“Psychological reciprocity” is one of the most powerful sales levers a radio sales professional can develop.
In his book, The Psychology of Persuasion, Dr. Robert Cialdini identifies psychological reciprocity as “the deep rooted subconscious need to return effort to those who put forth effort for us” as one of the six most powerful influences on human buying behaviour.
Even the Hare Krishna, that unusual 1970’s group with shaved heads and ill-fitting robes, knew the power of capturing unsuspecting travellers’ deep rooted subconscious need to return something to those who did something for them.
They discovered that the likelihood of receiving a donation from an unwilling passerby would increase dramatically if they gave their victims a complimentary rose before asking for a donation. They also knew it didn’t matter that the donor didn’t want the rose. In fact, the robed team always had one member scurrying about collecting the roses that donors threw in trash bins, to give to the next prospect.
If you want to stand out in the maze of traditional media and the growing list of new media competition, you must put in the extra effort required to generate the psychological reciprocity that is necessary to give you a competitive edge.