Giving Value First

In the infamous book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, the “Law of Reciprocity” states that you must first give value, before you are entitled to compensation.
I think that this post by Seth Godin is a great example of this:

The panhandler’s secret

When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were precious.

One day, I’m walking down the street and I guy comes up to me and says, “Do you have a dollar for four quarters?” He held out his hand with four quarters in it.

Curious, I engaged with him. I took out a dollar bill and took the four quarters.

Then he turned to me and said, “can you spare a quarter?”

What a fascinating interaction.

First, he engaged me. A fair trade, one that perhaps even benefited me, not him.

Now, we have a relationship. Now, he knows I have a quarter (in my hand, even). So his next request is much more difficult to turn down. If he had just walked up to me and said, “can you spare a quarter,” he would have been invisible.

Too often, we close the sale before we even open it.

Interact first, sell second.

How funny it is, that this message has been taught over and over through the Centuries! We’ve read it from The Bible to “ The Go-Giver“, heard it from Napoleon Hill to Zig Ziglar. I teach it in Networking and social media workshops, and people still look puzzled. People still “aren’t sure”!
Here’s a tip: when people of all walks of life, of every era, background and status tell you to do the same thing, do it! They are themselves giving you VALUE in their wisdom.