# What is reciprocity in sales?

> Reciprocity is the near-universal social norm that a favour received creates an obligation to return one. In sales it means providing something genuinely useful before making an ask, so the request lands as an exchange rather than an extraction.

Give first, and the ask changes shape.

Source: https://axelize.com/glossary/reciprocity  
Last updated: 2026-08-10

## Detail

### Why it works

Unreturned favours are uncomfortable. The obligation is felt even when the original favour was small or unrequested.

### What counts as giving

Research they did not have. An introduction. An honest 'we're not the right fit for that'. Not a branded PDF.

### How it fails

If the gift is transparently instrumental it reads as a transaction and produces resistance instead of obligation.

## How this works in Axelize

In a negotiation, Axelize proposes trades rather than giveaways: a concession that asks for term length or a reference in return, which is reciprocity applied honestly instead of discounting.

## FAQ

### Is reciprocity manipulative?

Only when the thing given has no real value. Giving something genuinely useful and then making an honest ask is ordinary professional exchange.

## Related

- [Price negotiation](https://axelize.com/use-cases/price-negotiation)
- [Foot-in-the-door](https://axelize.com/glossary/foot-in-the-door)