Who Won the U.S. Presidential Debate?

It's a relevant question for business owners with few repeat customers, such as contract workers or real estate agents: Does being transparent about past business transactions change the odds of making a sale that benefits both buyer and seller?

The answer matters because mutually beneficial sales ensure that these kinds of transactions will continue, keeping the economy strong.

A new study published in the journal American Economic Review suggests the answer depends on a variety of factors.

A mutually beneficial sale is defined from two points of view: The seller values the money they receive more than the service they offer, because the price adequately reflects the time and resources needed for that task. Meanwhile, the buyer is satisfied that they received the value they were seeking for the price they paid to acquire it.

This is known by economists as market efficiency—there are no missed opportunities to make a sale from which both the seller and buyer would benefit.

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