Books
Methods of Pricing
Nick Kolenda has been obsessed with prices for 15 years, condensing thousands of studies into key takeaways. Methods of Pricing is a collection of all his pricing tactics on kolenda.io.
From strategic digits to persuasive layouts, you’ll discover inner secrets that large companies are using to make their prices feel cheaper.
You’ll learn why:
- Prices feel expensive toward the right
- 7.2% off converts higher than 8% off
- Prices with more syllables feel larger
- Steep discounts are enticing in ugly fonts
- $10 is better for a hammer, but not a knife
- A $1 trial can convert higher than a free trial
A beautifully jam-packed book with 200+ images, Methods of Pricing is a must-have resource in every marketer’s collection.
Methods of Persuasion
Commentary From Nick
Methods of Persuasion was the first book that I wrote. This book is a great introduction if you're new to behavioral science. If you’re an expert, try my other books.
75,000+ copies sold. Drawing from academic research in psychology, Methods of Persuasion explains a powerful 7-step persuasion process that follows the acronym, METHODS. You'll learn how to apply METHODS to influence people's thoughts, emotions, and behavior in nearly any situation.
Imagine Reading This Book
Commentary From Nick
I think this book offers the best explanation for why we make decisions. Most of the applications involve motivating yourself, but you can apply the ideas to influence decisions in any context.
You just asked yourself: Hmm, should I read the description for this book? And…here you are…reading the description. So, how did you make this decision? How do you make any decision? This book reveals the answer: Mental pictures.
Before you make a decision, you imagine the process and outcome to gauge your emotional reaction. If this imagery feels vivid and pleasant, then you confirm the decision. Using this knowledge, you can influence decisions by tweaking those mental pictures. Imagine Reading This Book exposes a fascinating quirk of the human mind, while offering practical (and unusual) techniques to influence any decision in life and business.
The Tangled Mind
Commentary From Nick
The Tangled Mind is my personal favorite. It has endless applications for designers, and it's fascinating for regular folks too. It'll make you see the world differently.
Humans learn by association. Every concept that you understand is connected to an earlier concept. So then, what happens if you retrace those connections? Wouldn’t you eventually find a starting point? Indeed, you would. The Tangled Mind argues that a few sensory concepts sculpted your perception of the world.
If you understand these principles, you can influence how people perceive anything — prices, websites, advertisements. And you’ll see how these concepts have sculpted deep-rooted beliefs and values (e.g., morality, religion, politics).
Commentary From Nick
I published my pricing guide in 2015, and it's become a massive checklist of fascinating tactics. Get all of my tactics as an ebook or paperback (I recommend the paperback because I sprung for a high-quality print).