a single source, nothing corroborates it

Pay in the currency they actually want

Ask what someone wants out of the task before assuming the answer is cash, then attach rewards to the jobs nobody enjoys and leave the enjoyable ones alone. Paying people for things they were already glad to do replaces their reason for doing them, which costs you the behaviour you were trying to buy.

The method

1. 01

   Ask the customer what they actually want out of the task before assuming the answer is money.

2. 02

   Attach the reward to the tasks nobody enjoys and leave the enjoyable ones unpaid.

3. 03

   Stop paying customers to do the things they were already happy to do for you, because the payment replaces the reason they were doing it.

What it returned

• Katelyn Bourgoin recommends talking to them about pains, goals and desired outcomes, which surfaces the alternative rewards you could offer instead.

• Katelyn Bourgoin's split keeps buyers internally motivated on what they like while the menial jobs still get done.

• Katelyn Bourgoin flags incentivising every customer action as common advice that is wrong: once motivation flips from internal to external you are on a treadmill matching each task to a bigger reward, and researchers find the effect across many activity types and cultures.

Sources

• Overjustification Effect - Why We Buy 🧠Katelyn Bourgoin · customercamp.co · ​ Identify What Your Buyer Really Wants · undated