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Michel Fortin Sucks…

Law of Reciprocity… Words out of thin air and assembles them into masterful sales pages that earn more money than you can even imagine.

Sorry about the title. I just wanted to see if I could get Michel to post that title on his own blog.

It does relate somewhat to what I want to talk about, though. And that’s the power of the law of reciprocity.

I was very honored when Michel asked me to be a guest poster on his blog. What do I know about copywriting, which is his forte? If I knew anything about copywriting, I wouldn’t have had to write Glyphius and MuVar to help me figure out if the words I had put on paper were profitable or not.


One thing that Michel and I do have in common is that we understand the law of reciprocity. He used it when he invited me and others to guest blog here.

The law of reciprocity is simply this:

When you do something for someone else, they feel a compelling urge to reciprocate.

Often, the reciprocation exceeds what was done for them. This is just basic human nature.

How many of you mix with others in this field at seminars or other events? Have you ever watched the personal interaction? There will be people running around trying to meet all of the speakers and will immediately ask something of them.

That is applying the opposite law to the law of reciprocation. The result is almost always a pushing away.

Do you want someone to mention your blog on their blog? Don’t ask them to do it. Use the law of reciprocation.

Mention their blog on your blog very prominently and with praise. That’s it. 90% of the time, the urge to reciprocate will kick in and they will automatically mention your blog.

In the other 10% of cases, it just can’t happen due to their other priorities. Perhaps they have decided to never mention any other blogs on their blog for strategic reasons. Perhaps they can’t say something good about your blog, so they are mercifully remaining silent.

Even in those cases, the law of reciprocation works. They will still feel that urge to return the favor somehow. You will see something coming from them in another direction that will benefit you… perhaps they will send you a product… or mention you on their list.

It is very difficult to avoid the urge to reciprocate when someone does something nice for you.

So how can you put this to you business advantage?

Simple. On my daily to-do list from Monday-Wednesday, I have an item that says “Do something nice for someone.” It’s that simple.


Sometimes, I send a product to someone with a note that says “I really appreciate how you ______.” Sometimes I promote a product without an affiliate link that I think my customers will appreciate.

It’s different every day, but I can’t finish my work day until I do something nice for someone without asking for anything in return.

It works. It builds a reservoir of reciprocation and starts to snowball. You start to learn that you simply can’t give too much.

Want more links to your site? Link to other sites without asking for anything in return. Many will link back to you automatically. Many others will repay you in some other unexpected way.

Want to get more copywriting referrals? Refer your clients that could be served better by the specialties of another copywriter to them.

Want to make more money? Help others make more money.

Want more free time? Help others free up their time.

Want more friends? Be a better friend to others.

That’s the law of reciprocity. You want stuff? Don’t try to suck it to yourself. Instead, give that thing that you most want and you will get more of it.

About the Author

A former engineer in validation statistics, James Brausch is passionate about uncovering highly profitable sales and marketing processes that 99% of marketers overlook. He is the creator of countless software programs that are vigorously proven to dramatically boost business with far less guesswork and gruntwork. For more, visit his site at JamesBrausch.com.

Last 5 Posts by James Brausch

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19 Replies to “Michel Fortin Sucks…”

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. From Internet Business Blog » Michel Fortin Sucks!

    [...] http://www.michelfortin.com/michel-fortin-sucks/ [...]

    Source Website July 16th, 2007

  2. From Art of Money’s July Earnings Up By $10,000

    [...] On the topic of James Brausch, since this post is officially a ramble and not at all an article, James published a guest post on Michel Fortin’s site called Michel Fortin Sucks… [...]

    Source Website July 16th, 2007

  3. From The Acceleration 2 Seminar: Introduction & Disclosure | Andy Beard - Niche Marketing

    [...] (yeah I am sure I will get lots of comment spam now just mentioning that phrase), and also the Law of Reciprocity - paying it forward - which James Brausch wrote about a few days ago in a guest post on Michel [...]

    Source Website July 19th, 2007

  4. From Blog Traffic Tactics You Can Implement In A Weekend… » Copywriting Services And Internet Advertising Blog - by Copywriter Stephen Dean

    [...] 5. Linking out. I finally got around to adding some links to other blogs. Most blog owners notice when someone starts linking to you, because it shows up in “Dashboard.” So if you linked to me and I liked your blog, I sent you a link back. I also linked to some blogs that don’t link to me, simply because I like the content. This was inspired by a post at Michel Fortin’s blog. [...]

    Source Website July 20th, 2007

  5. From Law of Reciprocity | Integrity Business Blog by Terry Dean

    [...] to reciprocate. I was thinking about this lately after reading a post James Brausch wrote about how Michel Fortin sucks. Paul Hancox recently wrote about the same subject on his Internet Influence Magic [...]

    Source Website July 20th, 2007

  6. From Online Business Blog

    [...] Brausch says Michel Fortin Sucks… at Michel Fortin’s Blog This post is about the use of the Law of Reciprocity. Good stuff, [...]

    Source Website July 26th, 2007

  7. From The Acceleration 2 Seminar: Introduction & Disclosure

    [...] (yeah I am sure I will get lots of comment spam now just mentioning that phrase), and also the Law of Reciprocity - paying it forward - which James Brausch wrote about a few days ago in a guest post on Michel [...]

    Source Website July 28th, 2007

  8. From How to Apologize to a Customer « The Marketer Review

    [...] P.S. I’d just like to note that Michel “The Success Doctor” Fortin has graced my blog with his presence this week. To show my appreciation, I link to a relevant article in his blog, about reciprocity in business. [...]

    Source Website August 1st, 2007

Comments

  1. From David Wilkinson

    Great post, James! Having used Glyphius before (great analysis tool by the way), I thought it’d be nice to drop in and say how much I appreciate the products you’ve made and the blogs you write - truly terrific. Best of luck! :)

    Author's Website July 16th, 2007

  2. From Joseph Ratliff

    I love the title. Excellent attention - grabber. :)

    James is someone that everyone should listen to. And, I use Glyphius regularly in my own direct response copywriting business with great success.

    Nicely done on the collaborative post.

    Joseph Ratliff
    http://josephratliff.name

    Author's Website July 16th, 2007

  3. From Mike Humphreys

    Hey James,

    Welcome aboard. Nice article to debut with.

    It’s just a simple principle but one that many people will forget in their haste to build their businesses.

    Take care,

    Mike Humphreys

    Author's Website July 16th, 2007

  4. From Ryan Healy

    What a title! Why would Michel disparage himself on his own blog? Well, I had to click to find out…

    Re: the law of reciprocity… you can see this happen first hand (and rapidly) with blogs, as you mentioned in your article. Too bad it took me such a long time to understand that aspect of blogging!

    Author's Website July 16th, 2007

  5. From James D. Brausch

    Hi Ryan,

    Yes… very quickly.

    You should open your front door and look on your porch. You have a package.

    -James D. Brausch

    Author's Website July 16th, 2007

  6. From Julie Nichols

    Hi James,

    great business advice, fantastic advice for life in general.

    If we all lived this way, what a beautiful world we would live in :)

    I have added it to my white board as a daily reminder.

    Julie

    Author's Website July 16th, 2007

  7. From Gary Bridgemaster

    Simple is often so powerful: “On my daily to-do list from Monday-Wednesday, I have an item that says “Do something nice for someone.”

    James, thanks for another example of how simple it is to do the things that help others and ourselves succeed.

    Gary

    Author's Website July 16th, 2007

  8. From OneYearGoal.com

    The title is genius. The post isn’t bad either.
    Keep up the good work, both of you.

    One Man. One Year. $100,000 online. How’s he doing it?
    http://www.oneyeargoal.com

    Author's Website July 17th, 2007

  9. From Liz Tufte

    You sure grabbed me with that headline, and kept me reading. Thanks for the inspiring post!

    Author's Website July 17th, 2007

  10. From Joseph Browns

    What James Brausch says is true. Reciprocity works. But it’s important that one should not have too high expectations in what they receive in return for the “favors”. One needs a large dose of patience and hope in order to succeed.

    B.T.W. the headline was fit for the National Enquirer! (Don’t laugh- those guys who write headlines for the N.E. get paid millions for their work) James, have you thought of working for them…..?

    Author's Website July 17th, 2007

  11. From Paul Hancox

    Hi James

    Ha… great headline. It’s hard not to click on a headline like that.

    Reciprocity. Great subject. I’ve just launched a blog on Cialdini’s so-called “weapons of influence”, and reciprocation’s my first subject. Then I come here and find one of my Top 5 blogs is talking about the same thing.

    Great minds.

    Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed your post and mmm… why do I feel strangely compelled to write a prominent review with praise? :)

    Best,

    Paul Hancox
    http://www.InternetInfluenceMagic.com

    Author's Website July 19th, 2007

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