The Rule of Reciprocity

I learnt a great rule of persuasion from a bikeman in Ile-Ife. Let me share with you. 

One Sunday, I took a bus from Lagos to Ife and alighted at my junction with plenty of luggage. I struggled to get a bike due to my load. The junction is just a 3-minute walk to my building, and the bike fare should not cost more than N150. However, the bikemen around started calling out N400, which felt like cheating.

Suddenly, another bike man approached me and asked where I was going. I described my location, and he asked me how much I was willing to pay. In regular fashion, I passed the question back to him, but he threw it back at me. So, I told him N100, and he agreed.

During our short trip, he asked me if I was coming from Lagos and how my journey went. I responded positively. As soon as I alighted and paid him, he asked for my contact, and I obliged. He called my phone and requested that I save his contact information. I don't usually save people's contacts like that, but I felt the need to do so.

The next day was Monday, and I needed to get some cash, but I couldn't find any buses or bikes. I remembered the bike guy from the previous day and called him. He said he was nearby and arrived in a few minutes. I explained that I needed to get cash, and he took me around the campus gate areas and Mayfair while making various stops. Fortunately, I was able to withdraw N7000, which lasted me for almost three weeks.

After alighting, I asked him for my bill, and he said I could pay anything I felt like. I told him I would send N700, and he agreed. Since then, I have paid N2k and N1500 for bike rides whenever I need to move around Ife (do a lot of back and forths). I even saved his contact as "my bikeman."

I later learned that this is how he wins over new customers - by showing them a little favour. I remember the day he quickly delivered food to a sick lady free of charge and asked her to save his contact. It was a smart move.

As a sales and marketing person, I made a mental note of his strategy - after it was used on me. The tactic reminded me of Robert Cialdini's book on Persuasion and the chapter on Reciprocation, which emphasized gifting and giving freebies as people are more likely to reciprocate favors.

So, why am I sharing this story? Try out the tactic yourself and see how it works.