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

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