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You are here: Home / Blog / Persuasion / Tap into obligation to sell more.

Tap into obligation to sell more.

January 30, 2013 By maurasf

If I gave you something, would you feel obligated to give me something back? Of course you would. That’s reciprocity. We unconsciously feel obligated to give when we get. (If you don’t believe me, ask any woman who hates to cook and is invited for dinner at someone’s house. The first thing she thinks is, “Oh no. Now I have to cook!”)

Reciprocity is a very powerful selling tool. That’s why the promotional products industry is so powerful. Yet, I never understood why salespeople gave out the item at the end of the sales call. Why not give your item at the beginning? Create that sense of obligation when you start the sales call. That’s when you need it!

If you’re negotiating with someone, throw out the first offer. That’s a form of a gift. When someone comes to your office, give them something to drink. That’s another form of a gift. Time and choice are also forms of gifts that tap into our sense of obligation from reciprocity.

Think of other ways that you can incorporate the principle of reciprocity into your selling.

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Filed Under: Persuasion, Selling

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About the principal

Would you take auto mechanics classes when you buy a car? Maura did because she wanted to be able to work on her car. She takes that same approach to selling. She can show you how to get below the surface of selling to learn why and how different strategies work. She will show you which skills to implement that will shorten your sales cycle and increase your sales. She was Mobil Oil's first female Lubrication Engineer in the United States and one of Chevron's top 5 salespeople in the country. She knows what works for sales.

"I would recommend your work to other sales organizations who want to get better results from improved selling strategies."
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President
Houston Texans

Sales Expert at Allbusiness.com

Selling is the easiest job in the world. Just ask anyone who is not in sales. Read Maura’s ideas on “more brain…less mouth” selling to make your selling easier and more successful.

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