Power Tip #3: The Power of Reciprocation
August 15, 2007 – 12:56 am | by Carl Zetterlund
This tip is from Robert Cialdini’s Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition)
Reciprocation is the good old give and take. When given something, people have this powerful feeling that they are indebted. Since it’s not a positive feeling, they look to get rid of it as fast as possible. The best solution is to just give something back.
It’s so simple, but yet so powerful. The secret is that there is not a perfect correlation between the size of the gift and the feeling of indebtedness. This means you can offer something of relatively little value and have a much easier chance of getting your request fulfilled by the person.
Think of the possibilities!
Carl
P.S. I’ll go into further detail in a full length post. Until then, check out Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition)
4 Responses to “Power Tip #3: The Power of Reciprocation”
By Mike S on Aug 15, 2007 | Reply
Nice blog. I like the idea.
By Carl on Aug 15, 2007 | Reply
Thanks.
By Rubab on Aug 15, 2007 | Reply
receprocation is good even if its about feelings and wishes.
By Carl on Aug 15, 2007 | Reply
Rubab: Most definitely. It’s something everyone should do and can be very positive for you and the other person.
I’ll try to get into that more in a full post later. I’m trying to shorten my Power Tips and Power Profiles to short right to the point posts about one aspect.
Thanks for the comment!