Two Ten, Net Thirty
Two Ten, Net Thirty
In business, “two ten, net thirty” is a common agreement. It means that if a I bought something from you, the buyer (me) would get a 2 percent discount if I pay the total balance within ten days. If I don’t have the cash in time to make the discount period, I absolutely have to pay you within 30 days.
To some of us super-savvy discount seekers, 2 percent doesn’t sound like a very good deal. I mean there is probably nothing in your Etsy store that a 2 percent discount is going to make me buy. But if you and I were Walmart and Rubbermaid, a 2 percent discount suddenly becomes five or six figures. Now that’s a bargain!
Dating Lesson
But you and I are not Walmart and Rubbermaid. And when dating, we will not be paying off large purchases between ourself and our significant others.
The currency of a relationship is trust. And exchanges are made when one party promises to do (or not to do) something for the other.
We have all been there. And let’s be honest, this is mostly a girl problem. Your boyfriend promised to fix your creaky door – three months ago. He offered to go to the store, for which you gave him some brownie points, but came back having completely forgotten what it was you needed.
But guys have experienced this too. She promised to stop bugging you about [insert guy thing here], but she still calls you about it. She offered to let you pick the movie more often, but never has.
If you are in a steady relationship with someone, you need to establish expectations for when they will follow through with what they promised. Think two ten, net thirty. Lets go back to the creaky door,
Girlfriend, “Honey thank you for offering to fix my creaky door. I would really like it to be fixed this week, but I absolutely need it fixed before the party next month.”
If he gets it done in the week, there needs to be some sort of discount. You could actual bake him cookies or something, but at least be extra thankful. Boyfriend, shoot to get it done in that week. It will build trust, and she might bake you cookies or something. But definitely get it done by the deadline; not doing so will lose trust.
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To use a sales analogy, I recommend using a “who, what, when” approach to requests and at the end of important interactions, “(I) will (repair the ceiling fan) by (next Monday).” Leaving things open-ended often leaves room for frustration and unresolved conflicts. Knowing “who” will do “what” by “when” will minimize guesswork and allows you to set a realistic time frame for when you can get things done (and time to for the other person to make cookies)!