Reciprocity

In: Marketing

Posted by Geries Handal

14 May 2008

Today I was checking an email account that I log in occasionally or when I remember, and not as a habit (it used to be a habit). I saw an email from a presenter at a workshop I attended some months ago (I think it was in February). We had a conversation in the event and then exchange some emails. I had shown interest in a trend analysis report that at that time was only in Swedish. Two months later the report is in my inbox, as she promised and the most astonishing thing is that she remembered me, in contrast my interest on it was in the limbo of my memories. Then I realized that its called Reciprocity.

cartoon

It came out of the blue, “but reciprocity is responding to a positive action with another positive action”. Giving me the report is not a positive response, but is intended on creating a sense that I should be respond to her action in a positive way. I confessed I feel flattered that she remembers me and I can say she is woman of her word, but I can see she wants me to do some marketing for her. How do I get to this conclusion? Well, it is also mentioned in the email that I can share the report with anybody and that they are working in a new web site, where we can buy the reports. First of all I will had pass it on with their permission or not, may sound a bit harsh, but that is how the world works. If you get it for free, why not share. Second if she had not mentioned nothing from the new site I will have thought its pure “mensching“. I may be wrong, maybe she is mensching, but still its very interesting how human act and response.

In part I feel guilty because some people might think this post is rude (or maybe not), but I’m not complaining, it just serves as an example of how important is to understand how humans think. How this will help you in market your product or service better or even understand the customers that you think you know.

She has a lot of merit for still remembering to send me the report and I really appreciate that, because some people tell you that they will send you something or call you, etc. and they don’t do it, only if you are Bill Gates or they need something. This is a cool tactic, not as some “comment spammers” leave generic comments saying they like my blog, so I visit their blog and leave a comment.

will share with you the report and the web site where you can buy it if you like it, still she got me to spread it around, in one way or another. I wonder if the sharing of the document and the site is it a result of guilt, reciprocity, chance or something more complex ?

Site:www.urbanlifestylereport.com

Urban Lifestyle Report March 2008

Update
If the above link is to complicated for you, here is a public storage folder

Public Storage

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2 Responses to Reciprocity

Avatar

Stavros

May 15th, 2008 at 10:37 am

I will speak in general and say that being a Mensch, is in some cultures something inherited in children and also applied by the majority of people who belong in this culture.

what i mean? :
for example in my country, we have “filotimo” .
( see a definition: http://www.helleniccomserve.com/filotimo.html)

The term “filotimo” is difficult to translate literally into English, as are most terms that are pregnant with a variety of meanings that no one English word can capture exactly. Some writers that I have read even claim that it is literally impossible to translate. For our purposes here it may be translated as an internalized inclination to do good, with a strong sense of social responsibility.

Etymologically, filotimo means “love of honor” (=philos+timi), although the honor referred to is not merely external, or for “show” purposes, but a psychologically internalized yardstick of goodness, as in the ancient “kalos k agathos.”

to sum up, i think in today’s multicultural society, is it difficult to interpret people’s actions and seems strange when someone does something good for us…we all expect him/her to ask something for return…

Thus, people use so many “filters” in their relationships and they do not get the exact meaning. what they finally get, is something else than what someone offered/said to them…

so…for everyone…no second thoughts…don’t be suspicious with everyone…just have your eyes open…

PS: as for sharing the document, knowledge is supposed to be shared. :-) so please, share this knowledge with me, i will expect the report.Thanks!

Avatar

g square

May 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

“as for sharing the document, knowledge is supposed to be shared. :-) so please, share this knowledge with me, i will expect the report.Thanks!”

The file is in the above link, if it didn’t work for you I added a new one for a public folder containing the file. (http://cid-dabd13674153bffd.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public)

“Etymologically, filotimo means “love of honor” (=philos+timi), although the honor referred to is not merely external, or for “show” purposes, but a psychologically internalized yardstick of goodness, as in the ancient “kalos k agathos.”

I love entomology, so it’s great that you describe “filotimo”

“Thus, people use so many “filters” in their relationships and they do not get the exact meaning. what they finally get, is something else than what someone offered/said to them…”

Good point, maybe my filters made me interprets the email as I did, but like I said, what made me suspect is the “commercial comment” at the end.

Once somebody suggested to me that we should be “transparent” when speaking of certain personal topics, that way we don’t have the problems of the filters.

At the end of the day is about trust and like you say, keeping the eyes open.. and i will piggyback on that by saying.. maybe its more important to have a open mind and respect everybody; seeing the glass half full and not half empty..

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