Check out Robert Cialdini. This guy is good. I heard a podcast from Stanford (you can get it on Itunes University) entitled, Executive Briefing: The Power of Persuasion, by Cialdini. I then checked out his website (the earlier link will take you there) and found a good introductory video to his work. I love academicians who are also practical and whose work is useable in real-time. I would love to meet him. I definitely want to meet him; he lives a couple hours from me.