From Creating Passionate Users comes an interesting post on how businesses are like marriages. When you're courting, you're on your best behavior, but once you close the deal, things change. The change that takes place after the wedding has been the subject of too many jokes to count, but there's a lot to the analogy.
According to Kathy Sierra, the author of the post, "It's been said that the secret to a good marriage is... don't change. In other words, be the person you were when you were merely dating. Don't stop paying attention. Don't stop being kind. Don't gain 50 pounds. Don't stop flirting.....Unfortunately, too many companies are all candle-lit dinners, fine wine, and "let's talk about you" until the deal is sealed. Once they have you (i.e. you became a paying customer), you realize you got a bait-and-switch relationship."
I suppose the most extreme example is the battle of the cell phone companies. They offer you the moon if you'll switch carriers, but a week after you make the change, they're offering everybody else the moon plus a couple of stars. I hate to generalize, but I will anyway. They all seem to devote all their energy to getting new customers and very little to keeping the ones they have.
You can read the full post here.
DISCLAIMER. I don't know why people do this, but the poster uses an image of an obscene gesture. The rest of the post is very good, certainly worth your time. But, linking to it doesn't mean that I approve of the picture or want to subject you to it if it offends you. If that sort of thing bothers you, please ignore the above link.
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