You’re looking out for the interests of your readers, customers and clients and because you have built that loyalty, they too are concerned about you and they are looking out for your best interests as well. Robert Cialdini wrote about the power of reciprocity in his books “YES” and “Influence”. The law of reciprocity is more powerful than many businesses even know.
Gone are the days when businesses talked about themselves and how good their products and services are. We – the consumer, have become tired of the self-centered and self-serving tactics that narcissistic companies have thrown at us over the years. In this day and age, we, the consumer, have become aware of these tactics and they no longer lead us to buy.
Consumers have now banded together to share, influence and help one another. This has become most prevalent with the growth of social media and our need and desire to share and connect. It’s these connections and fostered online relationships that have moved us away from accepting the rigid confines of companies dictating their offers to us. Our very vocal social tendencies have moved us towards a very intuitive and instinctive realization that we do matter. Our needs matter tremendously. Companies cannot thrive without us and we now feel empowered to be more vocal and share our thoughts on the products and services that we use.
Now, with the abundance of companies competing for their share of the pie – and vying for our attention, these companies know that we mean business! If we feel that our needs are not met, we won’t hesitate to go elsewhere.
The Law of Reciprocity works both ways. If companies meet our needs by going out of their way to ensure that we are happy, we will share our love for their products and services with everyone we come in contact with. The same is true for anyone who goes out of their way to connect others. If you know someone with a need and then you connect them with someone you know who can fulfill that need without wanting or expecting anything in return, you naturally will be rewarded at some point because those two people will remember that you helped them out. And naturally, when they think of you in the future, they will want to recommend you to those they know. Companies that try to listen and connect with their consumers and users are the ones that are thriving. They understand the laws of reciprocity and the power of reciprocity moves them ahead in business.
So, whether you are a product creator or a service provider, if you listen to your audience and give them the results that they desire, you will thrive and grow as a business. People will talk about you and share their love for your offerings. That means your business will naturally start to market itself without heavy strategic or misleading tactics. The universe will naturally work in your favor.
Using the law of reciprocity in business is abundantly rewarding if you do it with grace and with a genuine desire to help your audience and partners to reach their goals. It’s a true testament to the ideology that you reap what you sew.
Share your thoughts! Do you use the law of reciprocity in your business? Have you read any of Robert Cialdini’s books or learned through his teachings?
Please share your thoughts on this topic. I’d love to hear from you!
Janice
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