Reciprocity
is a time-honored way of persuading people and gaining cooperation
in a friendly manner. But did you know reciprocity can also
serve as a simple tool to skyrocket your sales? It’s
true!
What
exactly is reciprocity?
Reciprocity operates on a principle with which we are all
familiar: someone gives you something or does a favor for
you, and you are naturally inclined to pay them back somehow,
even if the other person expected nothing in return.
Nonprofit organizations
and charities are masters of turning reciprocity into a
money-making tool. You have probably received mailings from
charities that include a roll of personalized address labels.
You may have thought that was a nice touch. Then you notice
a letter asking for donations with a return envelope conveniently
attached. Believe it or not, a majority of people end up
sending donations. And as if that were not enough, the charity
then receives free publicity each time you use their address
labels.
Of course, this
is just one example. In this case, address labels are useful
and handy to keep around, but this technique also works
with useless gifts as well. Political parties have a knack
for securing donations by including a beautiful party membership
card with each mailing. Over 20% of recipients respond with
a contribution to these mailings, even if many of the cards
end up in the trash.
The point here
is that reciprocity works. And it can make you money.
Next time you
send out a mailing or thank-you letter to a customer, consider
including a gift. The result will almost invariably be better
customer relations and drastically increased sales, especially
in the form of repeat business.
Some ideas for
‘reciprocity hooks’ are pens, pins, labels,
bookmarks, letter openers, bottle openers, and ‘preferred
customer’ coins. You can even make your gift seasonal
by including such popular items as Christmas ornaments.
All of these can be inexpensively imprinted with your logo,
making them unique and special.
Regardless of
your reciprocity program’s needs, we want to help
you make the most of it.
Before
long, you too could benefit from the secret that charities
and nonprofits have used for years to explode their income.
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