We’ve all been there. We’re trying to get our invoices paid from a debtor and all we get is silence.
Clients don’t respond to our emails.
If we call, they are always ‘in a meeting’ or ‘out of the office’.
As my friends Chris Christoff says…
…cashflow is like air; you don’t live long without it…
That’s right. NO CASHFLOW = NO BUSINESS. That was too scary for me…
…did I want to lose my #recruitment business just because debtors hadn’t paid? No way.
We developed strategies to get through to those elusive debtors. We:
1. Asked a colleague to call
The receptionist of the debtor wouldn’t recognize the name of the voice and so would take the call. As soon as they did, the colleague passed the ‘phone back to us.
2. Called the debtor at lunchtime
Lots of people work through lunch or have lunch at their desks. They aren’t really expecting business calls and are distracted so they took the call.
3. Called outside core hours
Senior staff often work outside core hours and that’s the time they answered their own phone.
4. Asked the debtor ‘is something wrong?’
No one EVER likes anyone to think there’s something wrong in their business (doesn’t matter if they own it or are an employee) so they paid to illustrate there was nothing wrong.
5. Used the ‘I’m worried’ approach with senior execs
We said…”Sorry to bother you Ms. Senior Exec Debtor, but I’m worried. Sonia promised a large payment last Friday. It’s Wednesday now and I can’t get hold of her at all.
I’m worried something might be wrong. What do you think I should do?”
Using the ‘power of the pause’, we waited for their response.
It never failed to get us a payment.
These winning strategies, and many more, can be found in detail in my Amazon #1 book GET PAID!
Download your FREE chapters of ‘GETPAID!’ here.
To your business success!
