Patrick van der Burght still remembers the two cassette tapes that changed his career: two lectures by Dr. Robert Cialdini, lent to him by a business coach back when he was a scuba-diving equipment sales rep driving the highways of southern Australia. “It blew me away,” he says. Two decades later, he’s a founding member of the Cialdini Institute, and in this conversation he breaks down the seven science-backed principles that decide whether people say yes to you — and why most businesses are using them by accident, badly, or not at all.

Patrick has been teaching the science of ethical persuasion since 2000, first inside his own sales career and then across entire organisations. He's a founding member of the Cialdini Institute, ranked 4th among Cialdini Certified Trainers worldwide, and has worked with businesses from Westpac to Fortune 500 companies on turning the psychology of decision-making into practical, honest strategy.

We Also Talked About
Why 90–95% of our decisions are made by the fast, intuitive part of the brain — and what that means for how you pitch anything.
Why a "free" ebook that asks for your email first isn't actually a gift, and how that mistake quietly kills reciprocity.
The real reason a perfect 5.0 star average can hurt you more than it helps.
Why wearing a business suit made 350% more strangers follow a man breaking the law at a crosswalk, and what that says about trust.
The difference between liking and unity, and why finding what you have in common with someone cut deadlocked negotiations from 30% down to 6%.
How to tell a genuine authority from a fabricated one, and what to do when someone uses fake authority or fake testimonials on you.
Why countdown timers and "only 2 left" messages usually backfire, and what real scarcity looks like instead.

If any of this has you rethinking how you ask for a yes, there's more where that came from every week. Want this kind of practical, expert help every week — before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Resources Mentioned
Patrick's website: https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/
Free downloadable guide to the Seven Principles of Ethical Persuasion (no email required): download here
The 7-Day Influence Challenge: https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/free-influence-persuasion/
35 days of free access to the Continuity Program: https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/continuity-program/
Patrick's podcast, Ethical Persuasion Unlocked: https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/podcast/
The Cialdini Certified Practitioner Course (Dr. Cialdini's 8-week flagship training): https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/cialdini-certified-practitioner/
Patrick's book, How to Hear YES More Often: Harnessing the Power of Influence and Ethical Persuasion in Business: https://geni.us/hear-yes-more-often (affiliate link)
Dr. Robert Cialdini's book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion: https://geni.us/influence-by-cialdini (affiliate link)
Dr. Robert Cialdini's book, Pre-Suasion: https://geni.us/Presuasion (affiliate link)
The Cialdini Institute: https://cialdini.com/
Patrick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-van-der-burght/

My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home — practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Patrick van der Burght still remembers the two cassette tapes that changed his career: two lectures by Dr. Robert Cialdini, lent to him by a business coach back when he was a scuba-diving equipment sales rep driving the highways of southern Australia. &ldquo;It blew me away,&rdquo; he says. Two decades later, he&rsquo;s a founding member of the Cialdini Institute, and in this conversation he breaks down the seven science-backed principles that decide whether people say yes to you &mdash; and why most businesses are using them by accident, badly, or not at all.
Patrick has been teaching the science of ethical persuasion since 2000, first inside his own sales career and then across entire organisations. He's a founding member of the Cialdini Institute, ranked 4th among Cialdini Certified Trainers worldwide, and has worked with businesses from Westpac to Fortune 500 companies on turning the psychology of decision-making into practical, honest strategy.
We Also Talked About
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Why 90&ndash;95% of our decisions are made by the fast, intuitive part of the brain &mdash; and what that means for how you pitch anything.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why a "free" ebook that asks for your email first isn't actually a gift, and how that mistake quietly kills reciprocity.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The real reason a perfect 5.0 star average can hurt you more than it helps.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why wearing a business suit made 350% more strangers follow a man breaking the law at a crosswalk, and what that says about trust.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The difference between liking and unity, and why finding what you have in common with someone cut deadlocked negotiations from 30% down to 6%.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How to tell a genuine authority from a fabricated one, and what to do when someone uses fake authority or fake testimonials on you.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why countdown timers and "only 2 left" messages usually backfire, and what real scarcity looks like instead.</li>
</ul>
If any of this has you rethinking how you ask for a yes, there's more where that came from every week. Want this kind of practical, expert help every week &mdash; before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter
Resources Mentioned
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Patrick's website: <a href="https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/">https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Free downloadable guide to the Seven Principles of Ethical Persuasion (no email required): <a href="https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/eBook-the_seven_principles-of-ethical-persuasion-introduction-provided-by-Patrick-van-der-Burght-of-Ethical-Persuasion.pdf">download here</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">The 7-Day Influence Challenge: <a href="https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/free-influence-persuasion/">https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/free-influence-persuasion/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">35 days of free access to the Continuity Program: <a href="https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/continuity-program/">https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/continuity-program/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Patrick's podcast, Ethical Persuasion Unlocked: <a href="https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/podcast/">https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/podcast/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">The Cialdini Certified Practitioner Course (Dr. Cialdini's 8-week flagship training): <a href="https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/cialdini-certified-practitioner/">https://ethicalpersuasion.com.au/cialdini-certified-practitioner/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Patrick's book, How to Hear YES More Often: Harnessing the Power of Influence and Ethical Persuasion in Business: <a href="https://geni.us/hear-yes-more-often">https://geni.us/hear-yes-more-often</a> (affiliate link)</li>
<li aria-level="1">Dr. Robert Cialdini's book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion: <a href="https://geni.us/influence-by-cialdini">https://geni.us/influence-by-cialdini</a> (affiliate link)</li>
<li aria-level="1">Dr. Robert Cialdini's book, Pre-Suasion: <a href="https://geni.us/Presuasion">https://geni.us/Presuasion</a> (affiliate link)</li>
<li aria-level="1">The Cialdini Institute: <a href="https://cialdini.com/">https://cialdini.com/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Patrick on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-van-der-burght/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-van-der-burght/</a></li>
</ul>
My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home &mdash; practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

This podcast is for new and emerging online business owners who are determined to do what it takes to reach their financial goals, help people along the way and learn a bunch of useful new skills. Have a love/hate relationship with the tech? We talk about that. Not sure you have what it takes to achieve success? We talk about that, too, plus how to deal with mindset challenges. Trudy Rankin, Founder of the Online Business Program, shares actionable tips that will help you really get your business growing, as well as interviews with experts and inspiring stories so that you can grow your online business with confidence.

This podcast is for new and emerging online business owners who are determined to do what it takes to reach their financial goals, help people along the way and learn a bunch of useful new skills. Have a love/hate relationship with the tech? We talk about that. Not sure you have what it takes to achieve success? We talk about that, too, plus how to deal with mindset challenges. Trudy Rankin, Founder of the Online Business Program, shares actionable tips that will help you really get your business growing, as well as interviews with experts and inspiring stories so that you can grow your online business with confidence.

Online Business Launchpad | Start An Online Business | Online Business Growth

The Online Business Launchpad podcast shares tips, techniques and stories from small business owners who have solved problems and challenges like the ones you face.  This podcast is for you if you want to increase revenue and profits without burning out so that you can have more time for yourself and your family and more choices in how you live your life.

The Online Business Launchpad podcast shares tips, techniques and stories from small business owners who have solved problems and challenges like the ones you face.  This podcast is for you if you want to increase revenue and profits without burning out so that you can have more time for yourself and your family and more choices in how you live your life.