We’re continuing our look at the psychology of selling by discussing reciprocity.

Reciprocity can be summed up quite simply: “if you do something nice for somebody, they’ll do something nice for you in return”.

We can put that  in a DIY musician context as follows: you want your fans to buy some stuff or pay to come to a show, right? Well to help ‘smooth that path’, how about doing something nice for your audience in the first instance….you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours!

If you’re selling a CD or a t-shirt online or at a show, why not include a small free gift like a button badge to show your fans you want to give them the best possible value.

By performing songs and broadcasting your performances on Facebook live, you’ve given your audience lots of music and lots of your time for free. Spending time nurturing a relationship with them through your social channels counts as an investment as well. At a later stage when you ask people come to shows, your audience should be more favourable to the idea because you have given to them in the first instance
Takeaway Tip:

Any time you give stuff away for free (and that includes your time) you are investing in your audience.  You make a withdrawal from that investment the next time you want your audience to buy from you.

Got any questions about this post or how you can better market yourself?

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