Practical Sales Training™ > How To Lose The Sale > The Unwanted Favour Effect
The Unwanted Favour Effect
What Is It
When a salesperson does something clearly in their own interest, but paints it as a favour, alarm bells start ringing. That’s this effect in action.
It just doesn’t feel right. And that instinct is usually correct.
Why Does It Work
If you want to lose the sale, talk to your buyer as though you’re doing them a favour. That implies they’re inferior in the conversation. It’s a great strategy, if losing the sale is your goal.
There’s nothing wrong with favours. If you ask for one and it’s granted, that’s genuinely helpful.
But being handed something someone else has decided is a favour only fools the seller.
The fact is, thanks to emotional contagion, and common sense, we can tell what someone means. We interpret more than just their words.
How Can You Use It
If you want to offend your clients, talk about the things you need them to do. Buy from you. Attend webinars. Sign up to an email list.
Then make it sound like you’re doing them a favour.
When It Works Best
This never really works in your favour. There’s no genuine version of a fake favour that builds trust.
The closest thing to an exception is a real, unprompted gesture, offered with no expectation of anything back at all.
When It Becomes Dangerous
It’s dangerous the moment a buyer senses the framing. That moment usually arrives fast, since people read tone as much as words.
It gets worse the more transparent the motive is. A discount offered right as sales slow down is an easy pattern to spot.
It also damages trust beyond the one offer. Buyers remember being talked down to far longer than they remember the discount itself.
Common Mistakes
Framing desperation as generosity
Framing a desperate discount as a personal favour is the fastest way to expose your own motive.
Implying the buyer is inferior
Implying the buyer is inferior for needing something explained puts them immediately on the defensive.
Expecting something back for an unasked favour
Offering a favour nobody asked for, with an unspoken expectation of reciprocity, reads as manipulative rather than generous.
The Unwanted Favour Effect – An Example
A “Just For You” Early Bird Discount
Sales are slow for an offer, and the early bird discount is coming to an end. A seller reaches out with this message:
“I really shouldn’t do this, but I’ve extended our early bird discount just for you.” Even though nobody asked for it.
We all know early bird discounts aren’t usually extended, unless not enough people bought. So what this message really says is very different.
The real message underneath is simple. It reads as, “I really need you to buy, so here’s the biggest discount I can offer.”
If you want to lose clients and offend them, do favours for them they never asked for. Then watch how quickly the relationship falls apart.
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