Give Before You Get!
The principle of reciprocity describes the tendency of human nature to want to offer something when something is received. You feel obliged to do something in return because something was done for you, writes Murugan Santhanam
I felt so happy! Finally, I got an inquiry from our principal in Japan for Indian organic yarns.
My Japanese associate had requested some samples before proceeding to bulk orders. However, my happiness was only short-lived.
The real challenge began when I floated this inquiry among potential spinners in south India. Most of my inquiry emails seemed ignored and possibly trashed by the recipients.
Some spinners replied just mentioning nothing but the word “Regret”. I could imagine those spinners shedding tears for not being able to help me in supplying samples. Others took extra time and effort to explain their inability to supply the samples.
Some of the reasons they had invented to say, “For this reason, we are out!” are as below:
“Busy with current orders… it will take 2 months to produce this sample.”
“If you accept to pay the cost of the loss of our production efficiency, which would be around 5 times the bulk price…..we can discuss further.”
“Only if you can assure a bulk order……!”
“May we know the details of the buyer and his credentials….”
“Are you just comparing prices? We don’t want to waste time on quotations that never turn into orders.”
“Our technical team opposes producing this ‘small-quantity’ item due to production constraints with a single blow room line.”
“We can only give you yarn test data. If you are convinced, then place a confirmed order for a MOQ of 1 tonne.” (However, in my experience, most of the Japanese buyers don’t rely on test data. They normally confirm the yarn quality only based on their actual fabric quality.)
“Our consultant doesn’t approve this item as it would result in losses.”
From the above, it seemed most of the spinners wanted to do business in safety mode, working only on things that would bring confirmed orders, opposite to how a business usually works.
Despite these challenges, I eventually found one spinner who not only supplied the sample immediately but also did so free of cost.
This spinner became the approved vendor and now receives regular bulk orders.
This incident reminded me of an old lady who used to sit by the sidewalks of my school, selling sweets.
Though she had lost most of her teeth, she always wore a warm, welcoming smile.
Every morning, she would set up a small table with samples of her fresh sweets. She offered these samples to anyone passing by, whether they were regular customers or just curious onlookers.
Hooked on the taste, most of us ended up buying at least a full packet or two before we left.
This demonstrates the power of giving before getting.
Many times, I wonder about trees!
How can they give generously the honey from their flowers and fruits to the birds and animals only to spread a small quantity of their seeds and pollens further?
Nature teaches us many lessons, often through intangible and unfathomable laws waiting for us to explore. One primary law is coexistence, where generous giving and receiving occur between all creatures.
Humans are hard-wired to respond positively to a gift, even if we didn’t ask for it or want it. We automatically feel indebted to the giver.
Marketing is about finding and pushing the right buttons in someone’s brain to make them buy your product. This principle is called reciprocity.
The principle of reciprocity describes the tendency of human nature to want to offer something when something is received. You feel obliged to do something in return because something was done for you. However, if this reciprocity tactic is executed without authenticity, it may backfire (every rule has exceptions!).
So, let’s give (genuinely) and get (what we deserve!).
(This article is written by Murugan Santhanam. He is the Managing Director of Texdoc Online Solution Pvt. Ltd.)
