Stated versus revealed preferences

If you ask people what they want, their answers are often less accurate than if you observe what they prioritize.

Economists call the latter ’revealed preferences’.

Imagine if stores stocked shelves based on a survey of what shoppers said they wanted, instead of the items they actually buy? Surveys are free, purchases aren’t. Skin-in-the-game actions yield better feedback than opinions.

It’s the same with your partners.

If you just ask them what they want, you may get answers that don’t factor in how much they value things, and what trade-offs they’d make for them. By all means, engage with them, but also observe their behavior and use of resources. It may tell you what they value better than they can with words.

So what do partners reveal about portals?

Everyone with a partner program has to have a great portal, right?

Maybe. Maybe not. One thing is sure, a debate is starting to brew!

Rick van den Bosch of Channext fired one across the bow with a post detailing how when a client asked how to get more partners to their portal, he told them that was the wrong goal. Here’s the post.

But wait, there’s more!

Rick finished the one-two punch with this:

Badly-drawn emphasis mine. Full post here.

Too extreme?

The commenters definitely had something to say, and someone had a good idea...

Who knows, maybe this debate will make it to a podcast near you.

Stay tuned.

Meme of the Day

Reveal that you love the NBD

We could ask if you do, but the real proof is in the sharing. Pass it on to a colleague who needs a daily partner-pill!