We have a deep psychological need to be even with others. If a person does something for you, we feel a need to get even by doing something nice in return.
The reverse is also true in that, if you do something that hurts others, they will feel the need to hurt you back as well, so be careful with that.
Look for Opportunities To Do Things For Others
The starting point of the law of reciprocity is to do things for others. Something as simple as opening the door for someone or getting someone a cup of coffee is a very powerful technique that you can use to cause people to like you and to feel obligated to you.
The interesting thing is that the Law of Reciprocity is not always immediate and the way in which it’s actually working is not always clear cut or easy to see. You may help a person in their time of need and find that your good will toward them comes back to you in the form of good will or help repaid to you from someone completely different.
That’s the beauty of it though . . . when you have pure intentions toward others and act positively on those intentions, life (via the Law of Reciprocity) will reward you in surprising ways (and good surprises are much more fascinating and enjoyable than being able to predict exactly how the good you do will come back to you, right?).
Ask a lot of questions. The more questions you ask of another person and listen closely to the answers, the more the person will like you and be more open to being influenced by you.
Brian Tracey .. Using The Law Of Reciprocity And Other Persuasion Techniques Correctly ..
Dr Ivan Misner .. The Law of Reciprocity is a part of social capital theory and, in simple terms, it basically states that what you give/put out to the world will come back around to you in equal measure (i.e., ‘what goes around comes around’) and if you help others, you’ll receive help in return ..