We are wired to reciprocate. If people give to us, we feel we owe the other person. Similar to the fairness tendency, if someone hurts us, we feel the need to hurt them back.
Companies can use this approach to:
Start a relationship by giving something, even if it’s small.
Negotiate by asking for something big and unrealistic at first, and then when the person says no, ask for something that is smaller that is the ultimate thing you wanted anyway. In an experiment performed by Robert Cialdini, this approach was incredibly effective.
Use the ‘foot in the door’ technique (a.k.a., Franklin Effect) by asking for something small that everyone will say yes to and then increase the sizes of the asks.
Source:
Michael Simmons & Ian Chew
