It is a very fine line, the one between getting paid and not. Very fine. They may have the money and may want to pay, but the wrong word or incorrect tone can have dire consequences for your bank balance. If you want to give yourself every possible chance of them paying, don’t make these 3 very common mistakes:
– Not confirming verbal promises in writing.
Every promise they make should be documented in writing, every single time. Create a template so all you need to do is copy, paste, add the amount and their name and hit send. In the subject line put “Confirmation of your payment”. It literally takes less than 10 seconds but trust us, it works.
– Threatening something you have no intention of doing.
It is all well and good to say you will sue them or send them to the debt collectors if they don’t pay, but unless you actually will, don’t ever threaten it. This is the worst thing you can do as it will just make you seem weak when you don’t. If you threaten it, make sure you follow through.
– Being too nice.
There is a time and a place for airy-fairyness and telling them how much their business means to you. When they owe you money though isn’t it. Leave the ultra-niceties for sales calls and other customer service functions. Be firm but fair. Friendly without being over the top. This goes for emails too, especially the all-important sign off.
Cheers