Gift giving can create long lasting alliances
After the 911 disaster in New York in which 3 buildings collapsed, the donations rolled in from many places. One donation stood out. The town of Colombia in South Carolina, which is only a town of about 115,000 inhabitants, raised 350,000 dollars and bought a fire truck to donate to the New York fire department.
After being quizzed what motivated them to take this very particular action, it turned out inhabitants were motivated to do so because in 1867 a group of New York firemen had sent, as a gesture of peace, a state of the art hose carrier which had been destroyed by the union army at the time.
How is it possible that 135 years can pass between gifts?
The answer is the Influence Principle of Reciprocity. Reciprocity is be a powerful and wonderful tool to use in business and private life. The rule of Reciprocity states that:
You are obligated
to give back to me
the same type of behaviour
that I first gave to you.
As it turns out, a long time can pass and your valued behaviour that came first brings about in others that they should treat you the same. In business, if you’re hoping to have someone agree with your request or proposal, it helps you if they feel you treated them favourable before and they feel a need to repay that kindness.
To persuade someone, make sure you are the first to give
It pays off to be kind and that is nice dynamic in our societies. A free sample you provide can be enough to engage reciprocity, but the possibilities are of course endless. The more you give, the more they will reciprocate. The more the gift shows you put though into it and it is not a generic gift that suit anyone (key ring), the more powerful it will be.
