Principle of Reciprocity

Dear Friend,

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In this blog, I will discuss one of the principles of persuasion that Robert Cialdini discussed in his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

The principle that I will discuss is the principle of ....

Reciprocity

Robert Cialdini discussed in the book about the automatic compliance in us humans. He proves this first in presenting how a mother turkey protects her chicks by hearing the sound "cheep" "cheep" that is being made by her chicks. To prove  that there is an automatic response by the mother turkey to the "cheep" "cheep" sound, they made a stuff polecat which is a natural enemy of a turkey. When the mother turkey saw the stuff polecat she immediately become in the attack mode, but when the stuff polecat produced a "cheep" "cheep" sound, of course this was fabricated by the researchers, there was a strange thing that happened. The mother turkey becomes the protector of the stuff polecat. 

 Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay

Cialdini said that if this is applicable to animals, this is also applicable to humans because we are also a member of the animal kingdom based on science. In 1978, there was an experiment conducted by Ellen Langer at Harvard, she conducted an experiment about the power of the word "because".  She set up people to break in the line waiting to use a busy copy machine on a college campus. She had different specifically worded request:

 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

1. "Excuse me, I have five (5) pages. May I use the xerox machine?"
2. "Excuse me, I have five (5) pages. May I use the xerox machine, because I have to make copies?
3. "Excuse me, I have five (5) pages. May I use the xerox machine, because I am in a rush?"

The result of compliance were as follows:  1.  60 percent , 2. 94 percent 3. 93 percent , the results showed that there was very little difference to the statement that used "because". They repeated the experiment with twenty (20) pages and the there was an increased result in the real reason. 

Another phenomenon that caught my attention in the book of Cialdini is the technique that applied by Sid and Harry who own a tailor shop. The brothers will have a conversation about the price of the suit the customer liked and Sid will ask Harry about the price of the suit, since they were apart, they were shouting. 

Tailor Shop: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Sid said,"how much is the suit?" In a loud voice

Harry replied in also a loud voice almost screaming; "forty two dollars"

Then Sid will reply; " how much?' still in a load voice.

Harry arrogantly replied; "forty two dollars".

Then Sid said to the customer; "twenty two dollars". 

Then the customer paid quickly the twenty two dollars and leaves the store before the Sid discovered there was a mistake. They do this to avoid price haggling.The target price is also twenty two dollars.

The above mentioned automatic compliance that humans do is like the "cheep" "cheep" sound that the turkey chicks do to have the protection of the mother turkey. And also the stuff polecat that produced sound like the turkey chick is an amazing experiment that proves that there is an automatic response.

Now, back to us human beings. With that in mind that there is an automatic response, in Cialdini's term "compliance", the principle of reciprocity is a potent weapon of influence.

In the book he analyze the technique that was used by the Hare Krishna Society. The Hare Krishna is an Eastern religious sect with centuries old roots traceable to the Indian city of Calcutta. They expanded their reach to the entire globe particularly in America. One of the ways how they raise funds is by asking donations in airport and train terminals from the arrival of people. The Krishnas were having difficulty in raising funds by getting donations this way, by just asking. What they did was offered some flower or book and said "this is a gift for you", of course the flower is the most cost effective gift. Afterwards there was a member in a few steps maybe far from the one that gave the gift and asking a contribution. This is the benefactor-beggar strategy that was successful for Hare krishna. This produced funding of temples, businesses, houses and properties for the Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna : no copyright infringement is intended

This is how the reciprocity rule works in persuasion. I had the same experience with this. In one of the gasoline stations in our area there were many establishments in the gasoline stations, there were individuals that give key chains in exchange of donations. They expect that they can get more than the value of their key chain. There is a feeling of indebtedness when you get something in advance. Sometimes there was regret in this strategy when the benefactor do not want to donate and feels that there is an unfair exchange.

In the same book of Cialdini, there is also an experiment that conducted by Professor Dennis Regan of Cornell University, the experiment have invited some subject to rate the paintings on art appreciation. Now, the experiment goes like this; the assistant in facilitating the subject in rating the painting goes out and said that he will go back immediately after that he came back he returned with two bottles of Coca-Cola, one for the subject and one for himself. In other cases, the assistant did not bring a bottle of Coca-Cola. Later, after the subject rated the paintings, the assistant indicated that he was selling raffle tickets for a car and if he sold the most tickets he could win a fifty dollar prize. The tickets were prized at twenty five cents apiece and any would help and the more the better. He was successful in selling to the subjects that was given a Coca-Cola and even that the subject that was not given a Coca-Cola buy some tickets the amount of tickets of the subject that was given a Coca-Cola is greater in amount. This is very obvious that they feel in-debt to the assistant the one that gave the larger amount.

An Abstract Painting: Photo by Steve Johnson from Pexels

Businesses are adapting this strategy by giving free samples. This is how the Amway Corporation grows into a multi-billion dollar business. A free sample is an offer that you cannot refuse. Amway representatives leave their prospect some free products in a bag, a set of products like furniture polish, deodorizers, shampoo, insect killers , etc. Then in a certain period of time, the Amway representative will have a visit to the household then inspects what was being used and take an order and probably proposed to try some new products. Actually, personally as a sales professional myself, I used this technique in our air conditioning business, we are giving a free survey and free audit of the air conditioning system of a prospective prospect in our area of business. An offer that cannot be refuse, in having savings in the future by having knowledge of the present condition of their air conditioning equipment.

Image by Michael Tavrionov from Pixabay 

Another strange thing of this reciprocity rule is the unfair exchanges. One example that Cialdini mentioned in the book is a woman having a car that would not  start for the day that she needed the car most and their neighbor offered some help and he made the car start. Now here comes the unfair exchanges came, when the neighbor goes to your door and ask to borrow her car and she feel obligated to comply. Because in some point the neighbor did something that the woman becomes in-debt to the neighbor, and her neighbor totaled her car. How come an intelligent woman agreed to this kind of unfair exchange.

Image by Ich bin dann mal raus hier. from Pixabay 

Now this blog is getting longer but before I close I cannot close without mentioning the principle that is one of my favorite in the reciprocity rule. This is the rejection and retreat technique. The technique is you make your request high enough then retreating in your target request. The example that Cialdini mentioned in the book is the boy scout that sells tickets and he do not want to buy the tickets and the boy scout sell him the two(2) bars of chocolate. And Cialdini realize that this was a reciprocal concession.. Because he did not comply to the first proposal now he is now somehow obligated to comply to the lesser proposal, a retreat proposal. You can see this when somebody ask you a loan, you will notice that they are asking a large loan and then retreat to a lesser amount that they think you can easily afford to lend. Then you are now in compliance to the request. 

So, you must be aware of this reciprocity rules. You can use this and also you can defend your self about this. You can check the whole book of Robert Cialdini's , Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion , through this link...https://amzn.to/2zb8YGd

Regards,

Persuasion Psycho

P.S. Check the FREE REPORT that reveals: "21 Powerful Ways To Persuade People To Do What  You  Want".  >>Click Here<<