The power of reciprocation is very strong in human society.
It has to do with person one doing something for person two. Person two feels
‘indebted’ to person one. Therefore, anytime person one asks person two to do
something for them, person two feels obligated (regardless of the size of the
request). This concept of reciprocation is common in all human society. It is
something that is taught in early childhood and has social consequences if not
abided by. For example, an Olive Garden server asked if I wanted to try a free
sample of wine. Free wine? Of course I would like a sample. After checking my
ID, he pours me about one fourth of a glass. A couple minutes later he comes
back and asks if I like it. I said yes. Then he asked if I would like a glass
with dinner. I responded no (it was kind of awkward). After placing our orders,
my boyfriend promptly lectured me that I shouldn’t have taken the free wine if
I didn’t want to pay for a glass. I ended up feeling guilty, I had gone
against the reciprocation rule.
During breaks from school I work at a small health club in
York. I work the front desk. Basically I answer the phone and give tours. Each
time I give a tour, I ask the person or group what they are looking for in a
gym. When they respond, I imply that I like the same things and explain and
show how our health club can meet their needs (indicating that I know from
personal experience). I try to build a liking based on similarity so that at
the end of the tour, they are more willing to sign a one year contract and I
can make my commission. Unfortunately this does not always work for me. I
attribute that partially to the high membership prices, partially to the
sluggish economy, and partially to the fact that I’m not a pushy salesperson.
It makes sense that we let people that we like influence us.
Also, a “free” gift triggers a "click, whirr" response. It is in human nature
to practice the reciprocation rule. We are consciously and subconsciously
influenced everyday by people using these tactics.
Another interesting example of influence. I also frequent Olive Garden and I have done the exact same thing. I feel guilty if I try the free wine and then do not purchase a glass with dinner. It is sort of an unspoken rule that you do not violate but in the end you are still paying for a good meal that isn't on the cheap end. In sales you must adapt and tell the person what they want to hear, and it seems like you know how to do that. Good job.
ReplyDeleteFree gifts can definitely stimulate that Click, Wrr. But, if someone at Olive Garden asked if I wanted some free wine, I would say of course! Then if the waiter came back to ask if I would like to purchase some, I would say “No, but I will take some of that free wine!” Haha, but you are right that restaurants do this trick all the time with “free” samples. It works remarkably well though. I know when I worked at Finishline, they had me clean people’s shoes with one of our cleaners and after I was done and the customer had a nice, clean shoe I would ask if they would like to buy it. It worked 7/10 times I felt like! People would feel bad that I would clean their shoes, so what is a 6 dollar cleaner? I made quite a few sales that way.
ReplyDeleteI liked your real life wine example at Olive Garden because it is a great example of how influence can really work in the business world. Although you are obviously not obligated to purchase any wine after the free sample is given to you, many people do feel guilty saying no. Using free gifts such as samples is an effective way to draw in customers and persuade them to buy a product that they may not have otherwise known about or ventured out to try.
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