{"id":9825,"date":"2019-05-20T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T07:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/passodue.flywheelsites.com\/2019\/05\/20\/how-to-chase-unpaid-invoices\/"},"modified":"2023-04-27T16:14:23","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T14:14:23","slug":"how-to-chase-unpaid-invoices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2019\/05\/20\/how-to-chase-unpaid-invoices\/","title":{"rendered":"How to chase unpaid invoices"},"content":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Alice Alessandri<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Alice’s tips\u00a0to deal with late payments\u00a0in times of crisis.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m very pleased to talk about an issue which concerns many companies and consultants nowadays: late payments<\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Chasing unpaid invoices<\/strong>, especially by phone, feels \u201crude\u201d to most of the people I meet in my classes. For some reason we feel uncomfortable when we have to ask for payment although really that is how the wheels of commerce work: providing a certain service or goods in return for a stipulated payment.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

However we find it embarrassing: \u201cif I ask for payment my client will think I need the money!!!<\/em>\u201d. We start the phone call in a whisper, trying to talk about other things; then, when we can’t resist any longer, we get to the point as if it wasn’t our real intention: \u201cby the way \u2026. I was just wondering if you’ve had the chance to pay that overdue invoice<\/strong><\/em>\u201d. We avoid any direct question and tend to answer for ourselves minimizing: \u201cyou must have forgotten the deadline<\/strong>, anywat it’s not a problem \u2026<\/em>\u201d. Finally we end our call very quickly without making any arrangements: \u201cok, well\u2026just pay it as soon as you can<\/em>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

How difficult and stressful! What a disaster!<\/p>\n

\"recupero<\/p>\n

Pexels Photo<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are \u00a06 points<\/b>\u00a0 which summarize the most important aspects you should consider when dealing with\u00a0late payments<\/b>\u00a0by\u00a0phone<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/em><\/strong>Specify exact TIMINGS<\/b>\u00a0, monitor all agreements and commitments: the longer you wait before you start \u00a0chasing unpaid invoices<\/b>\u00a0, the more justified your clients will feel about their late payments. \u00a0<\/span>Remember that if your client had intended to pay<\/b> you immediately, he\/she would have done so within the <\/span>deadline<\/span>.<\/b><\/span> What he\/she is trying to do now is to postpone payment as long as possible.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. <\/strong><\/em>PHONE CALLS<\/b> are effective only if they are prepared <\/span>accurately<\/span>. <\/b><\/span>Be\u00a0precise<\/b>\u00a0and use clear sentences,\u00a0 <\/span>for example \u201cthis invoice is overdue\u201d instead of \u201cehr \u2026 actually there is an invoice \u2026 ehr \u2026 you should pay\u201d; leave room for \u00a0dialogue<\/b>\u00a0and action; avoid any expressions which could upset your interlocutor. \u201cHello, this is Alice Alessandri, if you have time I need to talk to you about a very important issue. I’m calling because I still haven’t received your \u00a0payment<\/b>\u00a0for my last invoice\u201d is different from \u201cehr hello\u2026 sorry to bother you, I’ll just be 2 minutes \u2026 actually, it’s nothing serious, it’s only an overdue invoice\u201d.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. <\/strong><\/em>Balance\u00a0KINDNESS<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0DECISIVENESS<\/b><\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0the aim of your phone call is to make\u00a0precise arrangements<\/b>\u00a0 in a friendly way. \u00a0Decisiveness<\/b>\u00a0comes from the\u00a0awareness<\/b>\u00a0that yours is a\u00a0legitimate request<\/b>, you are legally right. \u00a0Kindness<\/b>\u00a0comes from the fact that you want to maintain and preserve your \u00a0relationship with your client<\/b>, who represents the reason for your job. Therefore the most \u00a0ethical<\/b>\u00a0 approach is to go straight to the point and find the best\u00a0solution<\/b>\u00a0 together with your interlocutor.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

4. <\/strong><\/em>Less talking and more\u00a0LISTENING<\/b><\/a><\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0allow your clients to explain their reasons in order to collect important\u00a0information<\/b>, observe their \u00a0frame of mind<\/b>, judge the \u00a0sincerity<\/b>\u00a0of their voices. You’ll be amazed by the power of\u00a0silence<\/b>\u00a0\u201cI’m calling because I still haven’t received your payment for my last invoice \u2026 <silence>\u201d: if you hold on for a few seconds your client will start talking and you will gather all the information you need.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5. <\/strong><\/em>Remember to be ELEGANT<\/b>,\u00a0WISE<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0ATTENTIVE<\/b><\/span>\u00a0during your conversations and always respect the\u00a0privacy<\/b>\u00a0 laws which regulate these kinds of interaction: on the other end of the line there’s a human being with his\/her problems, self-respect and\u00a0self-esteem<\/b>. Avoid talking if you think your interlocutor is with other people, maybe on speakerphone in his car.\u00a0 <\/span>Arrange another\u00a0telephone appointment<\/b><\/a>, specifying a precise date and time when you can call.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6. <\/strong><\/em>If the\u00a0invoice chasing<\/b>\u00a0procedure is carried out by different people within your company (for example administrative department, personal assistant, owner, \u2026)\u00a0<\/span>make sure you\u00a0SHARE<\/b><\/span> <\/b>and benefit from all the <\/b>\u00a0information<\/b>\u00a0 you acquire during the phone calls. Clients, especially those who feel the need to explain themselves all the time, tend to talk too much: it is your task to notice all the details you need to be successful.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"soldi\"<\/p>\n

Pexels Photo<\/span><\/p>\n

Enjoy your\u00a0invoice chasing<\/strong>\u00a0everybody!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

| partem claram semper aspice |<\/span><\/pre>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chasing unpaid invoices, especially by phone, feels \u201crude\u201d to most of the people I meet in my classes. For some reason we feel uncomfortable when we have to ask for payment although really that is how the wheels of commerce work: providing a certain service or goods in return for a stipulated payment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":19762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90],"tags":[261,280,148,230,239,236,174,371],"class_list":["post-9825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-of-sales-calls","tag-calls","tag-method","tag-metodo","tag-phone","tag-sales","tag-sales-ethics","tag-vendita-etica-2","tag-vendita-etica","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\nChasing unpaid invoices • Passodue<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to do to be successful in debt collection without ruining the relationship with the 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La mia esperienza di oltre 10 anni come imprenditrice mi ha permesso di gettare le basi per quello che sarebbe diventato il mio progetto pi\\u00f9 importante, Passodue: societ\\u00e0 di consulenza e formazione che combina profitto ed etica, successo professionale e felicit\\u00e0. 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