reciprocityI’ve got news for you….

Nobody really gives a cr*p about you.

Seriously, all those leads and list members signed up to learn more because of curiosity.  But what happens once you satisfy that curiosity?

The lead or list member no longer has any reason to be interested in you.

They either unsubscribe, ignore you, or find you a bit of a nuisance as you try to get them to pay attention to you and to magically want to join your business.

Don’t get me wrong, the reason a lot of people use curiosity is because it can work.  If someone has never seen a business like yours before and it is presented to them in the perfect way for them to “get it”, they just might join.

Two flaws with this are:

1. Getting their attention in the first place

2. Curiousity will only last so long

Most people won’t seriously look at your presentation, they wont put away their phone or close facebook, they only want the “gist”.

And once your company or presentation becomes well known they simply want to know the name of what you’re doing and then no matter how it is presented to them they think they already know everything about it.

That’s why instead of simple Curiosity I use a concept called Reciprocity in my business.

Reciprocity is defined as: responding to a positive action with another positive action, rewarding kind actions.

Basically, it’s people show interest in people who show interest in THEM.

They want to return favours, if you ask them questions they ask you questions, if you look at their website they look at yours.

4 Ways to Use Reciprocity in Your Business

1. Making Friends on Facebook

I never just fling random friend requests out on Facebook.  I grow my network slowly but steadily by finding people who actually have similar interests or something in common with me.

Then I shoot them a message letting them know why I’m asking for the connection (i.e. looking to connect with other online marketers to support each other).

I ask them questions, like “what’s your business”, or “do you have a website I could check out”.

Never send anyone your website without them asking first, but you’ll find that due to reciprocity most will actually ask to see yours if you ask to see their website first.

Connect by responding to their posts, liking their pictures, etc.  They will be encouraged to do the same on yours! And Voila…. suddenly you have made true connections.

2. Getting An Actual Following on Twitter

Twitter is a slightly different animal. Stop focusing on followers, and start focusing on a following!

You want to get people to look forward to your tweets, to click on your links.

Again, with reciprocity consider doing what you want them to do.

Respond to their tweets, retweet and favorite their tweets.  Then when they see your name pop up they will already have a positive feeling towards you and be urged to do the same for you.

3. Promoting Your Business

This one is difficult for some.  But you need to understand that the internet is a very big place and there is room for ALL of us to make tons of money. 

When you come from this perspective, it is incredibly easy to promote other people’s businesses or interests.

It can be as simple as a Facebook comment on their blog post, or recommending that your friends check out their fan page and like it (be sure to tag them into the post so they know who is sending traffic their way).

TRUST ME, your friends will appreciate that you are suggesting things that you aren’t financially tied to which will help build their trust in you, and your contacts will be incredibly flattered and happy that you are helping to promote them!

This builds a bond faster than anything!

4. Driving People to Your Website

Instead of simply having links to your own site up all the time, promote other sites too!

If one of your contacts wrote a great blog post, tweet it to your following.  If they have a cool website that sells their crafts, suggest it to your friends.

Visit their website and leave comments.  Make sure you discuss the content so that it is clear you actually read the content.

The most important part of Reciprocity: This is not a tool to manipulate people …. it is a way of being.

People will see right through someone who isn’t genuine.  So show a genuine interest, get to know people.  I guarantee you will have much more fun in your business, it will feel more rewarding, and you will be making true connections with others.

Curiosity will still come as a byproduct, but people will already be predisposed to like you, to respect you, and to actually pay attention to your presentation!

(Seriously…don’t abuse this….be genuine!)

Why not start out by sending me a friend request on Facebook (don’t forget to send me a message or I might not give a hoot about you!)

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