When Nielson contacted me a few years ago to ask if I’d participate in rating TV programs, I was quite excited. I had heard about the Nielson ratings since I was a little girl and I was delighted to let them know what I watched and didn’t. I understood that it required keeping detailed notes on my viewing habits and that it was a significant time commitment.
But then I received the materials. It wasn’t the paperwork that bothered me. It was the 4 shiny quarters that fell out of the envelope, with the note that said, “To thank you for your time.” A buck for my time? This was a week’s commitment! I had agreed to note my TV viewing habits every 15 minutes for a full week and they thought one dollar was enough to thank me? I was so insulted that I threw away the materials and used the quarters at the first opportunity.
And it just happened again. J.D. Powers sent me a survey regarding the new car my husband and I just bought (which the dealer asked that I answer with all 5s.). I started the survey, but after about 5 mins, seeing that I was only a tiny way through, I opted out. So, yesterday, in the mail, I received a reminder to complete the survey, but this time, I was offered “motivation” to complete the survey. If I complete the survey, not only will I be entered in a raffle for a $40,000 prize and $10,000 gas card (that’s a lot of gas), but inside was a crisp $1.00 bill “To thank you for your time.” Is it just me? Does this type of offer (not the raffle) but the buck turn anyone else off? One dollar? I mean I’ll clip coupons to save $1.00 …
Which got me thinking… can we put a dollar amount on someone’s time? And am I insulting people too? I give American Express gift certificates when people refer me, but are they insulted by the amount? Do I belittle their friendship, enthusiasm and support? Is a thoughtful gift – any gift – more meaningful? Am I inadvertently insulting people who simply want to do a good deed or the right thing? Does the dollar amount make a difference? Would a donation to a good cause be more meaningful? What should I do?
I bought the book, Predictably Irrational, in the Hong Kong airport and haven’t had a chance to complete it. So I googled it, and found this great blog post, The Trouble with Cold Hard Cash, that seems to answer the questions. Turns out money, no matter what the amount, based on a Goodyear Tire research study, isn’t nearly as good an incentive as a tangible reward. But is that true for a thank you?
What do you think? Should I just use those gift cards for my own self…
Tags: customer service, motivation, sales skills, Selling Skills
I think it depends on what we are doing. A dollar to donate is great, its small but can add up. A dollar for the Nielson shows you what kind of people they usually sign up.
They use people who are really happy with that one dollar.
You don’t need to be insulted, just understand YOU are not their usual client.
and of course, you may not want to be their client at all.
Dr. Letitia Wright
The Wright Place TV Show
http://wrightplacetv.com
http://www.twitter.com/drwright1
My time is valuable, more valuable than money. However, that said, I do a lot of surveys, many for free, because I like to study survey construction. Which, by the way, is usually atrocious. I keep thinking, you have a degree in this kind of stuff and you can’t design a decent survey. Come on…
When companies send me money, and yes, it’s only a dollar, I like that. At least it’s something for my time. Most surveys give you nothing.