The Catalyst

January 13, 2020
In this practical, convincing introduction to the art of persuasion, Berger (Contagious), marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that people try to change minds in the wrong way. To influence others, he suggests becoming a “catalyst,” one who persuades not by pushing an agenda and marshaling arguments but by identifying and removing the barriers to change. In each chapter, Berger discusses a major roadblock to change (such as uncertainty or attachment to the status quo) and provides examples and case studies of overcoming that roadblock. He chooses broad examples, such as public health campaigns and interpersonal interactions, with particularly illuminating sections on eliminating teen smoking and cultivating mentorship habits within sales teams. In an insightful chapter, Berger explains how formal interventions can provide addicts with persuasive evidence of their need to change. Then he digs deeper, explaining how interventions create a high concentration of evidence, which becomes increasingly convincing for most people. Some of the discussions are strictly business concerns, such as how to encourage purchases by giving consumers free product trials. This broadly appealing guide will convince general readers, but will be of particular interest to sales and marketing professionals.