I never understood the value of persuasive writing until I became a writer myself. The art of leading others to do what you want is probably the most essential thing in business.

You want to draw your customers in to buy your products. You want to ensure that your colleagues seek to pursue your vision. And when running a business, you are always in need of help from others to make it better.

With so many people trying to sell their work, views, products and services, it can often feel impossible to be heard amongst the noise. It is even worse for customers as with more choices comes a more complex decision-making process.

Unfortunately, you could have the best product or service and still take ages to receive the rewards you deserve. However, with a bit of studying and understanding human behaviour, you can speed the process up.

After developing something great to sell to your audience, the most vital part comes. And that is the ability to get your customers to pick you. In this new market, we are seeing a rise in salesmen rather than quality products.

Whether you like it or not, the art of selling will always be vital to your success. Having a great product is not good enough anymore, especially when there are so many people doing what you do. So, a simple and powerful selling strategy is vital. One technique is based on the power of reciprocity.

Once you know how to use this negotiating strategy to your advantage, you will see an instant change in your results. So, here is how you can start getting people to do what you want. Whether that is subscribing to your mailing list or buy a product, you can increase your chances by using this trick.

Reciprocity and Why It Is Important

Reciprocity is one of the first selling techniques we learn, yet we tend to forget it. It is the practice of exchanging things with others so that both parties can receive benefits.

You will find that we do this all the time. A good example is when someone decides to share what they are eating to try the other persons. If you think about it, that is quite strange.

After all, if the person is happy with their meal, why would they do it? It is because we enjoy exchanging things with others. We have been doing it for years to survive and still do it now with money.

We have built a whole society on the trade of goods and services because we like this idea of reciprocity. The key is understanding how we can use it on a micro-scale to influence others.

A study was done to investigate how a company can increase the number of people responding to surveys. So, they split a group in two and carried out the following:

Group A was asked to complete a survey nicely and was told if they did, they would receive $25. Group B was told that they were receiving a $5 check and then were asked to complete the survey.

In both groups, the survey was optional to complete. To their surprise, people in group B were way more likely to complete the survey despite there being less money on the line. Plus, they were getting the money anyway.

What was even more interesting is that people in group B tended to be more honest. They did not ask for the $5 check until they completed the survey. Meaning businesses did not have to lose a load of $5 checks without getting what they wanted.

As you can see, by simply giving before asking for something in return, people are more likely to help and be open.

How You Can Start Applying It?

Well, you have already seen a great example if you want customers to leave reviews on your product. You can send emails awarding them a free small gift and then ask them for their feedback on a recent purchase.

However, there is another way I have found that has been working for me recently. When trying to connect with new customers, start the connection by allowing them to offer something to you.

By doing this, you allow for an exchange to be made. For example:
If you are trying to help writers make more money, do not comment on their article:

“Hey, I have a free course/publication that can help you drive more traffic and make more money. Are you interested?”

Yes, the course is free, and your message is direct and delightful. However, if you want a devote follower who will go onto buy something, you can ask:

“Hey, I enjoyed your article on self-awareness, is there a service or product you would suggest I try?”

Then, once you get a reply, lead with:

“By the way, I also have a free course to help writers like you drive more traffic to your articles. Are you interested?”

I can guarantee almost all of you reading this felt more compelled by the second example. That is because you are in a state of reciprocity and feel the need to exchange. Even if you are not interested, you feel a sense of guilt because it feels like the other person gave you something.

Closing Thoughts

The power of reciprocity will help you build a more genuine customer base that seeks to do things for you. It is one of the easiest yet most overlooked ways to sell something to others.

By simply giving someone a voice to give you advice, you can make them feel more urged to accept an offer. So, begin implementing this into your selling strategy. Your customer base will love it, and you will finally have people buying that product no one seems to be interested in.