We all want to sell more. So how do we do this? A powerful sales technique exists that can help.\u00a0\u00a0The best sales organizations use it well; the worst, not so much. It is based on a psychological concept called reciprocity, and it might be what you need to get (or keep) your foot in the door.
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We discussed reciprocity in\u00a0our recent podcast episode<\/u><\/a>. Reciprocity is a concept in psychology that describes how people respond to a positive act with another one in return. For example, someone holds the door for you when you walk into the store, so you let them take the spot in front of you in line. People feel like when someone is kind to them, they should return the kindness.<\/p>\n Obviously, not everyone shares this idea or returning kindness after enjoying kindness. There is a whole other term for these ungrateful blokes.<\/p>\n Reciprocity is Everywhere\u2014Even Right Here<\/strong><\/p>\n Marketers use reciprocity all the time. It describes how they give customers or prospects something with the hopes that their generosity will be returned in higher sales or customer loyalty<\/a>. The idea is that the recipient will feel like they should return the favor in exchange for the gift offered.<\/p>\n Reciprocity is the concept behind content marketing (an activity you are participating in right this very moment). Organizations offer some of their knowledge through free eBooks, videos, articles, and\u00a0podcasts<\/u><\/a>\u00a0about their area of expertise to get new clients.<\/p>\n Another example of reciprocity in marketing are the address labels you get from the charities in the mail. The nonprofits print those and send them to you in hopes that their gift will inspire you to support their charity. They even include a return envelope and suggested donation levels to help you along your decision-making process.\u00a0It works, or charities wouldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n However, this example also demonstrates what happens when a good marketing idea gets overused. Like many of you, I receive numerous address return labels throughout the year, more labels than I could ever use. After the fifth or sixth envelope of my \u201cno-obligation gift,\u201d the return labels feel more like a solicitation than a gift and, therefore, no longer inspire me to contribute to their cause. The reciprocity isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n The Door in the Face Technique<\/strong><\/p>\n Return labels example aside, using the principles of reciprocity in your sales strategy is a fantastic way to sell more to your customers. The Door in the Face Technique first introduced by Dr. Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., uses the concept of reciprocity, albeit in a different way.<\/p>\n This video explains it well:<\/p>\n