“Ahhh,” said the man. 

He was bald and stout. He was wearing a burnt orange robe, like a Buddhist monk. “This is for youuu…” he said. 

He handed me a small yellow card, plastic, laminated, shiney. 

I was 22? Maybe 23? “What’s this?” I said.

“Work smoothly,” he said. “Lifetime peace.”

I looked at the card. 

“WORK SMOOTHLY,” it read. “LIFETIME PEACE.”

I turned it over. There was a Buddihst deity, the words “Kai guang Amu let” printed beneath her. 

“Work smooooooth-ly,” the man smiled and bowed.

I smiled, too. “Thank you,” I said. And meant it. He made me feel good, blessed. 

He bowed again, deeper this time. Then he brandished a clipboard. 

“What’s this?” I said, scanning the scribbles.

“Donation, please,” he said. “5 dollars, please.”

I didn’t even think about it. I gave it to him. 

He smiled and took my money. 

The Law of Reciprocity compels us to feel indebted to people who do something nice for us. 

Ever sampled something? Then you’ve experienced reciprocation marketing, a timeless persuasion technique.

It’s part of us, our brain chemistry, which is why copywriters have always used it — and always will. 

Question is, can YOUR business sample something?

P.S. - the card’s still in my wallet. I look at it often.

LEARN TO PERSUADE

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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)

If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. 

Enjoy!

Eddie Shleyner 
VeryGoodCopy, founder

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