As I said previously, I recently switched from a satellite dish to digital television. Once the transition was complete, I called the satellite service to cancel my two-year-old subscription. During that time I’ve paid every bill on time and in full, so I would consider myself a good customer.
When I ordered the cancellation, the customer service rep asked why I was discontinuing my service. I told him of the new service and that it offered me a better package at a lower price. He replied that the satellite company could offer me a lower price, too.
My response was, “But you didn’t, did you?”
If a company really values the loyalty of its customers, a discount is a great way to show it. When a service I’m paying a premium for is offered to new customers at a rock-bottom price, the company is saying to me that they consider me not a good customer, but a sucker. When I can get a better deal just by threatening to leave, then I’m not being served, I’m being played.
This is just one of the many examples in life where people are rewarded for undesirable behavior and punished for doing what they should. It happens a lot. Sometimes a boss promises you a raise only after you’ve been offered a better job, or a parent ignores the quiet, compliant child while giving all their attention to the errant one.
It’s a simple fact of psychology that behavior which gets rewarded gets repeated, while behavior which gets punished gets discouraged.
Life offers unending opportunities to reward and punish; your time, your money, your energy, your talents are all currency by which you do so. It’s important to realize that that’s what is happening.
Who are you rewarding with your currency? Is theirs the behavior you want to perpetuate? Who are you punishing, or at least ignoring? Is theirs the behavior you want to discourage? Take stock, and make sure you are giving credit where it is due. You don’t want to reward the company that gives you mediocre service and charges you a premium. You don’t want to ignore the worker who shows up on time every day and does a thorough job.
Use your capital wisely. Reward those you value, and tell the others to take a hike. All the right people will profit in the long run.