Volunteers of the World

Help! Ctein needs about 100 more people to volunteer to receive their dye transfer print orders after the holidays. It's no risk, really—Ctein is very good about filling orders and meeting his obligations. He's the only writer I know, for example, who always hits his deadlines. If you've ordered a couple of dye transfer prints and would be willing to wait just a little longer to receive them—for the good of the cause—please email him and volunteer. It would make his life a lot easier.

Thanks!

__________________

Mike

Featured Comment by Martin: "Mike & Ctein, just a side note: As an economist, I have been taught that people 'react on incentives.' Surely, it's a fine thing if there are some hundred people who will voluntarily agree to get their prints shipped some time later. However, if you want to systematically lower the number of people who want their prints immediately, you will have to lure them into it. You could either give those who need their prints immediately a negative incentive (monetary or otherwise), or those who agree to receive the prints late a positive incentive (though I admit that I myself don't know what this exactly should be. Maybe a nice bonus or rebate on future orders?). Just my two cents. By the way, I agreed to receiving my prints late. In my humble opinion, Ctein's offer is so generous that this is the only reasonable reply."

Comments

[Zandr]

Should we have gotten an ack. from Ctein? I sent an email, but never heard anything.

[Ctein]

Dear Zandr & Mike,

No, I'm not sending out ACKs, so don't worry if you haven't gotten one.

Incentives are a two-edged sword. If the incentive is not something people care about, it will disincline them to offer to participate. Asking people to volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts has no such downside. It does carry its own risks-- it precludes offering an incentive later unless that incentive is retroactive to everyone. Coming up with a positive incentive that's meaningful to enough people and I can apply to everyone isn't economically feasible.

A negative incentive is just plain bad business and bad for my reputation. I'm already telling people I can't meet the promise I made; now they're supposed to swallow that *I* am going to penalize *THEM* if they don't agree to some post-sale term I unilaterally impose on them?

This is not a way to win friends, though it will influence people [wry smile]. It's never been the way I've run my business or my life.

Depending upon the kindness of others works remarkably well. Around 60% of the 450 people who ordered work will have to receive their prints after Xmas. So far, about 45% have volunteered. So I only need about another 70 volunteers.

If I don't get that many, I'll start sending out personal appeals, working backwards from the last orders. That's the next to last resort, because it's time-consuming. The last resort, if that doesn't work, is I'll email people letting them know I'll have to refund their order if they can't accept late delivery, again working backwards. Hopefully it won't come to that; there will be some hard feelings I'm sure.

pax / Ctein
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