RECIPROCITY you back : “ Thank you . Oh , and I was going to tell you about your hair .” or “ Oh , I was going to tell you about that shirt . I don ’ t know where you got it . It ’ s amazing .” Sound familiar ?
Another example of reciprocity is going to lunch with a friend and grabbing the bill before your friend does . In most cases , your friend will say , “ Oh , I wanted to do that . Hey , next time lunch is on me .” Because people have an internal desire to be even . And what most people and companies do wrong is thinking reciprocity is “ I ’ ll do for you when you do for me .” The companies that thrive , the companies that go above and beyond , the ones that stand out from the competition , are the ones that get the art of reciprocity right and manipulate reciprocity to fit within their business structure .
Eight years ago , one of the forms of reciprocity that I created that I think was a game changer for my company — I can ’ t actually measure the ROI on it , but I know it ’ s been significant to the tunes of millions of dollars — was my Weekly Wisdom video program . I ’ m in the education business , and I always want to help people get to another level . I write books and create courses and do events to give people a path and a plan to help them achieve the level of success they desire , whether it ’ s in personal development or in real estate education on how to invest and diversify a portfolio . But besides the education , besides the books , I want to overdeliver . I want to give value without the person even knowing it ’ s coming .
This thought crystallized into an action plan after I attended an event where the entrepreneur trainer , Eben Pagan , said the following : “ Take your business to another level and move the free line .” And what those words meant to me was that I should give away for free some of the things that my competition is actually charging for and then raise the quality of what I do offer for sale . And lo and behold , an unintended reciprocity program was started that very week . I went home and decided to create videos for my entire network of people who follow me , buy from me , or know me outside of my business . I recorded a video a week , delivering my thoughts on success strategies , success habits , and positive mind-sets ; on how to overcome problems , how to get through tough spots , and how to focus on solutions . Here in these videos were all my ideas on how to be successful that I ’ ve developed over the years .
Well , that was over eight years ago , and I still do one video every week . I ’ ve had millions of people follow these videos and that builds a form of reciprocity . Every week , they get an email with a video that delivers massive value and it ’ s free . They don ’ t have to buy the video to access it . I don ’ t ask them to buy anything . And what that has done is strengthen my bond with my community . For those who buy from me , there is a feeling of , “ Wow , I bought this , but look at what else I got .” So later on when I come out with a new product or a new service or a new book , those people are excited to get it because I ’ ve given them so much value in advance . And I know I get recommended more , I get suggested more , and my books and my courses get this viral effect because of reciprocity .
Cynics can look at reciprocity as a game , like a trick to get your clients to do something , or a trick to get your spouse or anyone in your life to do something . Or you can make it part of your business , a part of your life , a new mind-set :
I ’ M GOING TO GIVE IN ADVANCE . I MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY GET IT BACK FROM THE PERSON
I GIVE IT TO , BUT THROUGH THE UNIVERSE , THROUGH THE BUSINESS WORLD , THROUGH GOD , THROUGH WHATEVER I BELIEVE IN , IT WILL COME BACK TO ME TENFOLD IN NEW AND EXCITING WAYS AND EXPAND MY BUSINESS .
I think reciprocity is the key rule that many companies miss . +
Dean Robert Graziosi is a well-known American entrepreneur , marketer , success coach , business owner , real estate investor and leading trainer throughout the world . He has appeared daily on American TV for nearly 15 years and is highly respected as a top businessman , entrepreneur , multiple New York Times best-selling author and Inspirational speaker . Graziosi is perhaps best known for his long running interview style TV shows and for becoming the leading real estate educator in the world . He has reached viewers in America and around the world who number in the millions . He has written five books which have dominated the success , business & real estate book sales space since 2006 , with his best-selling book amassing over 1,000,000 copies sold . DeanGraziosi . com
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