Saturday November 21, 2009

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Firms Turn on Charm to Collect Bills
Small businesses, hit by a wave of late payments because of the recession, are now relying on cooperation rather than strong-arm tactics to keep cash flowing.
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Beverly Bergman Posted: 2:56 PM On January 26, 2009
Good article. It's all about being real with clients and vice versa. When I worked in collections, I was PERSISTENT. I simply let clients know that I was going to keep calling them weekly until they paid off the balance. I wasn't nasty or angry, just pleasantly persistent. I reminded them that although we understood their position, they needed to respect and understand our right and need to be paid for services rendered.

I was willing to work with those clients who were real with me and told me the truth and paid whatever they could faithfully. But those who refused my calls and promised 'the check is in the mail' when it wasn't, were taken to court. Not only that, companies who insisted on playing shell games with us were blackballed at industry wide meetings.

When preparing to make my calls, I remembered the saying: 'You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.' A cooperative spirit is always best. It makes the world a better place to be in.
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