The $100 gift card sent to win over the supplier
When the broke founders called Rexam, the largest US can supplier at the time, the rep told them the minimum production run was 204,000 units — far more than they could afford, which forced them to chase blank 'silver bullet' overrun cans instead.
“He says, well, the minimum run's 204,000 units. Well, we didn't have that much money.”
Hinde explains the deliberate logic behind the gift-card move: reciprocity, the principle from Robert Cialdini's work, is a powerful and undeniable force, so a handwritten note plus a $100 dinner card makes a stranger feel compelled to help you.
“Well, reciprocity, anyone who's read like Cialdini's work, you know, reciprocity is such a powerful, powerful force. You know, it's undeniable. So we knew that if we were gonna stand out by sending them a handwritten note, and then the $100 Ruth's Chris card, it's like, well, who doesn't like to go to Ruth's Chris?”
Steal thisOpen relationships by giving something of value first; the felt obligation to reciprocate does the persuading for you.