Turn $50 into $250,000 with this Magical Strategy

Hey Everyone,

I once turned $50 into more than $250,000 using the Rule of Reciprocity.

It's that powerful...

Here's the story, why it worked, and how you can replicate it.

A prospect I was chasing down wrote a LinkedIn post about his favorite Saturday activity — getting Kane's Donuts (in Boston, Ma) with his daughter.

He'd been ducking my calls and emails for a few weeks — but I knew I could help him achieve his goals with high-authority backlinks.

On a Friday I sent him a box of Kane's Donuts to his office with a simple handwritten note:

By 2 PM, I had an email from him thanking me for the gift and accepting my request for a follow-up meeting. A week or so later, I closed the deal, and he's been a long-time client in what has become a win-win relationship... with retainers totaling over $250,000!

Why did this work?

I invoked the Rule of Reciprocity which taps into the human desire to avoid debt at all costs. When somebody gives us a gift, we're wired to repay that debt — and then some. This comes in the form of sporting event tickets, expensive dinners, etc. But, you can't go around giving out random gifts and expect to win clients. In order to initiate reciprocity the gift must be:

• Personalized

• Meaningful

In my case, the $50 box of doughnuts was personalized (specific to something John wrote about) and meaningful (make him look like a hero to his daughter) so he felt obligated to grant my meeting request.

But he didn't just hand me $250,000 because I bought him doughnuts — it's not that powerful. But I did purchase his undivided attention and a chance to demonstrate value. That's the key distinction, you can't buy loyal customers, you can only buy their attention for a short period of time.

Without an exchange of value, no business relationship will last.

How you can use it:

Most sales processes are excruciatingly boring and dry. Have fun and spice it up. The most powerful use of reciprocity that I've seen is to make somebody feel nostalgic. It's that emotion we feel when we think about the glory days...

For 99% of people, this is COLLEGE. Also, everybody proudly lists their school right on LinkedIn making it easy to get the info.

• Send them a school branded Yeti Mug with a note

• Send them a "bet" placed on their behalf when the football team plays their biggest rival

• Send them a bobble head mascot

Another great angle is to use somebody's hometown or city:

• Send a Bostonian lobster rolls from Goldbelly

• Send a Chicagoan a Lou Malnati's Frozen Pizza

• Send an Austinite their favorite Tex Mex

All of these examples are personalized and meaningful. If you're willing to invest in your customer relationships you'll be surprised by the enthusiastic responses. Just as you mark 100 emails per day "spam" so does your prospect. So if you want to stand out and win business — earn the right to get their undivided attention.

Let me know your best idea to turn $50 into $250,000!

Barrett

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Thanks for reading!