I’m a long term subscriber to Investor’s Business Daily who allowed his subscription lapse. For more than 6 years, 5 mornings a week a paper person delivered the current issue by 7am. Sometimes the paper landed on the lawn, other times the porch. For awhile one of the neighbors stole it. Let’s just say they stopped doing that.

It’s a good newspaper, and eventually I will renew. Why did I stop? Not because I don’t find the paper valuable – more because I’m curious to see how hard they’d fight for my renewal. Yep, I want to be wooed.

At 297 bucks a year and 6 years in, I figure I earned a little love. And boy has it come! Since the subscription lapsed every call from the CSR has included additional incentives.

I’m holding out for 2 years for the price of 1 which is the cost of the last renewal. Works for me.

So here’s what I learned today – refusing an offer can lead to better offers.