Asking for it
Chasing with no credit department, escalation, statutory interest, and what each costs.
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The Call Before It Is Due
A courtesy contact a week before payment is due is not chasing, costs nothing, and resolves most of what would otherwise become a chase.
Who to Ask, and About What
Four people stand between you and the money. Each can answer exactly one kind of question, and asking the wrong one wastes the asking.
Asking Without Apologising
Most chasing messages are too long, too apologetic and ask the wrong person. What to write, in four lines.
Escalating on Purpose
Escalation works once. Spending it by accident, in a message written in frustration, is how most suppliers lose the only move they had.
Interest You Are Entitled To and Will Not Charge
Many places give suppliers a right to interest and costs on late payment. Almost nobody claims it, and the reasons are worth being honest about.
Stopping Work on an Unpaid Account
Refusing to do more for a customer who has not paid is the strongest move left after delivery. It is also a decision with a contract attached.
What Asking Costs You
Chasing is not free, and the cost is not mainly goodwill. It is hours, attention and the quiet reshaping of a working relationship.