your name]
```

**Ethical boundary**: The gift must be genuine and unsolicited. Imposing unwanted gifts or creating artificial obligation crosses the line. The value must stand on its own even if they never respond.

### 2. Commitment & Consistency — Small-Yes Ladder

**Mechanism**: People maintain consistency with prior public commitments.

**Outreach application**: Reference the prospect's own stated priorities (from LinkedIn posts, conference talks, company blog) and tie your offer to what they've already committed to publicly.

**Template -- Consistency Anchor**:
```
In your [recent talk / post / company announcement], you emphasized
[specific value or goal they've expressed].

This is built around that exact priority: [tie offer to their stated goal].
```

**Ethical boundary**: Never fabricate or distort what they've said. Reference real, public statements accurately.

### 3. Social Proof — Peer Validation

**Mechanism**: In uncertain situations, people follow peer behavior. Reduces perceived risk.

**Outreach application**: Select proof points from peers similar to the prospect (same industry, size, problem). Named results with metrics outperform generic claims.

**Template -- Peer Proof Block**:
```
Companies similar to [Company] -- [industry], [size range]:

- [Company A]: [specific result in 1 line]
- [Company B]: [specific result in 1 line]

Happy to connect you with any of them directly.
```

**Ethical boundary**: Every claim must be verifiable. Never fabricate case studies, inflate numbers, or use fake testimonials. "Happy to connect you directly" is the authenticity test -- only include proof you can back up.

### 4. Authority — Credibility Signals

**Mechanism**: People comply with perceived experts. Expertise functions as a cognitive shortcut.

**Outreach application**: Lead with third-party research, not self-promotion. Cite independent data. Surface credentials relevant to this prospect's context.

**Template -- Authority Lead**:
```
[Third-party source] research shows [claim relevant to their problem].
Our work with [named context] is built on this foundation -- here's how we've applied it:
```

**Ethical boundary**: Never claim unearned credentials. Authority must be genuine and relevant to the specific context.

### 5. Liking — Genuine Rapport

**Mechanism**: People say yes to those they know, like, and feel similar to.

**Outreach application**: Research prospect's public communications. Surface genuine commonalities (shared values, background, priorities). Adjust tone to match their communication style.

**Template -- Genuine Similarity Opening**:
```
I noticed [specific thing from their content] -- [one sentence of genuine connection].

That's part of why I wanted to reach out specifically to [you/your team]:
[tie similarity to the purpose of the message].
```

**Ethical boundary**: Never fabricate similarity or use false flattery. If no genuine connection exists, skip this principle and lead with another.

### 6. Scarcity — Genuine Constraints Only

**Mechanism**: Rare or time-limited opportunities are more compelling. Loss aversion activates.

**Outreach application**: Communicate real constraints transparently -- actual capacity limits, genuine deadlines, true exclusivity. Frame losses, not just gains.

**Template -- Genuine Scarcity**:
```
I want to be direct about timing: we have capacity for [N] implementations
in [quarter] and [X] slots are already committed.

This isn't a sales tactic -- it's a genuine constraint. If timing works for you,
I want to make sure we can deliver at the level you'd expect.
```

**Ethical boundary**: NEVER use artificial scarcity. No fake countdown timers, no false "last chance" messaging, no manufactured urgency. If no genuine scarcity exists, omit this principle entirely and use value framing instead.

### 7. Unity — Shared Identity

**Mechanism**: Shared identity ("us" vs "them") amplifies all other principles.

**Outreach application**: Identify genuine shared context (industry, challenge, community, geography). Frame communications from inside the shared world using "we" language about the shared problem.

**Template -- Unity Frame**:
```
As someone working in [shared space], you'll recognize this immediately:
[shared pain stated from insider's perspective].

We've been wrestling with the same thing -- which is why we built [solution]
for people in exactly this situation.
```

**Ethical boundary**: Never falsely claim shared identity. The shared context must be genuine and verifiable.

## Pre-Suasion — Priming Before the Ask

From Cialdini's "Pre-Suasion": arrange for receptivity before the message.

**Key techniques for outreach**:

1. **Privileged Moment**: Ask a question that primes alignment. "How important is [value you deliver] to your team right now?" -- the prospect affirms their own value before reading your offer.

2. **Attention Channeling**: Lead with the problem vividly before the solution. Paint the current pain in the prospect's own terms before presenting an offer.

3. **Association Before Content**: Open with relevant context (industry news, shared challenge) that creates associative priming before the core message.

**Template -- Pre-Suasion Opening**:
```
Subject: [Challenge they care about] -- a question

Hi [Name],

Quick question: how important is [core value] to [their team] right now?

[Continue with your message, landing in primed attention]
```

## Ethical Guardrails -- Hard Constraints

These are not suggestions. They are non-negotiable rules for every piece of copy this agent produces.

1. **Never fabricate evidence** for any principle -- fake reviews, fake scarcity, fake credentials, fake social proof all cross into manipulation
2. **The 24-hour test**: Apply only what a fully-informed prospect would still feel good about 24 hours after reading
3. **Mutual benefit filter**: If your influence helps the prospect make a decision that genuinely benefits them, it is ethical. If it exploits their psychology against their interests, it is not.
4. **Verification rule**: Never apply scarcity, authority, or social proof to claims you cannot verify. If verification is unavailable, omit the principle entirely.
5. **Transparency on AI**: Never claim an AI-generated email was hand-written. But also never volunteer that AI helped -- let the human sender decide disclosure.

## Principle Selection by Sequence Position

| Sequence Position | Primary Principle | Secondary | Rationale |
|-------------------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|
| Pre-sequence (gift) | Reciprocity | -- | Build goodwill before any ask |
| First touch | Unity + Authority | Liking | Shared identity + credibility |
| Follow-up 1 | Social Proof | Consistency | Peer validation reduces risk |
| Follow-up 2 | Commitment | Authority | Reference their stated priorities |
| Objection preemption | Social Proof | Unity | Address "no" with peer evidence |
| Breakup | Scarcity (genuine only) | Liking | Permission to close creates urgency |

## Combining Principles

Effective outreach uses 2-3 principles per message, not all 7. Overloading triggers suspicion.

**Good combination**: Unity (shared context) + Authority (third-party data) + Social Proof (peer result)
**Bad combination**: Scarcity + Scarcity + Scarcity (manufactured pressure)

The strongest sequences layer different principles across touches, building cumulative influence without repeating the same lever.
