How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Página 210

cope with their indebtedness by complying and filling out the
questionnaire. Rather than take on that uncomfortable sense of obligation
or indebtedness, it was easier to sacrifice the benefit of gaining $20
altogether.
The Rule of Obligation also presents itself in the following situations:
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
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


Taking a potential client out to dinner or to play golf
Offering free tire rotation or fluid fill-up between services
Someone washing your car windows at a stoplight whether you
want them to or not
Generating money at "free" car washes by asking for a donation
after the service is rendered
A carpet cleaner offering to clean your couch for free

[6]M. S. Greenburg, "A Theory of Indebtedness," Social Exchange: Advances in
Theory and Research 3 (1980): 26.
[7]Bob Stone, Successful Direct Marketing Methods (Lincolnwood, Ill.: NTC
Business Books, 1994), p. 92.
[8]S. H. Berry and D. E. Kanouse, "Physician Response to a Mailed Survey: An
Experiment in Timing of Payment," Public Opinion Quarterly (1987): 102–114.
[9]Ibid.

Fundraising and the Rule of Obligation
In the early 1980s, the Hare Krishna movement encountered difficulty in
raising funds through their traditional means. The rebellion of the 1960s
had given way to the more conservative 1980s, and the Hare Krishna
members were now considered almost an affliction to society. To
counteract negative public opinion, they developed a new approach that
utilized the Rule of Obligation. Their new fundraising strategy worked
because it prompted a sense of obligation that outweighed the dislike or
negativity felt toward the Hare Krishna movement.
The new strategy still involved solicitation in crowded, public places, but
now, instead of being asked directly for a donation, the potential donor
was first given a free gift — a flower. If someone tried to turn it down, the
Krishna follower would, under no circumstances, take it back. The
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