When the compliments show up right before a favor, that wasn’t a compliment. That was a sales pitch.

Flattery with a purpose has a rhythm you can learn to hear. The praise arrives suddenly, it is unusually specific about a skill you happen to have, and the request follows within a minute. What was said may even be true, which is exactly what makes it work. The tell is the timing rather than the content.

When praise lands right before an ask, slow down and answer the request on its own merits. You are allowed to say you will think about it. If the warmth disappears the moment you decline, you have learned what it was for.