The Psychology of Reciprocity in Business By Edan Gelt

There is an unwritten law that says if someone gives you something, you should give something back.  It is an instinctual psychological reflex that has become a social norm but many of us don’t even realize it.

The other day I was back to school shopping with my daughter.  We were both starved and tired and decided to check out a new eatery, a unique fresh food concept.  We walked up to the counter and after quickly reviewing the menu we were overwhelmed. My overly picky daughter probably wouldn’t like anything and the menu seemed complicated for our starved state.

As we were about to walk away, the woman working behind the counter asked us if we ever had Kefir.  Of course we had; being married to a European, Kefir was a household staple.  We nodded and she said, “Before you go, take a free sample”.  She then grabbed a decent size cup and filled it half way with the frozen dairy delight and asked if we would like a topping.  She then handed it to us and told us to have a great day.

I took pause.  She just gave me a free treat.  I tried to tip her and she wouldn’t accept.  There I was, sharing a free treat with my daughter that someone had given me for free and wanted nothing in return.   We wound up exploring the menu further and ordered two full lunches from the menu.

I’m sure it wasn’t her intention to keep us there, she didn’t own the place and was just being nice but it was such an unexpected kindness, I instinctually felt I needed to do something – if not for her, then for the business.

Edan Gelt


This happens all the time – someone gives you a nice birthday present and you feel the need to give something back.  Someone buys you lunch, you treat the next time you go out. 

So how does this translate in business?


My own experience sums it up perfectly.  To build a brand, businesses should give to receive. It doesn’t have to be a lot but a little gift goes a long way.  Paying it forward is often the best business strategy.  When you give, without expecting anything in return, you will always get back much more than you originally gave.

By:  Edan Gelt, MBA, CMD

With more than 20 years of diverse marketing experience, including more than a decade at Harlem Irving, Edan Gelt has extensive capability in diverse marketing mediums across various industries, offering insight on marketing strategy, research, public relations, advertising, special events, social media, direct marketing, branding and more.


Edan Gelt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Elmhurst College and an Executive MBA degree from the University of Illinois.

For more information visit www.edangelt.com,
 or https://www.linkedin.com/in/edan-joy-gelt/ 

Comments

  1. Unknown8 August 2017 at 22:12

    Very helpful article.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Robert Googliealmo7 October 2022 at 22:53

    I really enjoyed reading your blog post on "The Psychology of Reciprocity in Business." It's really interesting to learn about the consequences of reciprocity in business. I think you've done a great job of getting your point across and providing concrete examples. I also really like the way you wrote your blog post. It was well-written and engaging. Pens

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FITNESS FAVES AND FADS – A MARKETERS PERSPECTIVE

Image
Last month I launched a social experiment, branding myself as a fitness mom and started a blog at www.edanjoygelt.com . My brand wasn’t far from the truth – I’ve religiously, worked out for decades and fitness has always been a part of my life, I just wasn’t an expert athlete. At the start of my experiment, my goal was to understand the impact of social media and obviously reap the benefits from the exercise but what I also gained was a lesson in the marketing and psychology of fitness.   A marketing strategist to the core, I was excited by what I learned and couldn’t wait to share.   Profit Model It’s well known that the strategy behind the lucrative fitness business includes a monthly membership fee and attendance.  The more people that sign up + the more people that don’t show-up = the more money the club makes.    This strategy has allowed many basic and full-service clubs to enter the market at varying costs and still be wildly profitable. Clubs may offer bare bones eq
Keep reading

Approaches to Gauge Your Fitness

Image
Achieving fitness goals can be a challenge for anybody. Through dedication, focus, and responsibility you can achieve your objectives. Everybody's fitness level is different and is personally based on factors including aerobic endurance, muscular fitness, adaptability, and body composition. Fitness is more than how quick or long you can run, how much weight you can lift or what your body looks like in a swimsuit. If you need to know how solid and fit your body is, have a go at surveying your fitness level with these tests: Resting Heart Rate Your resting heart rate can be a good, simple sign of your general fitness level. The quantity of times your heart pulsates every second, assesses your aerobic fitness limit. At the point when your body is very still and loose, take your pulse for 60 seconds. A lower RHR translates to a stronger cardiovascular system and higher aerobic fitness level. Brisk Walk This test shows the level your cardiovascular fitness is at. Utiliz
Keep reading