5 things you MUST say in every collection call if you want to get paid. A few weeks back I posted my Top 5 things to never say to a debtor, so here is the opposite- things you should ALWAYS say to your debtor:
1. “We need this paid today please”. Completely unambiguous but not too pushy or demanding, this is the single best way to ask for your money.
2. “What is the absolute most you can pay today?” Everyone can always pay something, and something is always better than nothing. Using this statement assumes however that they cannot do number 1.
3. “I need to make a decision on your account before 5pm”. Very strict deadlines work wonders- create urgency by giving them a timeframe of that day- tomorrow or the next day, or Friday that week just isn’t as powerful.
4. “Do you have our bank account details to pay into?” Don’t ever assume anything- make paying you the single easiest thing the customer will do that day.
5. “I really hope we can work together to fix this”. Gold. This statement is absolute gold and you will see for yourself how powerful it is when you first use it. This isn’t the time for an “us vs. them” mentality- that makes you their enemy and who is going to pay their enemy? Exactly.
Cheers guys, hope this helps you all