Ask “Can You Help?” – not “When are you going to pay?”

How to get slow payers paying more quickly by phoning them and NOT asking them to pay!

There’s a guy in the States who puts out some tremendous Sales Training emails. I don’t subscribe to many, but I do to his. His name is Bob Oros. (Click here to get a copy of a great, free little e-book he’s written called “Dominate Your Market”.)

But I digress. He’s collating “collection tips” from his email data base and will give a copy of the e-book he’ll produce as a result to everyone who sends him tips. In his own words from his email today … “If you have not emailed your best collection technique or strategy, you still have time. I will be compiling all the responses in a special report and sending it to everyone who gave their input.”

This was my contribution … (I sent this using the name of an alias that we use in our own business – Jane Sands.

——————————————————-

Hi Bob,

I am NOT a real person!
BUT, clients who haven’t paid our accounts don’t know this! I’m a “made-up” name. I do not exist.

We do this because it
• makes collecting any unpaid accounts much less confrontational,
• allows the debtor to “save face”, and
• leaves the creditor as someone who’s trying to help, not hassle.

How does it work?
1. Any ‘please-pay’ emails or letters are sent out under my (?!) name as soon as an account is overdue,
2. All that a ‘real’ person then has to say when making a “collection” phone call is
“Hi John. My accounts people are chasing me up about one of your invoices. Can you help?”
3. And then just listen; after blaming ME (!!) for having to make the call.

And I’m not a real person.
Sounds ridiculous, but it works … extremely well!

Regards,
Jane Sands