Favor Reciprocity with a Ben Franklin Effect

Since Benjamin Franklin is known to have enjoyed a good chuckle, I’ll use a silly joke to introduce the Ben Franklin Effect:
     A guy walks into a restaurant with a bunch of friends. They all sit down at a large table and begin by placing their drink orders. The guy says, “I’ll have an iced tea. And make sure the glass is clean!”
     A few minutes later, the server returns with a tray filled with beverage containers. He gazes all around the table for a moment, looking confused, then says, “Now, which one of you wanted the clean glass?”
     The Ben Franklin Effect takes its name from a story Mr. Franklin wrote about a legislator who disliked him. Mr. Franklin decided to ask the legislator to do the favor of loaning Mr. Franklin a particular book for a few days. As Ben tells the tale, this cultivated a loyalty of the legislator toward Mr. Franklin.
     Ask someone to do you a favor and, if they agree to do it, they become more loyal to you. The waiter bringing the clean glass to the guy is now more likely to be attentive to this patron’s other requests.
     Research supports the influence of the Ben Franklin Effect, and a study at Santa Clara University found that it works nicely if the favors are reciprocal: Psychology students set up a table about ten feet from the entrance to a large supermarket. On the table sat several Rice Krispy Treats, each individually wrapped. Also on the table was a plastic cup holding five pens. Attached to the front of the table was a sign announcing a bake sale.
     No prices were posted. When someone stopped to ask the price, the experiment began. In some cases, the salesperson would say, “Hold on, let me get you a fresh one.” She’d then walk about ten feet to fetch a treat, bring it back, and set it on the table. But in doing so, she’d knock over the cup of pens, making it look like an accident. The prospective customer would almost always pick up the pens, at which point the salesperson would say the price of the treat was $4.00.
     About 70% of the prospects made the purchase. This contrasts with a 36% rate when no favors were done or requested.
     Do favors for your shoppers and ask them to do small favors for you.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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