Tactic 17 of 99
The First Gift
Give before you ask and they’ll feel the weight of the debt.
What it is
Reciprocity is one of the strongest social rules on earth: when someone gives us something, we feel we should give back. Give first, and you put the other person in that frame before you ask for anything.
Spot it
A gift or favor that arrives just before a request. Generosity that feels oddly timed.
Counter it
Separate the two. Thank them for the gift sincerely. Then treat the request as if the gift never happened. If the “gift” was real, a no won’t change anything.